# Bolivian Rams in 29 gallon



## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Hey I want to change my 29 gallon into a ram tank my question us what can I put in it? I was thinking rams idk how many, tetras maybe neon idk how many, maybe shrimp and two otos. Also I wantes to put in a few easy live plants so I'm not sure which ones. 
Thanks for any help you could give.


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Bump...


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

Check the profile section of rams as well as the cookie cutter setups that include them. It should give you all the information you need to know.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

A 29 is a 30" tank, so 2 pairs should work out. Any small tetra is fine for schooling, just make sure to get at least 10 of them. No shrimp; they'll most likely get eaten. Otos are great algae eaters. they prefer to be in schools though, so getting 6+ is recommended.

There are tons of readily available easy plants out there, even at chain stores:

Vallisneria
Cryptocoryne
Swordplants (Echinodorus)
Cabomba
Java fern and moss
Elodia
Hornwort
Water wisteria
Water sprite
Hygrophila corymbosa and other related plants


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks a lot! That really helped.


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## magpie (Nov 12, 2011)

I'm a fan of at least a few floating plants as I've seen it make my fish happier and more secure. You can use the water sprite or wisteria for that (although I find that the wisteria grows long roots), or you can use brazilian pennywort, which is what I use. It's attractive looking and the fish like it to boot. 

Also, if you want an algae eater but don't want 6 fish, you could get 1-3 farlowella - twig catfish. They're also south american, and are pretty neat creatures to watch. I've heard that you have to be sure they get enough food - mine love blanched zucchini, but will also eat veggie/algae wafers and even shrimp pellets.


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## Z90a (Sep 25, 2011)

Have you considered starting a dirt tank? Iv just set up a 30gal dirted for my Bolivian rams. I do planted tanks so it provides max nutrients with out ferts. If you have questions on it pm me


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## Clink51 (Aug 4, 2011)

whats a dirt tank??


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## Z90a (Sep 25, 2011)

my subsraigt is an ORGANIC NO FERT ADDED dirt. with a gravel cap on top of it. It seams like a crazy idea at first but if you check out these videos you will see the beauti behind them... youtube search dustinsfishtanks. all his tanks are dirted and are amazing planted tanks.


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Ok so I took out all of the rocks sand and water to my 29 and moved it to a new location. I've had it filled for a few days with a piece of driftwood and some rocks from another tank and I seeded the biowheel if the 29 filter in the sump of my 75 about 2 weeks ago. So once I buy some sand will I be able to add plants? Or do I have to wait for the wait untill it is cycled. I've never kept plants before. Also, I've got my final stocklist in mind so let me know what you guys think!
Two breeding pairs of Bolivian Rams
12-15 neon or lemon tetras
3 oto cats
X cory cats(idk how many to get of them)


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## Stellaluna (May 8, 2006)

I'd add plants right away. Also, if you want any successful spawns you may want to skip the cats, which are egg eaters.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

You can't do two pairs in 30" IMO. If it were really heavily planted maybe, but honestly I would keep 1 pair up to a 36x12 at which point I'd consider 2 pairs less crazy but still wouldn't do it unless I had 48x12 or 36x18 >


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Okay one pair is fine as well!


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

I think that's a better idea. If you can't call what they are in the store just get 3 or 4 and wait for a group to appear then sell the other(s).

Anubias is also a really easy plant to grow and pretty tough.


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

Yeah I originally planned on just one pair but others said two would work. Ill stick with one to be safe. If I get cories and otos will they eat all the fry? Hiw many numbers of cories and otos would be good for this tank?


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Everything eats fry if it can. Don't expect to keep fry unless you JUST have the rams in the tank and nothing else and you follow the care instructions for the article that was linked on breeding them. Otherwise keep the pair as something to watch spawn and don't expect the actual spawn to survive unless you actually move the eggs or wrigglers to a seperate safe environment.

Corys you can put a lot in a 30G. You can put 25 in there if you want of the Bronze corys.

In a 30G long I'd do something like 18 bronze corys, 2 bolivian rams and a small group, maybe 8 Lemon tetras or bleeding heart tetras. That's a good grouping of all inoffensive fish that won't hurt eachother. Except eggs and fry eveyrthing wants to eat them.

You could also add a bushynose pleco. Even some amano shrimp. That's starting to get really stocky so you will want a fair number of plants. Don't think I'd use CO2 with Bolivians because they look the best when the pH is in the high 7s and the closer you get to 7 or below they look bad color wise and are reluctant to spawn.


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## sasikan (Feb 7, 2012)

mattawan_cichlid said:


> Hey I want to change my 29 gallon into a ram tank my question us what can I put in it? I was thinking rams idk how many, tetras maybe neon idk how many, maybe shrimp and two otos. Also I wantes to put in a few easy live plants so I'm not sure which ones.
> Thanks for any help you could give.


 hi i have 2 or 3 females for 1 male ram i have many aquariums like this and it always works fine, the females will lay eggs in a corner of the tank and she will be the new girlfriend of the day!lucky him! there are lots of plants and rocks branches in each tank.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Seeing as no one else has asked, what is your local water like? While rams are hardy, I still wouldn't like to keep them in a high PH, hard water set up.

Best way to find out what will work in your tank, buy a group of six juvenile from a LFS and grow them out. Hopefully a pair will develop naturally and just from observation you will know whether the tank is over stocked or not.

My gut feeling is that an adult pair will claim the entire tank.

Now the quality of Bolivian rams can vary, just like any fish. My LFS once got in a shipment of absolute stunners and kept 6 in a 40 gallon breeder display tank. The boys grew to about 4 inches TL and are big.

Mid last year they got a shipment from the same supplier, with some good looking sub adults. This is a photo of a male a little over 2 inches TL. I would look for fish of this quality where possible. You can start to see the fish he'll grow in to.










Final thought (not mine) for the day.


> "A breeding tank is not a community tank, a community tank is not a breeding tank"


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

My water is a little on the hard side so I will have to alter that during water changes


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

No, you don't. Bolivian Rams specifically do better at a pH of 7.4-7.8 and medium-hard water IME. I've kept them in softer water with a pH of 6.9 and they always looked like garbage. It's well documented that they breed more at a pH in the high 7.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Here's C-F's profile on M. altispinosa:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=420

Don't know if they'd actually do better in slightly alkaline waters, but they certainly won't mind it; of course, no farm bred fish cares all that much about water chemistry anyways.


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

So I've got the stocklist all set. 
2 rams
12-15 neon tetras
4 oto cats
6 cories
plants. I'm still working on haha
Thanks for all the help guys if you spot anything wrong let me know!


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

BelieveInBlue said:


> Don't know if they'd actually do better in slightly alkaline waters, but they certainly won't mind it; of course, no farm bred fish cares all that much about water chemistry anyways.


I think the profile is wrong. I've read they come from slightly alkaline water. I've had maybe 6 pairs or so over my fishkeeping 'career' and they were all from the same supplier except 1 pair which also did well and spawned in alkaline water like the others. The one pair that did not spawn and never looked good despite being the same quality when purchased was the one I kept in 7.0 with very low hardness with my breeding pair of angels in a 55. Angels spawned weekly, Rams spawned never.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

aquariam said:


> BelieveInBlue said:
> 
> 
> > Don't know if they'd actually do better in slightly alkaline waters, but they certainly won't mind it; of course, no farm bred fish cares all that much about water chemistry anyways.
> ...


So you're saying that your own experiences are correct, while that of the who knows how many people who moderate this forum and write the profiles are incorrect...?


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

What about adding shrimp to this tank as well?


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

So I changed my mind to blue rams. I've got tje tank set up I'm just waiting to get plants to put in first. Would I be able to have two schools of tetras in this size tank? I want rummy nose and neon tetras. If not ill just get the rummy nose and then corys otos and the two german blues.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

0 if you want fry. If you don't care about losing fry you could put like 12 corys-15 corys on the bottom, like bronze corys. Ottos no comment as I loathe them and find them a useless ugly little fish.


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## mattawan_cichlid (Dec 24, 2010)

If I'm not worried about fry what about the tetras? Two schools too many


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

In a 29 I'd stick to 1 school; otos are fine if you can find a healthy batch; they do a fine job eating algae, but a lot of shipments come in in bad shape, and a lot of the ones that make it don't last very long, or at least, that's been my experience working at a LFS.


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