I have one Bolivian ram- male I believe .
I would like him to have mates or a female friend ,
I’m reading they would like to live in a group or a pair.
Can anyone advise what is the best way to do that?
If I get just one female, what are the chances they will like each other? Should I get 2 or more females to start with? Would I be able to add another male?
Any advice?
Bolivians are loosely gregarious, so you might get away with adding a group of females in with the male you might end up with a pair. Depending on space/decor etc you might get away with more than one male with a group of females.
Might be worth a try. If they do pair and the three dont get on then yes you would probably find you would have to rehome/return the other(s).
They should be ok with corys, as long as the corys dont bumble into the rams territory/eggs if they breed.
Three Bolivians is a good number, more is better but as you say space isn't huge but 3 foot aquarium should be fine as long as there are hiding places.
Cory will be fine with Bolivian rams but Bolivian rams like the aquarium water warm 25/26C is fine.
Therefore I would suggest Sterbai cory as they can take the warmer water, Flag-tailed Panda Cory (Corydoras oiapoquensis), Miguelito Cory (Corydoras virginiae), Cory C056 (Corydoras albolineatus) can also take the warmer water. I have sterbai cory but have had miguelito cory in the past whilst Paul (Mol_PMB) has some corydoras oiapoquensis. They are all lovely cory species.
All the best
Stay safe & healthy everyone
425L SeaBray Elite aquarium - Rio Mamoré (Bolivia) theme
4 x Cupid Cichlids, 14 x Cory caudimaculatus, 12 x Cory sterbai 51 x Reed Tetra, 4 x Honeycomb Bristlenose (L519)
As with all cichlids, I would keep my eye on the addition of more, just in case the original doesn't like the newcomer(s).
Try moving decoration around.
Im only thinking of adding more rams to make this little fella happier.
Do you think he can be perfectly fine on it’s own? And It wouldn't Be cruel to him keeping him alone?
Is it worth a risk then adding mates?
Thanks
They can be fine on their own, but its always nice to see them interact with their own species.
As Ian said if you rearrange the tank just before adding the new tank mates it might help reset any territory taken by the existing ram, so might help with aggression if there is any (Bolivians do tend to be quite placid for cichlids). You would just have to keep an eye on them
As plankton says keep an eye on them if you decide add any more. I've had many a failed attempt at buddying them up but hopefully you'll get a bit of luck!
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