# Bolivian Rams and Neon Tetras



## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Can they be kept together?

LFS has some Rams in and they're bloody sexy.


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Can they be kept together?
> 
> LFS has some Rams in and they're bloody sexy.


I'm pretty sure you can keep just about any small, fast, schooling dither fish w/ Dwarf Cichlids .....Danios, tetras, barbs....pick one...lol. You really won't have much to worry about w/ aggression...Dwarfs are simply not aggressive or territorial much.


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Good stuff.


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## RhianB87 (Oct 25, 2009)

I have both in my tank and they don't bother each other.


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## CPT BJ (Oct 30, 2010)

Yup they mix perfect fine, Bolivian rams are very mellow.


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Can they be kept together?
> 
> LFS has some Rams in and they're bloody sexy.


Why Bolivians? I thought you were in love with GBRs?


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

I like all dwarf cichlids, I just happened to these today in the flesh and loved 'em.

I'm off to a big fish place tomorrow, hopefully they'll have some cool stuff.


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> I like all dwarf cichlids, I just happened to these today in the flesh and loved 'em.
> 
> I'm off to a big fish place tomorrow, hopefully they'll have some cool stuff.



Dude.....Acaras, man. Acaras. I want to have all the species eventually. Awesome fish, colorful, peaceful and you can keep them w/ ANYTHING practically. Problem is, I don't know if they could live in a Black-water biotope.


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## igmillichip (Feb 7, 2010)

Bolivians are great little fish (over here, they are about half the price of an equivalent sized and quality 'normal' Ram).

I find their behaviour to be more 'appreciative' (for want of a better word) to human activity outside the tank (ie just like the reaction the big cichlids give you.....but without the boot-boy attitude).

A large neon would not attract the attention of the bolivians, and would easily get out of the way if a bolivian decided to be unusually pushy.

ian


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Electric Blue rams are gorgeous, cost about £20 for a pair but well worth the money.


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Tank's almost cycled so will be adding something soon.


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

Bolivian Rams are really nice fish but these are my faves by Miles at the momment. Have sold 20 of these in the last week alone at the shop i manage

Metallic blue ram


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Arachnoking said:


> Bolivian Rams are really nice fish but these are my faves by Miles at the momment. Have sold 20 of these in the last week alone at the shop i manage
> 
> Metallic blue ram
> 
> image


not as easy to keep as bolivians- they're fussy about water chemistry & bolivians aren't.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Can they be kept together?
> 
> LFS has some Rams in and they're bloody sexy.


i've got a pair of bolivians & i keep them with cardinals- they're no trouble at all. if you want a pair though, they're not easy to sex- you really need to see if their tubes are out & go by the tube shapes- fat in a female, thin (& not very prominent) 
in a male. there are other differences like tail filaments, fin lengths & (very) subtle colour differences but not very reliable ones.


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## igmillichip (Feb 7, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> i've got a pair of bolivians & i keep them with cardinals- they're no trouble at all. if you want a pair though, they're not easy to sex- you really need to see if their tubes are out & go by the tube shapes- fat in a female, thin (& not very prominent)
> in a male. there are other differences like tail filaments, fin lengths & (very) subtle colour differences but not very reliable ones.


I totally agree.

A girl in a LFS won't get my fish for me anymore after asking her to get me a mix of male and female from a tank of younger Bolivians.  even though I was pointing the fish out for her.....2 hours later I had my fish (after many times telling her to have a rest and give the fish a rest). 

I've found that the Bolivians are not only much easier to keep _cf_ the 'normal' Rams but that their temperament is very much like Goldilock's 'Mother Bear'.
In with cardinals, neons and emperors.....not a bother.
And, they can take care of themselves in with slightly more rougher fish.

'Normal' Rams.....beautiful fish, one of my all time favs, BUT...many specimens you see around are pretty naff, they can be 'little aggressive monsters' at times, they don't often take too much of someone turning around and giving a bully Ram a give hiding (the bully ram can go downhill very quickly), and water....for _best keeping_ you need to have old Chocolate Gourami water !! Although tank raised specimens will acclimatise to good clean water.
I actually keep my ramirez (normal) Rams with Chocolate Gouramis... ....perfect mix (albeit non-biotopic). 

ian


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

igmillichip said:


> I totally agree.
> 
> A girl in a LFS won't get my fish for me anymore after asking her to get me a mix of male and female from a tank of younger Bolivians.  even though I was pointing the fish out for her.....2 hours later I had my fish (after many times telling her to have a rest and give the fish a rest).
> 
> ...


this! & all the reasons why i only keep bolivians & not ramirezi. can't be bothered faffing about with water. if it won't tolerate essex tap water without softening/acidifying it, etc, then it doesn't get kept! cardinals, btw, are more tolerant of hard alkaline water than most people think- i keep them & they do fine.


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> not as easy to keep as bolivians- they're fussy about water chemistry & bolivians aren't.


 

Cant say ive found them difficult at all to be honest. The blue rams ive had were kept in fairly hard water and thrived


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

Farmed ramerizi from Singapore


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