[macclellan]

Both are compatible with tetras. Bolivians have much more personality in my opinion; they are like miniature Oscars. Blairo wrote a good article on how to sex them. It is over at cichlid-forum.com in the species profiles area.

German Rams are pretty sensitive and increasingly inbred and shot up with hormones. They certainly are more colorful, but a pair of breeding Bolivians has a great subtle beauty to them, and the males have excellent fin-trailers like some of the bigger geophagus species. I found the Bolivians to be very hardy. They eat shrimp like a champ though, so no shrimp mates in that tank.

I paid $9.99/ea for mine. Availability varies widely by locale.

^^ Apistogrammas are great!