Bolivian vs. German Ram

Bill109 · 05-08-2008, 02:46 PM

hello
what do you guys think is the better pick.. bolivian ram or german ram?
i want it to be compatible with tetras.. i heard the bolivians were and will do nicely in a 20long.. what do you think?
one last Q? are they expensive? or hard to come by?

thanks againn

-bill

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KurtG · 05-08-2008, 02:56 PM

I just like the German Rams more. Might look to Apistogramma as another option too.

**macclellan** · 05-08-2008, 03:04 PM

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!

**Orlando** · 05-08-2008, 03:33 PM

I have both in a 150G for years now, and I will second that Bolivians are hardier and a little more fun to watch. Especially during mating time.
They grow much bigger than the German Ram so keep this in mind.
When you decide to make your purchase buy from a dealer who breeds not imports. Odd Ball Fish in Tampa is a great source for Rams.
They are not juiced up and prices are reasonable.

SammyP · 05-08-2008, 04:36 PM

i voted germans because mine were fantastic to watch. I'm bias though because i've never owned bolivians. You may want to check out some kribensis as well, awesome fish.

Justbeginningfish · 05-08-2008, 04:53 PM

I love my rams, both my gold ram who is full of spunk but not aggressive and my newer pair of blues. They little blue pair are super curious and not afraid of anything, they actually swim right into the net when it goes into the tank just to see if there is food in it.

Bill109 · 05-08-2008, 07:39 PM

which do you think is the best representation for these 2 fish? i have gotten a few pics and ill tell ya.. some sites make these fish look amazing while others. not so much
1 -3 are bolivians.. and the other is a german

click for larger image.:.

Bill109 · 05-08-2008, 07:46 PM

i am feeding sera pan stuff (tht color enhancing food) and frozen mysis and brine if it is reccomended..
i like the color of the bolivian better when the color is shown in bright colors,

**macclellan** · 05-08-2008, 07:56 PM

1 looks most accurate, albeit a bit out of focus, and underexposed (the orange is more brilliant). #2 was someone taking a pic. the day they got the fish, all stressed and malnourished from LFS. #3 is a nice look male, but the photo is excessively oversaturated.

JAXON777 · 05-08-2008, 08:07 PM

I voted for GBR's b/c I have three in my 100 gallon. I wish I would have bought all of them in the tank at the store tho (there were 5 in the tank). FYI i got my GBRs for 5.99 dont know how much bolivians are...

**Orlando** · 05-08-2008, 08:07 PM

Number 2 is a Female, the #1 looks about normal.#3 is what my males look like come breeding time when they lock up. You can see a picrure of one of my males on my header of our website. I prefer Bolivians over German mostly.

stlfishlover · 05-08-2008, 08:09 PM

Bolivians!!!!! They have the best personalities. They are comical to watch at times too, with the marital arguments between pairs or "my fins are prettier than yours" between some of the males. We have 11 in our 125 and I absolutely love them. Would rather watch them than the tv at times.

I would not put more than a pair in a 20g long though. If you would like more info on them you should head over to cichlid-forum and check out the BRC (Bolivian Ram Club) thread in the SA forum. It's about 76 pages now full of pictures and info about them and there a few very nice articles about them in the Library there.

Couple photos of mine, NOT photoshopped or edited lol

**Orlando** · 05-08-2008, 08:14 PM

here is a crappy picture of one of my male Bolivians I just took real quick.

stlfishlover · 05-08-2008, 08:18 PM

Oh! He's gorgeous!! Not a crappy pic either lol

**Orlando** · 05-08-2008, 08:21 PM

He thanks you for the comment. He is rather dashing, if I may say so myself.
LoL!

View Poll Results: Bolivian or German ram
German Ram	27	71.05%
Bolivian Ram	11	28.95%
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

05-08-2008, 02:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bill109 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: May 2008 Location: United States Posts: 45	Bolivian vs. German Ram hello what do you guys think is the better pick.. bolivian ram or german ram? i want it to be compatible with tetras.. i heard the bolivians were and will do nicely in a 20long.. what do you think? one last Q? are they expensive? or hard to come by? thanks againn -bill

05-08-2008, 02:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
KurtG Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Annapolis, MD Posts: 288	I just like the German Rams more. Might look to Apistogramma as another option too. __________________ "Jungle Tank"- 75 gallon, 3 T8s 2x overdriven, Rena XP3, pressurized CO2, custom mixed substrate.

05-08-2008, 03:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
macclellan Shrimpimp (View User Tanks) PTrader: (74) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: knoxville, tn Posts: 1,233	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! __________________ Join the Revolution! Sign up for Revolution MoneyExchange, a no-fee Paypal alternative here - you get $25 free and I get $10! Riccia is just duckweed for yuppies. Filstar Pimp numero 89! Hey, look, no stupid dragon eggs in my sig!

05-08-2008, 03:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
Orlando Green Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (52) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 1,696	I have both in a 150G for years now, and I will second that Bolivians are hardier and a little more fun to watch. Especially during mating time. They grow much bigger than the German Ram so keep this in mind. When you decide to make your purchase buy from a dealer who breeds not imports. Odd Ball Fish in Tampa is a great source for Rams. They are not juiced up and prices are reasonable. __________________

05-08-2008, 04:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
SammyP Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5) Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Westbury, NY Posts: 313	i voted germans because mine were fantastic to watch. I'm bias though because i've never owned bolivians. You may want to check out some kribensis as well, awesome fish. __________________ 10 gallon tank 15 neon tetra, 5 red phantom tetra, 11 ottocinclus, 9 cardinia japonica AH supply lighting, Seachem and greg watson ferts, eco-complete

05-08-2008, 04:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
Justbeginningfish Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: tulsa, oklahoma Posts: 94	I love my rams, both my gold ram who is full of spunk but not aggressive and my newer pair of blues. They little blue pair are super curious and not afraid of anything, they actually swim right into the net when it goes into the tank just to see if there is food in it.

05-08-2008, 07:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bill109 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: May 2008 Location: United States Posts: 45	i am feeding sera pan stuff (tht color enhancing food) and frozen mysis and brine if it is reccomended.. i like the color of the bolivian better when the color is shown in bright colors,

05-08-2008, 07:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
macclellan Shrimpimp (View User Tanks) PTrader: (74) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: knoxville, tn Posts: 1,233	1 looks most accurate, albeit a bit out of focus, and underexposed (the orange is more brilliant). #2 was someone taking a pic. the day they got the fish, all stressed and malnourished from LFS. #3 is a nice look male, but the photo is excessively oversaturated. __________________ Join the Revolution! Sign up for Revolution MoneyExchange, a no-fee Paypal alternative here - you get $25 free and I get $10! Riccia is just duckweed for yuppies. Filstar Pimp numero 89! Hey, look, no stupid dragon eggs in my sig!

05-08-2008, 08:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
JAXON777 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: DFW TX USA Posts: 58	I voted for GBR's b/c I have three in my 100 gallon. I wish I would have bought all of them in the tank at the store tho (there were 5 in the tank). FYI i got my GBRs for 5.99 dont know how much bolivians are...

05-08-2008, 08:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
Orlando Green Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (52) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 1,696	Number 2 is a Female, the #1 looks about normal.#3 is what my males look like come breeding time when they lock up. You can see a picrure of one of my males on my header of our website. I prefer Bolivians over German mostly. __________________

05-08-2008, 08:18 PM	#14 (permalink)
stlfishlover Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: O'Fallon, MO Posts: 46	Oh! He's gorgeous!! Not a crappy pic either lol

05-08-2008, 08:21 PM	#15 (permalink)
Orlando Green Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (52) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gainesville FL Posts: 1,696	He thanks you for the comment. He is rather dashing, if I may say so myself. LoL! __________________