Shy Bolivian Rams?

5536 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by jhays79, Mar 4, 2014

jhays79

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2014

Ive got a heavily planted 46g bowfront stocked with 6 Cory cats and five oto cats. I added 2 juvenile Bolivian Rams last week abd theyre super shy. Is this a normal trait? Do I need to add a couple more for them to be comfortable?

Save

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

rustbucket

· #2 · Mar 2, 2014

I would give them some more time. I have 2 in my tank and they are out and about all the time.

Save

mnemenoi

· #3 · Mar 2, 2014

Try some dithers, maybe some bloodfins or hatchetfish to calm them a bit.

Save

Ras

· #4 · Mar 2, 2014

both replies seem like your best 2 options
for me every fish I have ever bought either paced the glass or hid for the first 2weeks to a month of adding them to a new tank, ESPECIALLY when there is already other fish in it
plus I've heard a lot about how gbrs are less active w.o dither fish so I would assume its similar with Bolivians

imo wait it out for a month, if still shy try adding some schooling dither fish who arent too shy
if you were to add something like CPD I dont think it would help seeing as they too seem to hide a lot, and the point of the dither is to be out in the open showing the other fish there is no large threat or immediate danger nearby

Save

Morgan_9300

· #5 · Mar 2, 2014

Rams generally like to be kept in groups. I would add 2 more it will probably help encourage them to come out more. But if you don't want more they are new and may just be shy for now. Give them a week or two and see what happens. Also feed them frequently and that will help color them up and they will come out to eat more.

Save

jhays79

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 2, 2014

Thanks for all the tips. I'd like to add a couple of GBR or an apisto or two. Will the Bolivian Rams be alright with the GBRs?

Also, would neon tetras work as a schooling group in my tank? My kh is 3 and my gh is 5. my ph is right about 7 right out of the tap..

Save

Morgan_9300

· #7 · Mar 3, 2014

I think the GBRs should be fine. I kept Bolivian and GBR together. Neons should be fine in that water. There are great schooling fish and look very good in planted tanks.

Save

Ras

· #8 · Mar 3, 2014

i wouldn't do apistos in the same tank but maybe gbrs

Save

jhays79

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 3, 2014

Thanks for the advice guys. Probably gonna do a couple of GBR. Haven't decided on the neons for sure but i'm considering it. My little school of 5 oto cats are pretty cool to watch swim together, I might just add a couple more of them instead, although some color would be nice with the neons.

Save

Italionstallion888

· #10 · Mar 3, 2014

dithers and it took my bolivians about a month to month in a half to settle in the tank. Now they swim all over.

Save

jhays79

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 3, 2014

I'll probably go the neon tetra route, although my 5 oto cats love schooling around in the evening. Problem is they don't do that all the time, half the time they're on the glass.

Save

mnemenoi

· #12 · Mar 3, 2014

Neons are generally lower level swimmers and can also be shy, for a dither you generally want something in the upper reaches (top third) of the tank and stays in the open most of the time that is active. I'd still recommend bloodfins or some type of hatchetfish, even a danio species would work.

Save

Careful

· #13 · Mar 4, 2014

If you don't want to add more fish you can also try floating plants. I have some Bolivian Rams in a 20g without any dither fish and they hid all the time until I let the floaters totally cover the tank. Now they swim all over, even up into the floating plant roots.

Save

Ras

· #14 · Mar 4, 2014

jhays79 said:
Thanks for the advice guys. Probably gonna do a couple of GBR. Haven't decided on the neons for sure but i'm considering it. My little school of 5 oto cats are pretty cool to watch swim together, I might just add a couple more of them instead, although some color would be nice with the neons.

jhays79 said:
I'll probably go the neon tetra route, although my 5 oto cats love schooling around in the evening. Problem is they don't do that all the time, half the time they're on the glass.

watch them after the lghts go out, they do the classic happy dance that most catfish/loaches do at night and its pretty fun to watch
also if you were wanting more oto's but find the normal oto's dull then you could get some zebra otos

or a very AWESOME catfish that schools are rosy loachs

very small colorful fish and VERY smart like most loachs
they pretty much do the same job as cory catfish and eat leftover food, small crustaceans and worms. but they arent as confined to the floor of the tank
and they generally school much tighter than oto's
since you already have otos for algae control these guys might be a good addition for pest control and left over food
assuming gbr/ Bolivians will be the largest and most aggressive fish in your tank (which is really not aggressive at all) these little guys should do great
they also like the same water conditions as both cichlids you plan to get
and with a 46 gallon tank you could have quite a large school of them w.o seeing much bioload, depending on how heavily planted the tank is you may see no change in water params since they are so small

hopefully that convinced you to get these awesome fish

See less See more

Save

jhays79

Discussion Starter · #15 · Mar 4, 2014

Those are really awesome looking! I will def do some more research on those beauties! Thanks!

Save

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month