Bolivian Ram Cichlid

R115.00

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SKU: Ram-Boliv Tags: , ,

R115.00

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Bolivian Ram Cichlids are a colorful, peaceful and easygoing that are perfect for beginners.  They can be quite shy and will not bother any other fish in your tank so they make great additions to a community fish tank.  They will liven up your aquarium with striking colors and funny swimming behaviors. From yellow to red and silvery blue, Bolivian Rams will definitely stand out in your tank.  Even though Cichlids are well known to be the bullies of most aquariums, this fish is an exception – the Bolivian Ram is a peaceful fish.

The Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) is known under many common names: Butterfly Ram, Bolivian Butterfly Cichlid and Ruby Cichlid and are native to Brazil and Bolivia regions of South America

Behaviour

This serene fish spends most of its time in the lower and middle parts of the tank.  Bolivian Rams are good to keep together in small groups. There is no right or wrong here, they do well both alone, in a pair or in a group.

Their swimming behavior is unique; they typically move for a few strokes and then stop suddenly, over and over again. They do this when feeding so they can sieve through the sediment whilst not stirring it up.

Apart from the occasional peculiar swimming style when looking for food, Bolivian Rams look quite graceful and can swim quite quickly when trying to evade predators.

Tank Conditions

This cichlid is quite hardy and with the right water conditions (water that is well oxygenation) and care, the Bolivian Ram can live for up to 4 years.

The streams, pools and lagoons where you can find these fish in the wild are usually dense with vegetation and have plenty of submerged branches and roots offering shelter and shade.  These waters are slow moving and slightly acidic with lots of organic matter and food to feed on, with sandy and muddy bottoms.

Therefore the tank should be heavily planted with open spaces for swimming and plenty of rocks, driftwood and hiding places. Some good aquatic plants that you can use in your tank are Java Fern, Amazon Sword, Anubias Nana and Wisteria. Fine sand with some pebbles here and there can be used as substrate. They prefer low lighting with weak water movements.

Compatibility

Bolivian Rams are the perfect cichlid for community aquariums. They are peaceful fish that will struggle with aggressive tank mates.  They can be kept with other dwarf Cichlids and peaceful tank mates such as Silver Dollars, Dwarf Gouramis, Rummy Nose or Emperor Tetras, Corydoras Catfish, Plecostomus, Guppies, Platies, Odessa barbs and Tiger Barbs.

Overall, they are quite shy and tend not to interact much with other tank mates.

The biggest factor when choosing a tank mate for them is size. If tank mates are too small, they can be seen as prey and might be eaten.  When adding crustaceans to your community tank, size is what matters. Bolivian Rams might mistake small shrimps like the Red Cherry Shrimp for food while larger species such as the Ghost, Amano or Bamboo Shrimp are fine.

Feeding

They are very easy to feed, they are not fussy eaters and will eat almost everything.  In the wild they tend to sieve through the substrate for plant material and small organisms. Occasionally, they will also feed on insects or plants at the water surface.

You should try to keep a varied and balanced diet in your tank with flakes or pellets and a mixture of live or frozen meaty foods such as brine shrimps, blood or white worms.  Since they are bottom feeders, feed them sinking food to make sure they get it.

Care

Make sure to provide enough water changes to keep nitrates levels in check as they can be quite toxic for this fish.

A very common problem is the white spot disease known as Ich. This is a parasite that appears as white spots on the skin of the fish. As Bolivian Rams are quite tolerant of water temperature you can initially try to elevate the temperature to 30°C and see if it goes away.  If the parasite is persistent you will need a more aggressive treatment such as these ich medications.

See Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment at Rebel Pets for help with diagnosing and treating diseases.

CATEGORY RATING
Adult Size:  5 – 9 cm
Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner
Minimum Tank Size: 120 litres, +20 litres/add. fish
Temperament: Peaceful, good community fish
Tank Level: Lower to middle dweller
Diet: Omnivore
Aquarium Hardiness: Hardy
Lifespan: 4 Years
Water Flow: Slow
Temperature: 23 to 26°C
pH: 6.0 – 7.4
Hardness: 6-14 dGH (soft)

Shipping Countries: South Africa


Shipping States: Gauteng (South Africa)


Specification: Bolivian Ram Cichlid

Weight 0.5 kg

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