Stocking questions

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Can I just make a point about your corydoras going to the surface for air?

Most catfish and loaches keep a bubble of air in their gut that they use as an additional source for respiration, and it needs replacing at regular intervals. This is completely normal behaviour for them, and is nothing to do with a lack of oxygen in the tank.

It is the blue rams that very sensitive, not the Bolivians. They do not need to be kept in groups and, as Byron rightly says, they are probably a solitary fish, except when breeding, so having just one won't be an issue.
 
Can I just make a point about your corydoras going to the surface for air?

Most catfish and loaches keep a bubble of air in their gut that they use as an additional source for respiration, and it needs replacing at regular intervals. This is completely normal behaviour for them, and is nothing to do with a lack of oxygen in the tank.

It is the blue rams that very sensitive, not the Bolivians. They do not need to be kept in groups and, as Byron rightly says, they are probably a solitary fish, except when breeding, so having just one won't be an issue.

Thats good then that its normal behaviour! Thanks for the insight!

Thats good then I shall keep an eye out for a healthy looking fish in a shop! In the mean time its a slow process of adding fish in.

Would it be better to add the ram last or before the schooling fish?

Thanks!
 
Always add anything that might be territorial last. You shouldn't have any aggression problems with a Bolivian, but they are cichlids, so its better to introduce them to a tank that already has the shoalers in it. Many dwarf cichlids use the disappearance of smaller fish to alert them to the presence of predators, in the wild, so they'll also settle more quickly when smaller fish are present :)
 
Just a couple of questions regarding the bolovian rams I was reading they do best in groups of 6-8 will having 1 on its own be detrimental to its health? A few websites have them listed as hard to care for and extremely sensitive, having kept one yourself did you find any difficulties to keep them? The stores near me have rams for sale listed as bolivian but they are in tanks with german blue rams and as far as I was aware they have different requirements so I dont really wanna buy them if one of the 2 is in sub par conditions so ill see if my local breeder has some.

Thanks again for a detailed answer.

I already mentioned that the Bolivian Ram (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) occurs in solitude in its habitat. And my two cases of keeping one of them were certainly not harmful. My most recent Bolivian male, on his own in a community tank since I got him, was well into his ninth year (after my acquiring him presumably as a juvenile) which is past their expected 4-5 year lifespan.

Like all cichlids, this fish will consider the entire tank "his" space. This is why cichlid species should never be combined (except for African rift lake cichlids, a very different thing). Most community fish are fine; you just want to avoid any over-active swimmers (barbs and danios in general as an example) and no possible fin nippers. Peaceful tetras, rasbora, catfish work well. Rams are very sedate fish; mine just cruised very slowly, picking at "food" on the sand and other surfaces.

My Bolivian sometimes got annoyed with the cories at feeding time, but he only pushed them out of the way and the cories, being the bumbling fish they are, weren't phased by this.

If the tank is established--meaning, not merely cycled but running for a couple months minimum, the biology should be stable. Cichlids are not the tough fish many assume, but introducing the Bolivian to an established tank should pose no problems. Having the other shoaling fish already there is also good, as fluttermoth mentioned.

No store should keep Bolivians and Blue (common) rams together; it can be tricky to distinguish them as they are normally under stress from the store tank conditions and not showing distinct colour and such. Once one has experience the differences are rather obvious; of course, the store may label them "Bolivian" but they may be the Common Blue Ram. Stores sometimes make up labels, or so it seems.
 

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