Blue Ram + Bolivian Ram?

[CluelessScot]

Yesterday i bought a female bolivian ram the tank that the male was in had white spot so i never got a male. The female i got is about 2 1/2 inches and is rather pale. Today i went to the aquatics club in my town to buy a male and i got a slightly smaller male than the female i bought yesterday. i think he is about 2 inches... Also the guy told me is was ok to mix a blue ram with a bolivain ram? is that true? When i added the Small male and the blue ram to my tank the male blue ram and bolivian ram were ok with each other, no fighting or nothing but the female has been bumping and ramming the bolivian male and trying to do the same to the blue ram male... is this a normal thing for them to be doing? i thought maybe getting the pecking order as the females the largest? or is the female actully not a female? or do they just not get along help??

Thanks

Kev

 

[sylvia]

The names of these two species can be misleading as bolivian rams and blue rams are entirely unrelated. I'm not certain whether you have 2 cichlids or 3? It's normal for the largest to push the rest around but be aware that, if you have 3, when 2 pair up, the third (if you have 2 bolivians, the 3rd will be the blue) will get bullied non-stop and may even be killed. Also, bolivians are considerably more aggressive compared to blue rams, so expect the blue to be bottom of the pecking order.

 

[CluelessScot]

If i were to get a Female for the Blue ram would they be less of a target? I have a few caves atm and am currently making more as we speak. with more places to hide will they be less aggro towards each other?

 

[sylvia]

Well whichever pair were to breed, the other fish would suffer. However, if both pairs were to breed at the same time, you'd have a few problems with territorial disputes. Then again, having another blue ram would reduce attention towards the individual by deviding it between two. Still, I'd stick to the fish you have now and simply add as many hiding places and distractions (eg: target fish) as possible. The extra caves will deffinately be beneficial.

 

[CluelessScot]

The only other thing i am worried about is that imite have 2 male bolivian rams the supposed female keeps charging towards the rear of the male... is that normal for this to happen when they are first introduced and will this stop??

kev

 

[sylvia]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but it's perfectly realistic to think you may have identified the sexes incorrectly (bolivians are rather difficult to sex accurately IMO). If this is the case, you'll need to look into re-homing one of them and replacing it with one that is actualy of the opposite sex (or, better yet, get the blue ram a mate instead as bolivians do fine on their own while blue/gold rams do a lot better kept as pairs). Even if you sexed them correctly and this is just temporary hierarchical aggression or whatever, maybe think about replacing one of the bolivians with a blue ram so that you end up with a ram pair and a single bolivian instead.

 

[CluelessScot]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but it's perfectly realistic to think you may have identified the sexes incorrectly (bolivians are rather difficult to sex accurately IMO). If this is the case, you'll need to look into re-homing one of them and replacing it with one that is actualy of the opposite sex (or, better yet, get the blue ram a mate instead as bolivians do fine on their own while blue/gold rams do a lot better kept as pairs). Even if you sexed them correctly and this is just temporary hierarchical aggression or whatever, maybe think about replacing one of the bolivians with a blue ram so that you end up with a ram pair and a single bolivian instead.

Thanks, The plan was to get a female for the blue ram and the aggression has stopped now. the larger felame is now following the male everywhere and it looks like she is imitating him... its rather cute the male bolivian and male blue ram are ok with each other. the feed together while the female hides out in the cave. But i am off to get a female for the blue ram on wednesday so hoping it goes on well from there.

Kev