Bolivian Ram Is A Bully

[dmac0923]

i had purchased a bolivian ram and he(i believe its a male) quickly became my favorite fish. Soooo i went out a few days later and bought another bolivian also male i believe.

however, the original ram constantly harasses the newbie anytime it comes within eyesight and chases him into a corner.

everywhere online says bolivian rams like to be in pairs or groups. the original ram is bigger then the new one......are they just establishing pecking order and will slowly calm down???

thanks in advance

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Could be that one or two more are needed in order to spread agression properly. With most fish, the bigger ones are dominant so it will most likely take a few more the same size as the newbie to control the aggression.

 

[dmac0923]

Could be that one or two more are needed in order to spread agression properly. With most fish, the bigger ones are dominant so it will most likely take a few more the same size as the newbie to control the aggression.

i like the gold and blue rams and if thats the case would like to ad them as well. does each variety stick to their own? or do all rams go together?

 

[ox5477]

Anytime you add a new cichlid to a tank that already has cichlids in it, there is going to be aggression for the fact that the original cichlid(s) has already set-up its territory and therefore, when the new fish enters the territory, it becomes aggressive and tries to bully the other one out. The best thing to do is take both fish out, move the decorations around and do a water change. Then when you go to put both fish back in, they will both be in new territory and will both be able to claim some tank for themselves. If this doesnt work then I would recomend taking the new fish back as the older one will continue to harass the new one.

I know your saying, I've only had him for a couple days so how can he have already claimed the territory, but as soon as they go in the tank, they will explore and figure out what is theirs and what isnt.

 

[RadaR]

I agree with Ox