Yesterday I got 2 paired bolivian rams from my Lfs....now I already had a female in there and well she constantly chases after the male Bolivian and leaves the other female alone sometimes but I constantly been watching them since I got them and it's nothing bad but I feel like the other female that I already had is stressing the male out should I be concerned... territorial behavior maybe. I currently have 3 bolivian rams 1 male 2 female in a 55 gallon tank should I get more males to pair up with the lonely female so she can leave the other pair alone
Normal Bolivian Ram Behavior
- Thread starter jcabs100
- Start date
Tizer
Team TetraTEC
Bolivians rams generally hate eachother, but they have to put up with one another when kept in numbers, which means they will often chase eachother around, head butt one another and generally lay claim to parts of the tank. Even with a paired couple, its often the case that they will have a go at one another. I got 5 of them in a 5 foot tank, including a pair that have bred together, but they still argue a fair bit, but they never take chunks out of one another.
How big is the tank? As long as there is plenty of space for then to retire to when being bullied, they should be ok.
How big is the tank? As long as there is plenty of space for then to retire to when being bullied, they should be ok.
My tank is a 55 gallon tank the dimensions are 48 x 12 x 21 originally I was planning on getting 4 but after I what I saw yesterday I changed my mind there's plenty of hiding places...one minute the female chases the male the next min they're shoaling all together
Tizer
Team TetraTEC
Will be fine with 4 mate, while they do like to argue a lot, they still like to be with their own kind.
At soybean they actually established territory yesterday..also one of the rams rams the side of his face to the ground sand substrate both his left and right side what does this mean...at tizer okay so ill be buying 3 males to see if they pair up with my lonely female
Tizer
Team TetraTEC
If they are flicking the substrate very quickly in the manner you describe they are generally trying to scratch themselves, most of the time its nothing to worry about, but occasionally it can be internal parasites that cause discomfort. Just something to keep an eye on and medicate if necessary. Keep an eye out for sores and read marks etc.
I wouldnt worry too much about another pairing, if you got one pair in there, they might try to breed and one breeding pair is enough in a 55g, they can become a little on the agressive side when protecting eggs and fry, nothing as extreme as Kribensis but will still have a go at anything that comes close.
I wouldnt worry too much about another pairing, if you got one pair in there, they might try to breed and one breeding pair is enough in a 55g, they can become a little on the agressive side when protecting eggs and fry, nothing as extreme as Kribensis but will still have a go at anything that comes close.
I'll second all of this. I've got 6 in a 4ft. No breeding pairs. They can normally be found within the same square foot of the tank, and then they suddenly remember to chase each other, then go straight back to being in a group again. It's almost constant......but never fierce.
I've noticed a couple of them have certain places that they prefer to hang-out in, but generally speaking they just mingle. I'm not actually sure if there is a pre-defined suggestion for the amount of floor space needed per BR.
not that I've ever noticed. Knowing my luck I've got 6 males.
Doesn't mean you'll end up with two pairs. I have a m and f and they're not a pair. He can't stand the sight of her and she keeps away from him.
Just give them a chance to settle in before you stick another ram in the mix.
And if you DID end up with two breeding pairs it might get even tenser between them all.
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