cuteusagi

Hi Everyone!! Thanks always for your wonderful advice! I don't know many people with a lot of ram experience, so I'm once again turning to Fishlore for some suggestions!

In our 29 Gallon tank, we currently have 3 Bolivian Rams. We initially had 1 (Elvis) and added 2 more. They are all males, and we added them very carefully (turned light off, moved all decorations in tank, etc.). The people that we talked to before said that a group of males would be fine together as long as there were plenty of hiding places (of which there are a ton!! lots of plants, lots of rocks, and a big hunk of driftwood that provides lots of coverage). In the last few days, Elvis (the original) has been getting picked on a bit by one of the newer rams, and he's getting pretty shy during meals. I have been putting a little extra bit in there just for him, which he takes. However, the new two seem to be doing just fine.

Here's the big question: we are planning to move in a few months, so after that we're going to be setting up our 55 Gallon, in which we plan to have 3+ Bolivians (along with 2-3 butterfly fish, the elephant nose, the plecos, a few cory cats, and other fish we haven't decided on). We have had an extremely difficult time finding females in our area, so I don't know if the 2:1 female/male ratio will work out. That being the case, is it best to get a large group of rams all at one time, or in smaller groups? If we can't find any females, would the males do alright together in a group of 3 or more? And if we decide to keep more than 3, does anyone have experience with larger numbers in one tank and the possible combos that would work out well?

Sorry for the long post, but I'd really like to try and get a good idea of the possibilities of the Bolivians. I love these little fish, and I know I'll always keep them!!! Thanks in advance for all the great help and I'll look forward to your posts!