Bolivian Ram In 20g

Could I put a pair of Bolivian rams in a 20 gallon tank? It has sand and I plan to put some rock work inside to make caves and places to hide. Is it possible to also put a small school of tetras as well or is that too many fish?

 

A pair of bolivian rams would work well with a school of 10 neon tetras in a 20 gallon long

 

It will only work if you have a male/female mated pair. Even then during spawning they can be aggressive towards other fish. I ordered 2 boliviam rams online and wound up with two males. The dominant male claimed most of the tank as his territory and the less dominant one was forced into hiding and being chased constantly. So I have the less dominant male in a 10 gallon until I get my 55 gallon is up and running. Which I would say is about the minimum tank size for to have two bolivians so each can have their own territory. Otherwise you can definitely do just one bolivian in a 20 with a school of tetras, and a school of cory cats. More than one ram in a 20 gallon in my experience is asking for trouble.

 

It will only work if you have a male/female mated pair. Even then during spawning they can be aggressive towards other fish. I ordered 2 boliviam rams online and wound up with two males. The dominant male claimed most of the tank as his territory and the less dominant one was forced into hiding and being chased constantly. So I have the less dominant male in a 10 gallon until I get my 55 gallon is up and running. Which I would say is about the minimum tank size for to have two bolivians so each can have their own territory. Otherwise you can definitely do just one bolivian in a 20 with a school of tetras, and a school of cory cats. More than one ram in a 20 gallon in my experience is asking for trouble.

No corydoras in a regular 20 gallon. 20 long is minimum. And as for rams, you can breed rams in a 10 gallon but not keep them in one. Only temporary.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice!

 

No corydoras in a regular 20 gallon. 20 long is minimum. And as for rams, you can breed rams in a 10 gallon but not keep them in one. Only temporary.

Which is why I mentioned it's in my 10 gallon "until my 55 is set up".....and yeah on corys going in 1 20l vs 20t. OP is your tank a 20 long or tall?

 

I've never had two male Bolivians get along in any size tank. I thought a 55 gallon would at least keep them separated, but the dominate one still bullied the other one to death. They're fine as a single and with other community fish though.

 

The tank is the standard rectangular shape. More long than high.

 

If you're able to get a male and female it could work, or if they're very young and grow up together you may get lucky. In 15 years of keeping them however, it almost always ends badly. They'll lip-fight and "ram" each other, rarely any physical damage - but the boss can't tolerate the competition and won't let it go until the other is removed or dead from the stress. They're small but still cichlids, and can be sensitive. One of my favorite fish though, and I wish you well. Keep us posted.

 

if its a true pair but would not add other fish as for when the rams breed they will attack the other fish I would all so get a paice of slat for them to breed on and keep the ph range from 6 to 7 and use soft water and a pice of drift wood in the tank

 

The tank is the standard rectangular shape. More long than high.

In that case I think 1 ram and a school of tetras would be best