New rams! What do I feed them?

I recently purchased 4 Bolivian Rams. It was the original centerpiece fish that I had planned for my tank but found that they were not available in my area. I happened to be at my lfs over the weekend, and they had gotten in a "special shipment" (local aquarist who sold back to the store maybe???) of 6 rams. I really only wanted 2, but since I didn't know where they came from or how long they had been there AND since they're super hard to differentiate between males and females, I bought 4. The smallest one is just over an inch long, two are about 1 1/2 inches, and the largest is just under 2 inches. They are still getting used to their tank (yes, it is a quarantine tank!) and are kind of scared still. They aren't hiding like they were in the beginning and are starting to color up.

So now I'm wondering, what do I feed them? I've read in some places to feed them cichlid pellets, and other places where I should just give them flakes. One even said to give them algae wafers. So now going to people with way more knowledge and experience than myself, what kind of diet will work best for them mainly from a nutritional standpoint, but also to bring out their color?

Also, how long should they be quarantined for? I had an unfortunate ich incident due to not quarantining, (duh on my part but I guess that's a good way to learn) and don't want a repeat. And is there anything I should do to keep them comfortable in the quarantine tank? I got a cave and a silk plant and some gaudy pink gravel (it was laying around from my betta tank). They didn't do well with no gravel. They kept trying to swim down and head butting the bottom of the glass. Normally I wouldn't keep anything in there, but since they are shy I didn't want to leave them with nothing.

So really, any advice and guidance in general would be great! Once they color up and get more comfortable I'll get some pictures, but I think it's 3 females and 1 male. The smallest one might be a male, but that's up in the air.

Oh, and they are currently held in a 15 gallon quarantine. They will move to a 45g afterwards. I don't think all 4 will work in there, so if they all survive the quarantine I'll have to figure something out later. Params in 15 gallon pH 8.2, Am 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.

 

Welcome to Fishlore and congratulation on the new rams!

Sounds like you have some juveniles as bolivian rams will grow to 3.5 to 4 inches on average. They won't reach their full color until sexually mature and settled into their new tank.

As for foods, variety is best. My rams get cichlid flakes, cichlid pellets, spirulina flakes, shrimp pellets, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp and algae wafers. I also add cucumber, zucchini, green beans, romaine lettuce and other fresh vegys, but don't always see the rams eating it as my other fish gobble it up.

I keep new fish in QT for at least a month. And, know of others who QT for even longer. Bolivians are calm as far as rams go, but not sure how 4 will do in a 15G tank temporarily. Just keep a close eye on them and the water parameters.

Best of luck! Post a picture when you can.

 

Quick update, they are all doing well in the QT. They have grown (I think) and adjusted to the tank. 2 of them have started swimming up to the top to get the food. did get a slight ammonia spike (.25) but I think that's because I added the 4 of them at the same time. I did daily 50% water changes until the parameters were back to 0,0,10. Other than that I think they're doing well!

Catsma: do I need to keep an eye on them due to territorial behavior or because of getting the for at the same time? Or for both reasons? It is definitely bigger than what they had at the LFS!

~Shanna

 

For a short time, keeping them in a smaller tank is fine. Just continue to keep an eye on the parameters and monitor for aggression.

Glad to hear that the new rams are doing well. Best of luck with them!

 

I do not know if this was mentioned but you might want to gradually lower the pH because generally the ideal range is 6.5-7 but 6.0-7.5 is also good. But if they're doing fine than I would not be too concerned. Good luck with the rams.

 

I do not know if this was mentioned but you might want to gradually lower the pH because generally the ideal range is 6.5-7 but 6.0-7.5 is also good. But if they're doing fine than I would not be too concerned. Good luck with the rams.

I respectfully disagree with this statement. Attempting to adjust pH is simply asking for problems. Fish are very adaptable. A stable pH is more important than a perfect one. Besides, the only time pH matters is when you want to breed them.

 

I did consider getting either an ro system or purchasing ro water from wal mart or something, however I was told that it was more important to have a consistant pH level than to struggle to keep it down or to lower it period. I know my pH is high, and if/when I want to get more in depth with this hobby I'll look into it more seriously. Our water here is actually horrible. Not only is the pH high, but the water itself is very high in nitrates and nitrites. If my fish start to struggle or get stressed from the pH, I will find an ro/tap mixture that works for the fish. That's the biggest struggle with this hobby for me. The rest is easy....except when I accidentally dump a 5 gallon bucket of dirty water on the carpeting

 

If/When you decide to begin using RO/DI water, you'll need to make the change slowly. Otherwise the drastic change in water chemistry can have a negative affect on your fish.

As your tap water has high nitrates and nitrites, I recommend using a detoxing water conditioner. I prefer Seachem Prime. You can double or triple dose it with each water change. Prime not only is an excellent water conditioner, but it also helps the slime coat and can detox all forms of nitrogen. Another product would be to use Kordon NovAqua+ with AmQuel+. NovAqua is the water conditioner and AmQuel is the detoxing component.

Sorry about the dirty water on the carpet. I've done that far too many times to count!!

 

OK I was just saying it might be OK to gradually change the pH but I trust you know what you are doing as you clearly have more experiece than I.

 

Here's some pics of the rams!

 

Nice looking rams! Give them a few months and they will color up nicely. A great addition!

 

Lol I hope so! They are a little on the ugly side right now......The biggest one and the smallest one are not so much fun, but the 2 medium ones come to the top of the tank to eat. It'll be nice when they're big enough to determine the sex!

 

When I first got the bolivian ram for my uncles tank, it was as pale as a white board. No color at all. I understand as fish in pet stores are usually stressed out to the extremes and as a result can not show their true colors. After two weeks the bolivian ram showed the best colors ive ever seen for a bolivian. All the internet pictures don't compare. A big part that I think played in the beautiful coloration is the substrate. Black/dark substrate IME will help bring out the colors of your fish. Y

 

Another update. All 4 rams spent 4 weeks in quarantine. One was picked on by the 2 biggest ones a little, but she (I think????) had her own spot where she could stay out of the way. She is much more shy than the other 3. They have now been moved to my main tank and are settling in pretty well. The shy one pegged a log as her territory and the others hang out in some of the plants and corners. They're still getting used to the other fish in there but seem to be acclimating well. I'll take pictures of them in their new home and post them soon. I do have a question about feeding them. The tetras are rather voracious feeders. So how do I keep the tetras from stealing the cichlid pellets before the rams get them? Or should I just let them go until they figure out how to get their own food? I know they are getting their food, but I also know the tetras are stealing some of it. Any suggestions?

Pics coming soon!

 

Here's some pics of the rams!

very nice by the way.

 

Another update. All 4 rams spent 4 weeks in quarantine. One was picked on by the 2 biggest ones a little, but she (I think????) had her own spot where she could stay out of the way. She is much more shy than the other 3. They have now been moved to my main tank and are settling in pretty well. The shy one pegged a log as her territory and the others hang out in some of the plants and corners. They're still getting used to the other fish in there but seem to be acclimating well. I'll take pictures of them in their new home and post them soon. I do have a question about feeding them. The tetras are rather voracious feeders. So how do I keep the tetras from stealing the cichlid pellets before the rams get them? Or should I just let them go until they figure out how to get their own food? I know they are getting their food, but I also know the tetras are stealing some of it. Any suggestions?

Pics coming soon!

That sounds great. Will watch for the pictures.

 

Ram 1 pics

 

Ram 2 pics.

 

Ram 3 and 4 pics.

 

I think these are some half way decent pics. Now, if anyone has a suggestion on the sex....I'm pretty sure #2 is a male. I think #3 is a female. #1 I'm not sure and #4, the one that has the two bottom pics from post #19, I don't know either. I've read thru the sexing bolivian rams post, but I think they might just be too young to tell definitively. I guess I'll find out eventually!

 

New Pics! I've had the Bolivian Rams for almost 4 months. One is super ugly and is extremely shy. She (I think) is in a different tank now. The others, I think, are 2 males and a female. All very nice colors and deep yellow bellies. Two have elongated dorsal fins and long, bright pink rays on their tails. They are excellent community members and have a ton of personality! The pics aren't the greatest, but I didn't feel like taking the time to adjust all my settings and wait for the perfect shot.