# Bolivian Ram Compadibility



## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

Hey guys, I'm planning on eventually getting a pair of these pretty fish for my 20 gallon long. Any suitable tank mates? I was planning on getting 6 tiger barbs to start, and I heard they are much less aggressive if you keep them in shoals of 6 or more. Is that right?

Any other ideas?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

6 or more tiger barbs is too much for a 20L. Look at something smaller. Personally, I would just keep a pair and let them raise fry. But that me. A small group of cories, maybe or cherry or gold barbs or a small tetra.


----------



## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

Aw that's a shame. Tetras are pretty basic, are you talkin neons? A dwarf gourami or two wouldn't be acceptable? I'd like to start with the smaller more numerous fish before adding the cichlids.


----------



## vintagetankgirl (Feb 25, 2009)

I love Bolivian Rams! I just bought 3 of the cuties recently. In my opinion Tetras aren't basic, while the Neon in common, there are many Tetras that are new to the hobby or underused. 

There are beautiful sparkly Diamond Tetras, great colors in the Emperor Tetras, interesting pattern of the Rummynose Tetras, and the awesome Colombian Tetras with their visible teeth. Tetras often get a reputation of being starter fish or as you said "basic" aquarium fish, but there are many different types of Tetra and they all add a bit of color and flash to a tank.

Don't sell Tetras short, do some basic searches and see whats available in your area. I believe that a small school of 6 Tetras of your choice would be a great addition to your tank.

 DB


----------



## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

I am totally getting tetras. But with my described tank, after planting do you think I could keep a healthy enough school of diamond tetras or emperors? 5+ would be ideal but would the tank not fit their requirements w/ tankmates?


----------



## vintagetankgirl (Feb 25, 2009)

You could easily keep 8 or 10 of either Tetra. The only problems that could arise is if you get a male and female pair of Bolivians and they breed. After the eggs are laid they become very territorial. To combat this having lots of plants to break up territories and driftwood would be helpful. 

If your Bolivians never breed or you get 2 males or 2 females you obviously should not have breeding spawn aggression. 

There is a sticky on this forum that has a calculator for how many fish you can keep depending on the size of your tank and the filtration you use. It also has a compatibility output too, though it is still a work in progress and many fish have been kept together that according to this system shouldn't be. It is a great site and works well for stocking amounts. You can check it out here http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php

good luck and keep us updated!


----------



## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

Well that's perfect because the tank is filled with plants and has a giant driftwood piece in the center. I'd like to get male and female so I have a reason to upgrade to a 29gallon. :chair::chair::chair::chair::chair::chair:


----------



## vintagetankgirl (Feb 25, 2009)

If you plan to breed them you may want to upgrade to a 29g, for the Breeding pair and leave the Tetras in the 20g. When the babies are big enough to fend for themselves, you can move the Mom and Dad back to the 20 gallon and let the babies grow up in the 29g.

You should also find a source to give/sell the babies once they are big enough. Honestly I dont know how many babies you can expect but you may need a bigger tank than a 29g for a grow out. My advice would be to read up on breeding Bolivians and be sure you are prepared for everything. Especially with having the tank space needed.

Good Luck!


----------



## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

Alright, never mind the breeding.

ten tetras? I can fit that with the other fish in there? Great!


----------



## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

You should be able to do 8 to 10 SMALL tetras. The larger ones you will want to do less.

Your name has been bugging me for a while, and I think I finally remember where your name must have come from. Citizen Snips was a criminal crab from the Futurama episode where Fry, Leela and Bender become superheroes right?


----------

