Bolivian Rams can color up

[Rowangel]

When do they develop that amazing blue sheen? Mine are only two weeks in my care and they have improved vastly from how they looked in the LFS, but they look nothing like yours! Can the colors improve over time and with age? I do feed a variety of foods; frozen shrimp, bloodworms, tetra colorbites, flake, shrimp pellets, crab bites and sinking wafers on a varied schedule. They are not aggressive eaters, so they haven’t really figured out the frozen foods yet, but anything sinking they will pick at.

 

[momar]

Originally posted by Tiger15

I always like Ram but I can't keep blue rams alive. May be I should keep Bolivian. Are they more hardy?

I had the same problem - I bought 2 blue rams which both died, and 2 more that also died. They are very intolerant of changes in water chemistry. Bolivian rams are much hardier - I have 2 in my 25gal with water that is too hard for blue rams (10dh). They can be aggressive towards each other though - I had a third which was constantly bullied by the larger one and eventually killed. The other is quite abit smaller than the big one but not harassed as much because it fights back. I think aggressiveness depends on the individual fish.

 

[kooter]

When do they develop that amazing blue sheen? Mine are only two weeks in my care and they have improved vastly from how they looked in the LFS, but they look nothing like yours! Can the colors improve over time and with age? I do feed a variety of foods; frozen shrimp, bloodworms, tetra colorbites, flake, shrimp pellets, crab bites and sinking wafers on a varied schedule. They are not aggressive eaters, so they haven’t really figured out the frozen foods yet, but anything sinking they will pick at.

I have had mine for approx. 4 months now. After they settled in and I got into a good weekly maintenance they seemed to color up. It really depends, they seemed to get this color right after I did a total re-arranging of the tank and did a 40% water change.

 

[Jay-Stew]

Yea, they show better color in darker water(lights off) . Like my cardinals whn the lights are out you can see them a mile away. I guess its just them being comfortable in the daker water they are accustomed to. I also feed mine "New life spectrum Optimum color enahncer" (flakes) and WOW what a diffrence from anything else.

 

[Star_Rider]

I have three pairs of Bolivians.

I love these little guys.

The first pair I got when they were young..they were colorless when I got them ..they reside in a 75 community with angels and discus.
they are in 84 degree water and love it..they will show orange,yellow pink and are developing blue in then around their lips.I've had these lil guys about 3 months.

I went to Petsmart, they had a tank full of them for over three weeks and decided to close them out at $2.99 each..I bought a pair and added them in a 29 that only has a few oto's in it..they were very palin when I got them and large almost 2". I have placed them in a environment they like and they are coloring up nicely they will be in this tank a month in a week.

hwere's the real kicker..I went back to petsmart last weekend.. bolivian rams $1

so I picked up two young ones that I found.
they are now in a 10 gall quarantine tank(gets wc several time a week.

all my tanks get at least 2 wc per week..the 75 atleast 3 per week.

they love cover too

 

[Cathy G]

Star_rider,
Why is it that most of the literature about these fish suggest medium soft water to slightly alkaline, and temps in the upper 70's? I have mine at 79, they have spawned etc, but haven't colored up as pretty as the ones I've seen around here. You keep your fish happily at 84? (Same temp as the blue rams?). Is your water soft as well? How long do they live at these temps?
Sorry for all the questions, I really like my couple too, and if they can be happier, I'll gladly turn up the heat!
Cathy
Oh, one other question. What temp do you keep their fry at - assuming you pull the eggs. (I am keeping mine at 80...)

 

[Star_Rider]

the bolivians can adapt to higher Ph mine are near neutral as my tap stablizes at 7.2-7.4.
the bolivians come from Bolivia.. Gee go figure ..the water there is usually slightly acidic or neutral of 7.0
I find a lot of variation in suggested temperature..but I also understand that the Altispinosa thrive in shallow ponds and bodies of water..translated..that means the water is usually warm..one aticle found them thriving in water of 86 degrees.

To be honest I have a pair at 80,84 and 86.

the most colorful ones are in the 86 degree tank. followed by the 84 degree..the ones in the 80 degree tank are actually quite bland colored and show very few of the colors my other rams show.

life span is generally short 2-3 years.