Pale Bolivian Rams?

[OliviaBolivia]

Hi,

I've only had this pair of male Bolivian Rams for a week, but I had hoped they would overcome their initial shyness and show themselves a little more by now. They also seem very pale.....?

I don't think they are juveniles - they're 5cm, have some pink to their fins, and the spawning tube is visible. I'm feeding a variety of foods including Nutrafin flake, spirulina flake, sinking pellets, algae wafers and frozen bloodworm.

More info, tank set up and water parameters on my profile.....they seem to be feeding, but when they're not wedging themselves under bogwood and plants, they chase each other round the tank and fight. Haven't seen any lip-locking yet.

Any suggestions for brightening them up, and improving relations? LFS is expecting some more in a couple of weeks, might it be worth replacing one male with a female?

I'd like 2 pairs but I don't think 23 gallons is big enough.......

 

[Star_Rider]

2 males in a 20+ gallon tank?

you see fighting..I would consider that typical for 2 males in this situation.
are the both hiding?

fighting stresses the fish out..the pale color is a sign of stress..
could be something else but this is most likely a contributing factor

 

[Jannika]

LFS is expecting some more in a couple of weeks, might it be worth replacing one male with a female?

Excellent plan, the two males will harass each other constantly. I ordered a female for my single male ram, and I'm pretty sure they sent a male by the liplocking going on. What's worse, they kindly sent an extra and I think it's male as well. Had to go out and get another tank and still don't have a female.
Not happy, but I do love the Bolivians.

 

[Jedigenie]

Reading your setup on your profile, I see you run at 8pH. Thats a bit high for them imo, try aim for 7 or slightly below and you should see them colour up and relax a bit. I dont think your tank is too small but what would help is having lots of plants and decor to break line of sight of each other.

Hope this helps

 

[bitbot]

My Bolivians (1 male, 1 female) took a long time to settle in - very shy at first, and they were slow to recover from a tank change and a move.
Feeding is a good sign. They might just need more time.

 

[Chrisinator]

My Bolivian's coloration changes daily. I think it's the stress of having 4 of them in a 38 (dimensions of a 30g but 3 inches taller). When the weather warms up, I'm considering giving my Bolivians away to someone.

 

[cpetrosky]

define pale? my two Bolivians in my 20 sometimes look whitewashed and sometimes show great color. do they look the same pale as mine? the two pics were takin of the same fish only 2 days apart. and in nearly the same place in my tank lol

 

[Fishlock Holmes]

Assuming all your tank conditions are fine, I'd just give them time to overcome their shyness. Out of all the fish I've had, my current pair of Bolivians have definitely been the slowest to come around. I've had them for over 4 weeks and they are only just now starting to come out to see me and show some personality. For the first month, they hid almost all the time, and on the rare occasion they were out, they would rush for cover the second I came close to the tank. I'd just about given up on then, and then in the past few days they've finally gotten a little braver. So, perhaps nothing but patience is necessary!

 

[cpetrosky]

really yours took that long? mine were begging for food 2 days after i brought them home from petsmart i guess i just got lucky on that part, altho i did screw up on sexing them in the stores, got two females instead of a breading pair.

 

[Jannika]

Their different personalities is one of the things I love about them. When mine have gotten stressed or when they sleep they'll turn a darkish grey, or the black spines on the dorsal will be clear. It cracks me up how often that changes. You know when they're feeling chuffed, those spines stick straight up, black as coal. lol