Rams, Dollar and Tetras

[black_sun]

I just bought out a mixed lot auction because it had a species of crayfish I was looking for in it. Well, aside from the crayfish I will be getting the following:

2 wild caught Bolivian Rams
2 Silver Dollars
4 Neon Tetras

The fish looked interesting, but never having been interested in any of them before I never researched any of them. Anyone have any personal experience to add to my efforts of gathering info between now and when they arrive? And can these fish be kept together in a tank (and if so, what size)? Or can I add them to any of my already existing tanks (see below for size and tank inhabitants)? Or would I be better off just rehoming/selling the fish?

-Two 5 gallon tanks each with ghost shrimp & juvenile bamboo shrimp
-One 10 gallon tank with ghost shrimp & dwarf crayfish
-One 10 gallon tank with juvenile bullheads and one unknown catfish
-One 29 gallon tank with 4 large adult bamboo shrimp and 1 banjo catfish

I have additional tanks ranging from 10 - 55gal but they have crayfish, cichlids and/or large catfish (and with the exception of C. quads and O. virilis I'm pretty sure all these new fish would be easy snacks based on aggression or size of the tank inhabitants).

I can always just set up a new tank(s) if none of the fish are particularly hard to keep or are worth keeping. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Lupin]

Bolivian rams and neons will be fine in the 29g but not the silver dollars. What species of silver dollars did you get? If the regular, they need plenty of space considering they grow to 6 inches. Red hooks grow larger than that. Spotted ones are the smallest at 4-5 inches.

 

[snoopy65]

I have Bolivian Rams. From the research I have done they can go with the tetras not sure about the silver dollars. They like about 10 inches of floorspace for territory each. Very personable little fish! They pretty much pair for life, so if you have a pair awesome, but just because you have 2 doesn't mean they will like each other. If you have markers in the tank they should do ok though, they are happiest in either a pair or in a group of 5 or more.

 

[jm1212]

the rams may work in the 20 gallon, but i would be careful about them picking at the bamboo shrimp.

do you have a list of your other tanks and their stocks?

 

[black_sun]

Bolivian rams and neons will be fine in the 29g but not the silver dollars. What species of silver dollars did you get? If the regular, they need plenty of space considering they grow to 6 inches. Red hooks grow larger than that. Spotted ones are the smallest at 4-5 inches.

I don't know what species of silver dollar they are, the auction just reads "silver dollar". But here's the picture of them that was in the listing, don't now if its clear enough or not.

If they get about 6 inches can I put them with my yellow labs or maybe eventually with my adult bullheads, it'll put them right in the middle of the size range of those two.

 

[black_sun]

the rams may work in the 20 gallon, but i would be careful about them picking at the bamboo shrimp.

do you have a list of your other tanks and their stocks?

Additionally, I have:

-Three 10gal with O. virilis (non-fish aggressive), O. limosus (fish aggressive, but stays small - max size 3.5in) and P. clarkii (fish aggressive).

-One 20gal with P. alleni and an ever changing assortment of things that ultimately become food.

-One weird 20gal (shorter in height, longer in length) with juvenile Cherax quads.

-One 46gal bow-front with juvenile cichlids (yellow labs, dragon's blood and one unknown/hybrid) and one adult Cherax quad.

-One 55gal with adult bullheads.

I also have use of an tank at work, some weird number like 113gal or something, that has a shovel nose catfish, a tiger oscar and something the boss put in called a Red Devil? I wouldn't want to put anything in there though, that last fish seems to be highly aggressive.

 

[black_sun]

I have Bolivian Rams. From the research I have done they can go with the tetras not sure about the silver dollars. They like about 10 inches of floorspace for territory each. Very personable little fish! They pretty much pair for life, so if you have a pair awesome, but just because you have 2 doesn't mean they will like each other. If you have markers in the tank they should do ok though, they are happiest in either a pair or in a group of 5 or more.

Are they an easy fish to get a hold of, should the pair not like each other and the need for a group becomes necessary?

 

[Lupin]

Additionally, I have:

-Three 10gal with O. virilis (non-fish aggressive), O. limosus (fish aggressive, but stays small - max size 3.5in) and P. clarkii (fish aggressive).

-One 20gal with P. alleni and an ever changing assortment of things that ultimately become food.

-One weird 20gal (shorter in height, longer in length) with juvenile Cherax quads.

-One 46gal bow-front with juvenile cichlids (yellow labs, dragon's blood and one unknown/hybrid) and one adult Cherax quad.

-One 55gal with adult bullheads.

I also have use of an tank at work, some weird number like 113gal or something, that has a shovel nose catfish, a tiger oscar and something the boss put in called a Red Devil? I wouldn't want to put anything in there though, that last fish seems to be highly aggressive.

I've never kept bullheads so I cannot comment whether they're fine with silver dollars or not. I'll let the others confirm this one. 55g is the minimum for a small group of these regular silver dollars.

Red devils are generally belligerent so the mix is a big risk.

Are they an easy fish to get a hold of, should the pair not like each other and the need for a group becomes necessary?

Bolivian rams are easy to keep. The problem is you cannot easily determine their gender. They should be fine though as any sparring normally will not result into severe body damage.

 

[snoopy65]

They are pretty common. My LFS ordered mine for me at $8 a piece and I live at least an hour from any "city". To sex them you have to check their dorsal fin. The females is much more round at the front than the males. The front third or forth spine on the dorsal will be longer on the male.

 

[lilim10]

Silver dollars should be in schools of 3 or more. They can live alone and in pairs, but would be much much happier in schools. I've never had silver dollars with oscars or red devils, but they are hardy fish and can generally stand their ground against most other fish because of their size and speed.