Bolivian Ram Help

[CommunityKepper]

What is the best diet to feed a bolivian ram for it to grow and show it's best colours?

 

[karin]

I feed mine everything. Cichlid sinking pellets in particular. The Rams don't come to the top for food so sinking pellets work well. They also love blood worms and brine shrimp. I serve up the frozen kind. Variety is always what I think will be best for them.

 

[CommunityKepper]

I feed mine everything. Cichlid sinking pellets in particular. The Rams don't come to the top for food so sinking pellets work well. They also love blood worms and brine shrimp. I serve up the frozen kind. Variety is always what I think will be best for them.

ok thanks alot i wasn't sure about the flake cus i have some fast tetras
and didn't think they would get much, so the sinking pellets would make sense, i also have some frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp ready but wasn't sure if they would get any of that either.

 

[fluttermoth]

If you soak the bloodworm and brine shrimp in a cup of tank water for a few minutes they'll sink enough for the rams to get some

 

[CommunityKepper]

If you soak the bloodworm and brine shrimp in a cup of tank water for a few minutes they'll sink enough for the rams to get some

Thanks for the advice I have to try that when I get them.

 

[Gvilleguy]

If you soak the bloodworm and brine shrimp in a cup of tank water for a few minutes they'll sink enough for the rams to get some

Thanks for this thread, CommunityKepper. I have a few Bolivians on order and hope to pick them up next week. I have the same concern about feeding - my Danios and Neons eat all of the flake food and most of the frozen blood worms before they reach the bottom of the tank. But I will do as Fluttermoth suggested and thaw them out first.

Fluttermoth - is your avatar a picture of your own Ram?

 

[PDSimon]

Feed them a varied diet.

You can teach them to eat flake, I feed my tetras flake and they devour it very quickly, but the rams have got used to the idea of eating from the surface from watching the tetra so now try to it too (and fail). For them I feed sinking pellets, blood worm as a treat, some veg which includes peas but theres plenty to choose from.

This is off subject but they love fresh water, they will certainly appreciate waterchanges with cold water as I think it simulates rain which can often trigger spawning.

 

[fluttermoth]

Fluttermoth - is your avatar a picture of your own Ram?

No, it's not my own Ram; I only have the camera on my phone, which is rubbish, so I 'stole' that pic from Google
I do have two pairs of Rams though; here's my potential breeding pair;

They're in a 130l tank on their own, but they refuse to spawn I think they may just be too young yet.

(you can see why I chose not to use one of my own pics for my avatar, lol!)

 

[Gvilleguy]

But I can tell your Rams look good. Those are German Blues, yes? How long have you had them? I decided with my still young tank I better opt for the Bolivians, since they could better handle any problems I have with my filtration colonies. I'm anxious to get the call to go and pick them up. Still have to wait a week.

 

[fluttermoth]

They're not German Blues; just normal wild coloured Rams The female is about a year old; the male only 9 months or so. They are a lot of hard work; I keep them in filtered rainwater; they need absolutely perfect water quality.
Bolivians are much hardier and tolerant; I recommend them all the time. I'm sure you'll enjoy having them; they have just as much character as the 'ordinary' Rams

 

[Gvilleguy]

Holy crap - really?? Filtered rainwater?

 

[fluttermoth]

lol, yes, really! I find it the best way of keeping them, even though my tap water is very good.

 

[CommunityKepper]

Thanks for all of the replies. I know everyone says they need variety but what should be used as a stable diet flake or cichlid pellets? Also how big are the pellets because obviously some cichlids get huge and need big pellets so would the bolivian rams be able to manage them?

 

[fluttermoth]

Sorry, we went a bit OT there

Flake is a perfectly acceptable staple diet for Bolivian Rams.

Chiclid pellets come in differing sizes for different sized fish, so you should be able to find some that are small enough. Most go quite soft after being in the water for a short time anyway though; the Rams would easily be able to chew on them, so it's really up to you

 

[CommunityKepper]

Sorry, we went a bit OT there

Flake is a perfectly acceptable staple diet for Bolivian Rams.

Chiclid pellets come in differing sizes for different sized fish, so you should be able to find some that are small enough. Most go quite soft after being in the water for a short time anyway though; the Rams would easily be able to chew on them, so it's really up to you

Okay thanks I try with the flake I have first and some bloodworms, then I'll try pellets if they won't go for them. I should be getting them next week so I'll keep this thread updated.