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Ram Cichlid, Bolivian Ram Cichlid
A moderately elongated fish with a long caudal penuncle. The dorsal
fins stands tall and the caudal fin is fan-shaped. The head and throat
region is pale yellow. The belly is delicate pink, and the rest of the body
is blue. The iris of the eye is blood-red with a black stripe running
through it. This stripe begins at the forehead and ends at the underside of
the head. The first rays of the dorsal fin are taller than the other rays.
These are black in color. Just below the black rays is a pale black spot.
On the mid-section is an obvious black spot. The pelvic fin is orange-red
(female) or black and blue (male) in color. The anal fins are blue with a
pink tinge near the tip. The caudal fin is blue with red along the edges.
The dorsal fin may have a red edge.
They reach sizes of up to 3.5" (9 cm) and the Bolivian Ram reaches up
to 4" (10 cm).
In their natural habitat they prefer sunny swamps, lagoons, and brooks in
the savannas of the Orinoco River of South America. These fish are
bottom to middle dwellers of the tank.
A tank with a capacity of 10 gallons (39 L) is recommended. Provide
hiding places with plant thickets, roots, wood, rocks, and over-turned
flower pots and leave open swimming areas. A cover of floating plants
to diffuse the lighting is welcomed. These fish do well in water
parameters of pH 5-7 (6.5), dH 0-10 (3), and temperatures of 73-86°F
(23-30°C).
They are a peaceful, timid fish that can be kept in a community tank with
other non-aggressive fish. Do not combine the Ram with aggressive
cichlid species for they will disturb this fish. Pairs form monogamous
bonds. They do well with other fish species such as tetras, pencilfish,
hatchetfish, Discus, Apistogramma, Corydoras, Loricarids.
They require a varied diet of Artemia , bloodworms, glassworms, small
insects, insect larvae, Tubifex; pellets; occasionally flakes.
When sexing this fish, females are slightly smaller and develop a pink
underside during the spawning season. The first ray of the male's dorsal
fin is considerably longer. When breeding, increase water temperature to
84-88°F (29-31°C). The water should have a pH from 6.5-6.8, and a soft
hardness of 1-3 dH. The female spawns on wood or stones, or in small
cavities. A good brood has 250-300 eggs, although clutches up to 400
have been reported. Both parents guard the eggs, which hatch in 2-3
days. The fry are very small and difficult to care for. They are free-swimming after 5-6 days, when they should be fed liquid foods, roftiers,
microworms, and later Artemia. Breeding the Ram is fairly difficult, and
the fry are challenging to raise. The correct genus of the Ram has yet to
be determined. The Ram and the closely related, Bolivian Ram are now
usually commercially tank bred in Southeast Asia. Two variations from
selective breeding of the Ram are widely available; a gold (xanthistic)
morph, and a veintail variety. Frequent partial water changes are
necessary for this colorful cichlid to prosper. Always use a good water
conditioner after a water change. The Ram is a short-lived fish, usually
not living more than 2-3 years even under the best circumstances. Wild-caught fish are larger, and more colorful than the more commonly
available tank-bred specimen. The ram is very sensitive to changes in
water chemistry, disease, and medications.
