Dwarf New Worlds

[angel]

Does anyone do the little colorful guys like cockatoo and bolivian ram? How are they to take care of?

[titansfever83]

CLEAN WATER!!!

J.D. (jgentry) has quite a few apistos. I'm sure he will chime in and be a little more helpful than myself.

[angel]

Speaking of water, I collected a metric ton (or a little less--ok a bucket) of rain water and it is the softest most acidic water I could imagine!

[jgentry]

I currently have 4 pairs of apisto's. I keep them with my discus. They need really, really clean water to do well. They cannot be kept with aggressive fish. They are a stunning fish just a bit demanding.

I have kept bolivian rams before. They are not hard at all. They get a little bigger and do well in community tank. Of course they are not as colorful (that's the way it always goes, the pretty ones are the hardest)

I have had zero luck with German rams. I know plenty of people that keep them, I just can't for some reason. There are a lot of them out there that are from bad stock and I think that has been some of my problem, but I'm killed 4 pairs and I'm not going to torcher anymore of them. Plenty of people keep them with no problem, just a fish I'm unlucky with.

[angel]

Dennis likes the SA/CA I like the color and the smaller fish, so I had thought he might get a few to shut me up at some point. If they can be kept!

[johnt501]

I have had a pair or each. The Bolivians are bigger but less colorfull. The germans come in blue or gold. both are very cool little fish. The thing is that the Rams have to be the most agressive fish in their tank or they act strange, getting stressed and will quit eating.
My Bolivian went and put his nose in the corner and stayed there till he died of what I think was starvation.
The Germans just got really scaired acting when even gouramies were put in the tank with them. Would be very cool to have a small tank for them but finding tank mates for them is hard.