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I just got a Bolivian Ram and I was wondering what the best foods are for this type of Cichlid. He will only eat off the bottom, so it's been tough time feeding him since rarely does any food reach the bottom or stay there long enough for him to get to it. He's been eating the bottom feeding wafers and shrimp pellets. What about cichlid granules or pellets?

I've had a bolivian along with my blue ram for about 5 months now. Not a picky eater I feed him regular fish food (Tropical Crisps - Tetra) and twice a week I give him frozen blood worms.

My Scapes

Do they only eat off the bottom? That's the problem with mine. I need to find something that will make it to the bottom and be around long enough for him to find and eat. I feed my other fish flakes, brine shrimp and blood worms but those are quickly gobbled up by the other fish and anything else like that that makes it to the bottom is immediately cleaned up by my whiskered vacuum cleaners.

My BR typically eats off the bottom, as well. Sometimes he will come up to the surface, but usually stays in the lower half to feed.

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

My ram won't go more than three inches off the bottom to eat. She knows that the food will sink down to her level, so she's too lazy to go up and get it. Most other rams are the same way.

Besides the shrimp pellets which my fish get daily, she loves eating the frozen bloodworms which I dump in as a treat. My Characins aren't fast enough or large enough to eat the whole cube, so a good deal gets down to the bottom. The ram enjoys eating these very much. If you feed frozen food, do you put an entire cube in? If not, do so to ensure that some will get down to reach the ram.

Another option would be to suck up some flakes or whatever other food into a turkey baster, then squirt it down to the rams's level. That way, it gets past those faster fish up top.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Mine ate off the bottom when I first got him, but now he races to the top along with 2 big angels, and the blue ram.
also what you can do is put the blood worm cube in a net, and release some at the bottom of the tank. My bolivian is so tame it actually goes into the net to get the warms and will pick at my finger.

Last edited by tetratech at 18-Jul-2005 09:52

Last edited by tetratech at 18-Jul-2005 10:31

My Scapes

My rams are like tetratech's, they would swim up to the surface and would jump out of the water if they had to do that to get the food. Your ram is more likely to learn how to get more food than to starve, so you don't need to worry about that.

Ok, thanks everyone. He was taking bloodworms from open water today so maybe he is learning what he has to do.

I think that the Bloodworms increased his apetite & so he went for them, instead of waiting.

If he's eating from the bottom, i wouldn't worry much.



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Will most likely venture further up when feeling ever more comfortable.

Also be aware that more hits the gravel than our eye can detect. They get tid-bits we aren't aware of.

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Mine usually scavenge the bottome a lot of the time but when i feed them they come up midway and then just pickoff the big flakes that come down. A really good food for them that would get to them fast and is really good for the is NLS. That stuff is the best stuff you can buy.

Thanks greenmonkey. I was looking for a good recommended pellet or sinking food.