# Will my rams eat pygmy corys?



## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

A general rule for semi-aggressive fish is that if it fits in their mouth, they will eat it eventually

I think B. Rams are generally peaceful fish, dunno about GBR..


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Most fish know that the barbels on a catfish are deadly so they rarely get eaten. That doesn't mean they won't get pushed away or otherwise told go get lost, but generally it's the predator that comes out on the losing end of the transaction. Bolivians are pretty peaceful I notice, from the 7 I have. The GBR I can't speak for because no experience.


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## bbroush (Sep 13, 2012)

I've had my GBR with panda cories and neon tetras for several months and she has yet to eat any of them. But if you had a fairly aggressive male I could see that being the case. Or if you have a spawning pair I've heard the male will be territorial to everything in the tank, even snails on the glass near the fry he will smack off with his tail! So it totally depends on your GBR.


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

As for the fish ram eating the cory i wouldn't think that would happen, mabey some pushing around and such but i dont think it will get eaten. It sort of seems like Cories as well as Plecos get a sort of respect from the other fish that most dont recieve themselves


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Rams aren't piscivores. They won't eat a smaller fish unless it's like, really small. Cories or any kind should be fine with non-breeding rams. A pair that's got eggs or fry, though, will harass the cories that don't stay out of their territory. In a 55, there's room for everyone. Usually (cichlids... will be cichlids, no matter how small they are).


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

LB is quite right. 
Unless your Bolivians and your GBR are huge (which I highly doubt) and your Pigmy Cories are real small (as in 'babies' - very young fish), there should be no problem.


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## gabysapha (Oct 26, 2011)

I have a bunch of pygmies in a tank with a bolivian ram and other small cichlids and he they don't get picked on at all. I understand your concern because pygmy cories are TINY! But everyone ignores them, and the cories have no fear of anything.


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## shloken38 (Aug 17, 2012)

I have guppy fry in with my GBR and he leaves them alone. A few of those fry were born a few days ago, and they are fine.


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## hydrosparky (May 1, 2012)

GBRs cannot eat a fish that big. They only pick off on fry.


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## JairunCaloth (Aug 7, 2012)

Awesome, thanks for the info everyone. All of my rams are male, so I'm not worried about a breeding pair becoming aggressive. Looks like the corys will do fine in my tank.


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## cpwebsite (Dec 12, 2012)

My ram has eaten my guppy fry before , but its never eaten any of the corries I've kept it with, so I doubt it'll eat yours. If you add some more plant cover near the bottom that can help.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Any fish that doesn't eat guppy fry is defying logic....


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## Zevyn (Jun 22, 2012)

I can't speak for GBR's, but Bolivians are pretty daft when it comes to eating habits.

Anyone that's dropped some thawed out frozen brine shrimp into a community tank can relate. The BR's depth perception or something must be terrible, because they have to have the pieces float in front of their face to manage to see any of it (they know it's feeding time based on their excitement level, they just don't know where the food is). Everyone else in the tank will voraciously grab everything floating down while the Rams look on like dopes, and only when a piece floats in front of their face will they see it. They're good at eating off the substrate at least.

With that said, I'd love to see a Ram go after a fry just for the comedy factor. I'd probably feel comfortable putting RCS in with them if they didn't sit on the substrate most of the time.

My shoal of Panda's share a rock cave with one of my Bolivian males. He basically treats them like they don't exist. Stock away!


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## Ike (Aug 18, 2011)

No way on the GBR, can't speak for the Bolivians, but I've never witnessed an attack on any fish by a GBR other than a competing male in which case it's only to chase the smaller one away not eat it.

I keep 14 GBR's in a community planted 55g.


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## CoffeeLove (Oct 31, 2012)

One of my red eyed tetra took an algae wafer right out of one of my BRs mouth, it was pretty funny to see.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2


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## gabysapha (Oct 26, 2011)

I'll add as a side note that although kribensis are similar in size and temperament to BRs, I have had kribs put pygmy cories in their mouth while they chase them away. So, be careful with kribs...


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