The Bolivian Ram has forever been one of the more commonly available and popular of the South American cichlids. It is native to the rivers of Bolivia, Brazil and similar. It's combination of red, orange, blue and black makes a colourful and peaceful addition to any community tank.
Temperament:
Peaceful.
Will not harm smaller, more docile fish; but will eat fish fry and very young fish.
Is a docile fish itself so avoid keeping it with overly aggressive species.
May get slightly aggressive during breeding times, but given their own space they will not injure other fish.
Environment
Bolivian rams like having cover and places they can hide in, and a well planted aquarium. Driftwood is a must in any South American setup as it lowers the pH and releases tannins into the water. A pH of 6.0 - 7.5 is suitable for this species. Bolivian rams are fairly hardy and can tolerate a wider range of conditions unlike the more sensitive Blue Ram.
Here's my mixed cichlid tank where the Rams are thriving:
Feeding your Bolivian Ram
Rams will readily eat almost any brand and type of food. The rams featured in this profile are fed on tetra colour bits, the odd bit of blood worms, shrimp, and my favourite fish food - Hikari pellets, and the odd live critter or 2. You do not specifically have to cater for the dietary needs of this fish - but a variety is always better, so alternate foods and feed them spirulina flakes, grannules, live food like mossie larvae, worms, small insects etc.
Breeding
Once you have created a suitable setup for the Bolivian Ram, breeding is just the next unavoidable step provided you have a male and a female. Sexual differences are easy to spot - the males are usually more colourful and have longer, more flowing fins. The females while still pretty, have subdued colours in comparison and the fins are almost always short and do not extend like the males. Refer the picture below:
Note the female on the left and the male on the right.
To breed this fish successfully, the pH of the water should be around 6.3 give or take (as long as the water is slightly acidic). A temperature of about 24 - 26 degrees Celsius will be sufficient.
Have lots of hiding places in the tank and this can be created by planting the tank well. Ceramic pots make for excellent shelter, and occasionally the female will lay her eggs in the pot. I have also had success by placing a flat stone or two in the tank. The parents to be will "clean" the surface before the female deposits any eggs there, and this most resembles them pecking at the site of choice. They will occasionally dig holes in the substrate if it is similar to sand. Both parents take care of the eggs & the male and female take turns in fanning the eggs until they hatch.
Hatching usually takes 2-3 days. There is no need to feed the baby fish immediately after hatching for a period of 2-3 days because the babies are born with a yolk sac which is used as food until it is fully consumed. The eggs are usually a pale colour, and the fry can be seen in the egg after 2 days or so. It is advisable to add a little methylene blue or similar in the tank as this reduces the spread of fungus from the unfertilised eggs to the fertilised eggs. Occasionally the parents will themselves peck off the opaque, unfertilised eggs.
To induce spawning do a small water change with cooler water, and add some peat water if available. If your fish give lay eggs in a community aquarium, and the eggs are in danger of being eaten then the eggs may be removed and placed into a similar setup as described above, without the parents, and can be reared on their own once hatched and free swimming. You may wish to add a slightly stronger dose of Methylene Blue in the tank.
With fry in the tank, ~ 30% water changes should be done once a week, although more will not hurt.
The babies will readily eat brine shrimp, and commercially available Liquifry®. Brine shrimp is better.
Tank mates
These little guys can go with almost any fish ranging from cardinals, neons and other small tetras to the majestic discus. Various small apistos also make for good tank mates, and there should be no aggression at all.
Ty not to keep them with overly aggressive and boisterous fish like Jack Dempseys etc., as the Bolivian Ram may then find a nice spot to hide, and will seldom come out and play 
Dwarf flag cichlids are ideal tank mates too.
How to choose your fish
Recently there have been many who have bought a skinny and / or stunted Bolivian ram with the hopes of fattening it up. In my experience, it does not work. The healthy fish remain healthy, and fatten up nicely like the specimens in the pictures above and the weak, skinny ones remain weak and skinny.
This is a perfect example of a ram that you DO NOT want to buy:
Notice how you can clearly see its cranial (skull) structure, and how its overall body is extremely thin. The head also droops further below where the belly should be.
I hope this helps any one who is thinking of getting some Bolivian rams; they truly are a wonderful fish that are very rewarding to keep in the home aquaria.