Red Devil Tank

[gardengirl]

I recently fostered a big 8 inch female red devil when a local store went out of business. She is set up in a 40 gallon tank, but I am thinking I would like to take the 125 I have sitting empty in the garage and make a nicer home for her.

The thing is, I don't want this to be a single fish tank. I would like to have nice gravel, a cave her her to hide in (perhaps sew java fern to mesh and create one myself) and do some rock work with plenty of hiding spots for other fish.....

The question I have is what other fish would do well in such a set up? The tank will be the focal point of my fish room, so I want it to look really nice and have a good bunch of fish in there.

I have a very large male convict and would like to put together a few of them for the tank. Could they hold their own against the red devil? What other fish would work in this set up?

I like this tank:

http://www.cichlids.com/uploads/tx_usercichlids/user_pics/6725/pictur_64a4975b76.jpg

And I like this tank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hmHSKNQBOQ

Will the fish tear up any live plants I put in the tank? I'm thinking of anubias and Java ferns tied down to rock and caves, so they do not get too disturbed. They are tough plants too, but I've never kept fish like this so I don't know. Any help you all could give would be appreciated.

 

[Paul S]

I had a friend who had a large and very aggressive male red devil in a 55g. It was a beautful fish but the only fish that could co-habitate with it was a very large common pleco.

 

[Andrewtfw]

Other large SA/CA cichlids should be okay so long as your red devil isn't too aggressive. Often Devils (and even oscars) who grow up alone never learn to share.

 

[dogofwar]

Also, red devils tend to decorate tanks to their desires...instead of yours...

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Sherry, the other name for the Red Devil is the Midas Cichlid. They're biparental substrate spawners, so they get mean around breeding time. Since the tank is so large, you could try other large nasty cichlids to see how it shakes out, but there's a good chance that someone will get hurt.

 

[gardengirl]

Darn, so I guess she has to be an only fish then? I feel so sorry for her. Right now the 40 gallon tank she is in is bare -- I thought she would be a short-term foster. So she just sort of hangs out, looking into the goldfish tank next to her. What can I do to jazz up her tank? There's nothing in it right now, including no gravel. I kept the bottom clear because she produces a lot of waste and I vacuum that every day.... Do they like caves, or what? What would be big enough for an 8 inch fish to get into? She's a big girl. Right now her only source of amusement is taking chunks out of her sponge filter, LOL. (There is also a MarineLand Emperor 400 on the tank)

 

[dogofwar]

Aside from a large, male Red Devil...some gravel, flowerpots, PVC tubes, etc. will keep her busy.

She'll constantly move, pile and sift gravel.

 

[gardengirl]

Okay, so if I get a large male red devil, will they parent together, or would they have to be separated when babies come along? Would they raise young in the 125 or would they need something bigger? Sorry, but this is way out of my league. I know absolutely nothing about these fish, but I'm trying to learn.

 

[dogofwar]

The introduction is the hard part

I'd start with them divided. If it's a good match they'll guard together and be good parents. If not, bloodshed

The fun of guapotes

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org

 

[Davey_8313]

Definitely start w/ them divided. My friend has a female that's close to 12" and she tries to kill every male put w/ her. We've tried small to big ones. She bred w/ one once, but ended up killing it later on. They both raised the fry together though.

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Mojo Devlin--Aqua Mojo--has a Web site and specializes in big nasty cichlids. He markets a cichlid tank divider. It's essentially a peice of egg crate with suction cups. It has a hole cut in the center that's large enough for a female big nasty cichlid to fit through, but too small for the male. If you put this in the center of the tank, the female can get away if she needs to.

 

[cmcpart0422]

Wow thats a cool invention.

 

[Cichlidfever]

I would try maybe 3 or 4 convicts in the 125 with good landscaping and put the convicts in first for a couple of days. It could work, but of course there are no guarantees...