RED DEVIL advice

[bigbites]

I have a juvenile Red Devil.. never had one before..
I know they are very agressive and I plan to keep him relatively alone.. with maybe some other kind of hardy bottom feeder.. (any suggestions?)

Also.. I have him in a 26 gallon bow front.. right now Im sure he is ok..but wanted some advice..should he be moved later..or can he do ok in a 26 gallon tank?

Thanks..
Bites

 

[Menagerie]

Well, I love the New Jersey Devils, but would never keep one in a tank.

OH! A cichllid--of course!
I am not too familar with them. Google it to find max size. It is a south American and will get aggressive, so probably best to keep it alone. A hardy bottom feeder would be a pleco--go with a Bristle Nose since they stay smaller. Plecos are long lived and slow growers, this type should reach 4-5 inches and I would buy one that is 3". Add some wood to the tank for hiding and plecos like to munch on it.

 

[Endgame319]

Devils grow to 1', so a 26g would definately be too small. I reccomend a 55g or bigger. With a 55g you might be able to have a jack dempsey in there too. As for a bottom feeder, a large pleco would work.

 

[Menagerie]

Oh geez!! I didn't realize they got that big! In an aquarium they definitely reach 8-10" then. My guess is 12" is rare/a well kept Devil.
Since they get that big, a biger tank will be needed down the road and go ahead and get a common pleco that is 3-4" now. They are slow growers and can reach a 1'+.

 

[docrak]

And they are mean, especially the males.

 

[Crawling68]

If you have never had a Red Devil, Beware, ive had three. Ive only been able to keep one at a time in a 55. They killed everything else. Dont try to decorate your tank either, they will move things around as they see fit. I had one that would actually ram the glass if you got to close. They definetly follow their namesake.

 

[poikilotherm]

You can try
http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/compatibility.asp
for compatibility stuff. I'm not sure that I'd want to inflict this fish on most plecos...

 

[jennymit21]

i have my Red Devil (Dumbob) in a 75g and he's aprox 7" right now and IMO that should hold him for awhile but i wouldn't go much smaller than that in the long run IIWY. I don't have a pleco in there right now as the previous owners said that he killed the last one that was in there with him, so be cautious. Although to be fair to him, the previous owners only fed him a dozen feeders once every 2 weeks, poor thing, so that probably made him more aggressive.

As far as food goes, he seems to really love the Fluker's freezedried crickets and earthworms. I also give him ghost shrimp, Lg Hikari cichlid pellets, Tetra cichlid flakes, and occasionally a few feeders. You'll find that Red Devils have an amazing personality and are constantly watching you and following you from one end of the tank to the other! He tries to eat your fingers through the glass if you touch the tank LOL!! Dumbob will also occasionally allow me to pet him on his hump, but you gotta watch out for that sharp fin as it will cut you pretty good if you are not careful.

Anyway, hope you enjoy him



PS build up a hiding place either with rocks or wood....they like some privacy sometimes when they sleep

 

[Menagerie]

That is a species I will never keep!!!

 

[jennymit21]

oh yeah....forgot to tell ya the gravel and decorations will not stay where you put them. D is always making his own piles of gravel in the corners and the whole center section is completely nekkid. When cleaning time for the tank comes, he'll be none to pleased with you for redecorating his home. Kinda looks at you like what the heck do you think you are doing to my house? and he just might attack the gravel vac too. Again, they are really awesome fish with a fantastic personality....don't let the aggressiveness scare you away.

 

[tbonem91]

not trying to hijack this thread...

I tried that compatability dealibob with my 5 gallon tank inhabitants and got 8 warnings and 6 Incompatibility Issues....

Well they at least seem to all get along fine

 

[liquidelusion]

Fluker's freezedried crickets and earthworms.

:shudders:

fluckers is a bad word in the reptile industry

 

[poikilotherm]

Yeah, I know, tbonem- I was doing the same thing with my fish, and got similar results. I don't know whether to recommend that site or not, but it can be a useful tool, and perhaps it's better that it's too stringent than too lax.

Has anyone successfully kept a pleco (or flatheaded catfish ) with a red devil?

 

[BrianNY]

Never owned a Red Devil but............. I think they're so aggressive that any pleco would be in mortal danger. I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

You'll need at least a 75 gallon tank to house ONE adult Red Devil. They'll easily reach a foot in length (I've seen a few even larger). Even a 55 gallon tank will be eventually outgrown...

You could try to keep other fish with your RD- but you'll probably end up replacing those fish. These guys are just too aggressive and territorial for tankmates. Your best bet would be to house him alone and start saving now for a larger aquarium.

 

[bigbites]

Thanks for the advice.. he can stay solo for a while.. its a Juvi.. he's only about 2 inches in length now.. so I will let him stay in the 26 gallon for a while and transport him later..

Thank you guys..

Bites

 

[Menagerie]

I tried that compatability dealibob with my 5 gallon tank inhabitants and got 8 warnings and 6 Incompatibility Issues....

Just remember, as with any animal it comes down to personality and YMMV.

 

[bigbites]

Update for you all.. he's already starting to re-arrange the tank.. lol

this should be fun..

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Yep, just let him set up house the way he sees fit- because that's a fight you WON'T win.

Seriously though, as he gets bigger you'll want to keep a close eye on your equipment (heater, filter, etc.) I've seen heaters that've been cracked by large cichlids and intake tubes that have been broken in half! A quick daily check will make sure everything is still intact and operating properly.

The tank may seem large and empty now, but he'll quickly fill it out. One fish may sound lonely, but these guys love to interact with their people and you'll be amazed by the personality they display.