My RD is female from what i was told but shes developing a hump/lump on her forehead. Is that a male characteristic only??? She has turned bright orange on the front half of her body and her other half is pale and turning white. Is something wrong with my fish???? :-/
The Hump????
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Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
this is a male characteristic but some females with strong agression and personality can feel dominance and take on a few of their characteristics, like how a sub-dominant male would take on female characteristics.
this RD may just be feeling very dominating and is getting a bit of a lump (do they call it a KOK?) to show it.
how sure are u she is female though? x
this RD may just be feeling very dominating and is getting a bit of a lump (do they call it a KOK?) to show it.
how sure are u she is female though? x
Im not 100%. I was told her anal fins (i think) is how you tell??? How do i for sure check? Its impossible to get a good picture of her because she shimmys and tries to attack the camera through the glass or i'd post a picture here for help.
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
heres a venting pic for red devils. the male is on the right x
How big are females vs males? My fish is going on 9 inches now. She was about 6-7 before i put her in the 55 gallon. I just distracted her long enough to measure her through the glass LOL. I know they can get to 12+ right? She was about 4 inches when i got her maybe a little less and ive had her about 10 or 11 months now.
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
then u have a fine healthy male or a very confused female 
lol!
that solves the head thing in that theory. and the agression.
males are usually 2-3ins bigger than females, so maybe a male can go to 14in while the female hits 12.
lol!that solves the head thing in that theory. and the agression.
males are usually 2-3ins bigger than females, so maybe a male can go to 14in while the female hits 12.
Haha well thank you for helping me clear that up!
So the males are more aggressive? Are they really territorial? My fish will charge at me or anything i put in the tank while cleaning or doing water changes. Ive been bitten i dont know how many times now.. And my mom helped once and is now terrified of my fish LOL.
So the males are more aggressive? Are they really territorial? My fish will charge at me or anything i put in the tank while cleaning or doing water changes. Ive been bitten i dont know how many times now.. And my mom helped once and is now terrified of my fish LOL.
Aski247
Aquarium Advice Addict
As said before the hump isn't a real good way to "sex" a RD for the reasons said before. As far as the aggression you have mentioned seems like it might be a male.
Mine goes absolutely bananas when anything but me enters my room. And even more so when I do wc's. And he's roughly 5". I have some photos in my 4 month update post. I know it's hard to compare a 9" fish to a 5" fish but it might give ya a base for the hump issue.
As far as the color, is then color difference when you turn the light on? Or during feeding times? As both of these times are when I notice the more "pale" color. All though mine is never a pale color he's more of a yellow/orange. When the lights out. And almost a neon orange when its on. I have had many of my friends come over who keep Africans who are amazed at his color when I turn the light on. Photos cant really do the RD colors justice.
Mine goes absolutely bananas when anything but me enters my room. And even more so when I do wc's. And he's roughly 5". I have some photos in my 4 month update post. I know it's hard to compare a 9" fish to a 5" fish but it might give ya a base for the hump issue.
As far as the color, is then color difference when you turn the light on? Or during feeding times? As both of these times are when I notice the more "pale" color. All though mine is never a pale color he's more of a yellow/orange. When the lights out. And almost a neon orange when its on. I have had many of my friends come over who keep Africans who are amazed at his color when I turn the light on. Photos cant really do the RD colors justice.
It seems like the color changes overnight while the lights off. Hes bright by the afternoon and then gets dull agian at night.
My RD actually taunts my dog LOL. If my pittie is laying on the bed and my RD sees her he goes insane. My fish has become a conversation piece mostly because of the aggressiveness and bright color.
Hey, this is off subject but how often do you feed your RD??? It seems like mine constantly wants food...
My RD actually taunts my dog LOL. If my pittie is laying on the bed and my RD sees her he goes insane. My fish has become a conversation piece mostly because of the aggressiveness and bright color.
Hey, this is off subject but how often do you feed your RD??? It seems like mine constantly wants food...
Aski247
Aquarium Advice Addict
They are greedy eaters, I feed mine like 4-5 pellets a day Monday-Friday. And frozen bloodworms/shrimp on sat. Sunday he don't eat as it's also the day I do my WC's.
Hmmm i may be overfeeding... I give mine 3 pellets in the morning and 2 before bed. Is that too much? I also give shrimp once a week and a couple snails once a month instead of shrimp. Ohh and i vary the type of pellets every couple weeks because when i fed just one type for a while my fish stopped eating.
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
my oscars have doubled in size in a month, one was 1.5in the other 2in.
the amount of pellets you give can big time affect growth rate and agression so maybe the RD would need a small reduction. i over feed mine to get the growth, but i have a feeling your fish doesnt need that factor lol!
do u feed hikari gold at all? x
the amount of pellets you give can big time affect growth rate and agression so maybe the RD would need a small reduction. i over feed mine to get the growth, but i have a feeling your fish doesnt need that factor lol!
do u feed hikari gold at all? x
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
i find the hikari great for growth but makes my Manna very bossy. your RD could be reacting similarly, especially if it is male (i think Managuense is male).
i think if u feed for 2 days then skip a day this would be better. what does Aski think? x
i think if u feed for 2 days then skip a day this would be better. what does Aski think? x
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
dont they all? haha. but it is a natural thing, they are built to survive on always searching for food. so they will always ask! x
barterking85
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just remember fish are opertuinistic eaters and will eat almost every time you want to feed and in the wild they don't always get the chance to eat everyday
Aski247
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes you could basically feed a fish until it's stomach explodes... If you feel like you are feeding to much, then try decreasing the amount.
I have been on the same feeding schedule the past 2 months and he has doubled in size. I also do live feedings once a month. Either Qt'ed comets or ghost shrimp. I don't mind the aggression as it's what draws me to cichlids.
Your food is fine and SHOULD be it's main source of food. I would recommend the something frozen as in shrimp/worms once a week, as they really enjoy them.
As far as food in relation to aggression. It's a single fish, and a already aggressive RD at that. I wouldn't think there anything you could feed it at this point to lessen the aggression.
I have been on the same feeding schedule the past 2 months and he has doubled in size. I also do live feedings once a month. Either Qt'ed comets or ghost shrimp. I don't mind the aggression as it's what draws me to cichlids.
Your food is fine and SHOULD be it's main source of food. I would recommend the something frozen as in shrimp/worms once a week, as they really enjoy them.
As far as food in relation to aggression. It's a single fish, and a already aggressive RD at that. I wouldn't think there anything you could feed it at this point to lessen the aggression.
Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
on that note, how would u reduce aggression?
i gave loads of tips before but not much is working, and my darling babies are starting to nip eachother. though they cuddle up like best friends in the morning and Veron literally swims with her head against Manna's belly while he leads her around the bottom of the tank. they are the cutest pair but im worried, as Veron suddenly had about 3cmX1cm of scales torn off yesterday, and this morning Managuense has 4-6 scratches consistent to the ones Veron left on my finger.
how do u set up a shrimp breeder for feeders? x
i gave loads of tips before but not much is working, and my darling babies are starting to nip eachother. though they cuddle up like best friends in the morning and Veron literally swims with her head against Manna's belly while he leads her around the bottom of the tank. they are the cutest pair but im worried, as Veron suddenly had about 3cmX1cm of scales torn off yesterday, and this morning Managuense has 4-6 scratches consistent to the ones Veron left on my finger.
how do u set up a shrimp breeder for feeders? x
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