New owner of a huge cichlid. Need help with aquarium set-up.

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I think he looks good. Maybe running on the midas side more than the red devil. I may be wrong but I think the midas is stocker than the devils

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I admire your determination.
I buy most of my supplies at Drs Foster & Smith. If you spend $49.00 you get free shipping. The quality of their stuff is good.
 
So I take it a Midevil is a hybrid between a Midas and a Red Devil. Correct?

How can you experts tell the specific variation? When I Google Midas Cichlid or Red Devil Cichlid, or Midevil Cichlid, most of the images look the same (and most of them all look like "Gulp").
 
Midevils have flooded the market and are labeled as either species. It is very difficult to find a pure specimen of either species in the hobby unless the lineage is known or they're wild caught. The key is to look up specific collection points (something I'm not too well versed in with these particular species) of each and then compare


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Btw, he's more aggressive now than ever. Before when working in the tank, if he started to approach with a hungry look in his eyes, I could shoo him off with a slight wave of my hand. Or making a fist and approaching him as the dominant "fish" would cause him to back away. Not any more: he no longer fears his master. Sunday when cleaning his tank, he managed to bite me again, this time on one of my fingers. Fortunately, he didn't break skin, but he did surprise the heck out of me because he moved in for the kill so quickly!

Maybe I need to invest in a shark suit. :ermm:
 
SpyGuy said:
Btw, he's more aggressive now than ever. Before when working in the tank, if he started to approach with a hungry look in his eyes, I could shoo him off with a slight wave of my hand. Or making a fist and approaching him as the dominant "fish" would cause him to back away. Not any more: he no longer fears his master. Sunday when cleaning his tank, he managed to bite me again, this time on one of my fingers. Fortunately, he didn't break skin, but he did surprise the heck out of me because he moved in for the kill so quickly!



Maybe I need to invest in a shark suit. :ermm:
Click to expand...


Or just some thick gloves and a long sleeved shirt... I'm glad I keep peaceful fish lol.


Caleb
 
When I kept the big nasty fish, I made a "shield" out of plexiglass and used it to keep the fish in one end while I did what I had to on the other

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SpyGuy said:
Gulp poops like a mad man! I feed him Hikari Gold small and medium pellets and he drops huge feces. I bought a Hydor Koralia 750-850, and positioned it near the top of the tank pointed down at an angle to help circulate the water and stir up debris so it would get sucked into the filter intake, but that doesn't really work too well. Most of the poop just stays on the gravel and works it's way into dead zones. I was thinking of trying to add under-sand jets to the 72g tank, but I'm sure Gulp will just uncover all the piping. Perhaps I could lay pieces of slate all over the bottom of the tank with the piping running in the gaps between the pieces, and then bury everything in sand. That way, he can dig down and expose the slate, but the tank bottom and the piping will still be hidden.
mikem691 said:
Get a python and use it as needed. Look to have at least 10x the GPH for the filter.
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I have a gravel vac. But I can't vacuum every day. I was hoping that under-sand jets would sweep the debris off the bottom so it could be ingested by the filtration.

The other problem is that the filter strainers are so fine that, when his poop does get drawn to them, it just gets stuck on the strainer. I'm planning to make my own filter intakes with large slots to allow the poop to pass. I certainly don't have to worry about sucking up Gulp and he'll have no tank mates.

The Filstar XP-L is rated for 350 gph. They have an XP-XL that's rated at 450 gph, but I'm a bit sceptical as to how much advantage the XL would offer over the L. The reason is that all the Filstar canister bodies are the same size in width and depth, only differing in height. Which means all the models use the same filter pads which are 6.25" square. So the limiting factor on these filters really isn't the capacity of the pump, but rather the capacity of the media to allow water to flow. Once the filter pads start to load with debris, the flow rate drops significantly and a more powerful pump really isn't going to help much. That is one advantage the HOB filters really have over canisters. Of course a sump system would be best, but I'm not ready for that.

Are there any other options for helping to keep the tank clean? Snails perhaps (that he can't eat) or crayfish?
 
Gillie said:
When I kept the big nasty fish, I made a "shield" out of plexiglass and used it to keep the fish in one end while I did what I had to on the other
Click to expand...
That's not a bad idea. The gloves and long sleeve shirt would also work, but it would be messy with water running off my shirt sleeve, especially every time I have to clear the tank's center brace. (Unless I get a heavy rubber glove with attached rubber sleeve up to my armpit!)
 
I found this on a Midas Cichlid care page:

They appreciate a bottom of fine sand and plenty of hiding places among rocks and wood.
Click to expand...

How does one create a hiding place for a 9 - 10" fish in a 72 gallon tank while also keeping enough swimming room?
 
I found this about the Midas and thought it amusing:

There are few fish that show less regard for a beautifully decorated tank than these. Don’t even consider a planted setup, as large quantities of the substrate will be shifted around on a daily basis. Rocks, driftwood and large flowerpots are all suitable provided they’re too heavy for the fish to move about, although it will undoubtedly try to do so anyway.

Similarly, any unprotected pieces of equipment such as heaters, filter inlets/outlets etc. will be attacked unless they are afforded some protection. Fit the strongest heater guard you can find, or conceal the heater and any other equipment behind immovable rocky structures, and use very strong suction cups on any pipework.
Click to expand...

So let's say I want to create an immovable rocky structure in the back corner of the tank. Questions:

1. How do I prevent him from simply filling that area with sand?

2. How do I clean between the rocks and the glass?
 
Lol this is gonna be a battle you will lose and eventually just give up on. There's a reason most wet pets end up with a near empty tank ;)

Give him some fake plants to rip out, drag around, bury, etc. much easier on your wallet, he can't break the glass with them, and they don't require any care


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By "wet pet" I assume you mean "wet solo pet." After all, aren't all aquarium fish wet pets?

Anyway, I will not do fake plants. I just can't abide by them.

I do want to build a rock pile in the back, both for visual appeal and to hide the filter piping. I can glue the rocks together so Gulp can't knock them over. But my questions still stand about how to clean behind them.

Any recommendations on where to find a large driftwood branch?
 
Scrubber pad on a long handle to clean behind.

You can do a rock pile, but glue or silicone may not hold the weight if it gets hit hard. I'm gonna try one here soon to shroud a sponge filter but I'm hoping to use a masonry bit, drill holes in the rocks and a stainless bolt/nut or other means (stainless steel cable?) To hold them together.

As far as driftwood goes, I collected two large pieces yesterday down by the river. Just look for hardwood that's not rotting, but dead, and preferably barkless.
 
hensleyjk said:
Scrubber pad on a long handle to clean behind.

You can do a rock pile, but glue or silicone may not hold the weight if it gets hit hard. I'm gonna try one here soon to shroud a sponge filter but I'm hoping to use a masonry bit, drill holes in the rocks and a stainless bolt/nut or other means (stainless steel cable?) To hold them together.

As far as driftwood goes, I collected two large pieces yesterday down by the river. Just look for hardwood that's not rotting, but dead, and preferably barkless.
Click to expand...

The epoxy putty they use for corals would work

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I have a big rock pile too and I use a wave pump and aim current to shoot out debris so nothing stays trapped behind... Works great


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