Tankmates for Red Devil Chiclid?
Lloyd A. Bozzi
1) What is the scientific name for a red devil cichild. I tried to look
it up in a variety of books including my Baensch Aquarium Atlas. Either
I'm missing it or it's not there.
2) I'm having a hard time finding a tankmate that won't get torn to shreds.
I've tried a Aequidens Portalegrensis and a Blue Acara. My next choice
would be a Jack Dempsy, but would like some advice if there's anyone
with experience.
My red devil is in a rocky and planted 30 gallon tank. It's a little over
5" long and mean as hell.
Thanks,
APA...@maine.maine.edu
Bozzi) says:
>
>I have two questions.
>
>1) What is the scientific name for a red devil cichild. I tried to look
> it up in a variety of books including my Baensch Aquarium Atlas. Either
> I'm missing it or it's not there.
The beast is Cichlasoma/Heros/Amphilophus labiatum. Which generic name
you'll see depends on who you read and what decade they wrote in.
>2) I'm having a hard time finding a tankmate that won't get torn to shreds.
> I've tried a Aequidens Portalegrensis and a Blue Acara. My next choice
> would be a Jack Dempsy, but would like some advice if there's anyone
> with experience.
Your first two tries were the worst possible options, i.e. a smaller, less
agressive cichlid. The Dempsey (genus of your choice octofasciatum) might
work, or it might kill the Red Devil, or vice versa. The best tankmates
for large, mean, non-mated central American cichlids are non-cichlids
(yes, there are such fish, although we sometimes forget the fact).
My 6" Green Terror (Aequidens rivulatus) has mangled every other
cichlid I've ever placed in it's tank, but completely ignores the
Tiger Barbs, plecos, and rainbowfish it now shares the space with.
In your case, larger tankmates than Tiger barbs will be required, as
your red devil is a markedly piscivorous animal. A sizable silver
dollar, tinfoil barb, or pacu would probably do well, as would an
aquatic turtle or an adult snakehead (I promise the last two _won't_
get eaten). In a broader context, you should consider that your
Red Devil is not yet full grown, and will eventually be too large
for a 30,especially in the company of other large fish. It might be
a good idea to decide on more fish in the context of what size tank
the beast will finally reside in. You should expect it to grow to
at least 8", possibly 10 if it's a male.
>My red devil is in a rocky and planted 30 gallon tank. It's a little over
>5" long and mean as hell.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Lloyd
Good Luck,
Alex Parker
UMaine Zoology
Michael Hefner
>I have two questions.
>
>1) What is the scientific name for a red devil cichild.
Cichlasoma citrinellum and C. labiatum are both referred to as red devils
in the trade. The two are closely related. Some taxonomists consider
them to be a single species or part of a complex of species. I don't
know a way of telling which species you have.
I believe that Sven Kullander is currently re-examining the taxonomy
of the genus Cichlasoma. If he follows his past practices, we'll see
Cichlasoma split into a number of new genera. Has anyone else heard
anything about this?
>2) I'm having a hard time finding a tankmate that won't get torn to shreds.
> I've tried a Aequidens Portalegrensis and a Blue Acara. My next choice
> would be a Jack Dempsy, but would like some advice if there's anyone
> with experience.
>
>My red devil is in a rocky and planted 30 gallon tank. It's a little over
>5" long and mean as hell.
Good luck!!
Most of the folks I know with red devils either keep them alone or raised
them from a small size with tankmates. I think your best bets would be a
large pl*co or other large, aggressive Cichlasomas. The Jack Dempsey
might work if it's large enough.
--
Mike Hefner ____ "When I was driving once I saw this painted on a
UNC-Chapel Hill CS Dept. \ / bridge:
hef...@cs.unc.edu \/ 'I don't want the world, I just want your half'"
hef...@gibbs.oit.unc.edu - They Might Be Giants, "Ana Ng"
Gary Assa
> I've tried a Aequidens Portalegrensis and a Blue Acara. My next choice
> would be a Jack Dempsy, but would like some advice if there's anyone
> with experience.
>
Butterscoffi's also, and although they do get chased, they don't have any
signs of samage.
Peter Thoren
Yes, SO Kullander has already in 1983 revised the Cichlasoma genus. It is
only the South American Cichlasomas that will remain in this genus (eg.
Cichlasoma bimaculatus). The others will be put in other genera (eg. Heros,
Theraps and so on). I don't have the book in front of me but I think the
name is something like: A revision of the South American cichlid genus
Cichlasoma (Teleostei, Cichlidae).
Peter Thoren
Dept.of Genetics
Uppsala University
Abby Parrill
: I have two questions.
: 2) I'm having a hard time finding a tankmate that won't get torn to shreds.
: I've tried a Aequidens Portalegrensis and a Blue Acara. My next choice
: would be a Jack Dempsy, but would like some advice if there's anyone
: with experience.
While I have not kept Red Devil Cichlids, I have kept several types of
African cichlids in the size range of your Red Devil and the best tank mates
that I've found yet are (believe it or not) Giant Danios. They are really
fast and seem to remain unscathed by staying out of the way. I have a school
of six Giant Danios in with two Auratus (4"-5") and they are healthy, happy,
and whole.
: Thanks,
: Lloyd
: lb5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Tony Li
Parrill) writes:
While I have not kept Red Devil Cichlids, I have kept several types of
African cichlids in the size range of your Red Devil and the best tank
mates that I've found yet are (believe it or not) Giant Danios. They
are really fast and seem to remain unscathed by staying out of the way.
I have a school of six Giant Danios in with two Auratus (4"-5") and
they are healthy, happy, and whole.
I tried to do the same thing, and _something_ ripped all but one of the
Giant Danios to shreds. I'm not certain, but I think it was the one
remaining Giant Danio. Has anyone else seen this? I understand how to
control aggression in Cichlids, but how do you deal with Danio abuse?
Tony
--
abyss \*-'bis\ n
1 : the bottomless gulf, pit, or chaos of the old cosmogonies 2 a : an
immeasurably deep gulf or great space b : intellectual or spiritual
profundity; also : vast moral depravity 3 a Border Intermediate System
Bill Konrad
Parrill) writes:
>While I have not kept Red Devil Cichlids, I have kept several types of
>African cichlids in the size range of your Red Devil and the best tank mates
>that I've found yet are (believe it or not) Giant Danios. They are really
>fast and seem to remain unscathed by staying out of the way. I have a school
>of six Giant Danios in with two Auratus (4"-5") and they are healthy, happy,
>and whole.
I'll second the suggestion of giant danios as tankmates for large
aggressive cichlids. The danios are pretty much ignored by all the
cichlids I've kept them with (dempseys, firemouths, convicts,
severums). Though it might be a different story with breeding
cichlids. The danios are great because they are always very active in
the tanks whereas the cichlids will at times prefer to remain
secluded.
I've also had good luck keeping tiger barbs with aggressive
cichlids. They are perhaps even nicer than the danios, since the
danios tend to stay near the top of the tank while the tiger barbs
will venture all over. The barbs can be a bit foolhardy
though--nipping at the fins of fish many times larger than they are.
Fortunately, they are fast enough that they usual come to no harm, but
I have had two fatalities and I'm not sure whether it due to natural
causes or if one of the cichlids caught them napping.
--
Bill Konrad % The epitome of the human realm is to
kon...@mace.cc.purdue.edu % be stuck in a huge traffic jam of
% discursive thought.
% --Chogyam Trungpa
James Anthony Migliaccio
First was a blue eyed pleco, but he got beat up to badly. Then I tossed in
a redtail shark which was being a bully in the community tank. Much to my
surprise there was no aggresion at all. Then I put back the blue eyed and
a regular pleco. The red devil picks on both of them still, but much less.
Then I added a pair of green terrors. The male green terror was a constant
victim of abuse, but had ample hiding areas. The female is not bothered at
all and prefers the male red devil. Now that the green terrors are breeding
the red devil is allowed only in small area of the tank by the much smaller
green terrors.
So my recommendations: pleco's -- They can take quite a bit of abuse.
aggresive chiclids -- They actually don't fight much
just some chasing.
and remember most fish enjoy their own private area. Decorate appropiately.
Mig