My Red Devil was recently given his, I mean HER own tank and started acting a bit strange. No interest in food, floating on her side behind a big decoration, and being really aggressive and territorial (more than normal by Red Devil standards).
Last night I was vacuuming her gravel and she went total ape**** on me. Attacking the siphon, snapping at it with enough force to put bite marks in the hose, going after my fingers if they even touched the water surface! It was quite a spectacle and made tank maintenance very exciting as I tried to clean gravel while dodging a decent sized fish that was definitely NOT fooling around!
It was then that I looked at the backside of the decoration she's been so vehemently defending and I noticed a large clutch of eggs all stuck to it.
Right then all the pieces came together and her behavior made perfect sense. I had thought I had a male that was acting weird. It turns out I have a female that is doing exactly what evolution has taught her to do.
Unfortunately there is no male to fertilize the eggs, so no babies in that tank. If I had a big enough tank, it would be cool to introduce a male Red Devil. Probably with a tank divider at first, then after an adjustment period, take it out and crank up the heater so they think it's time to get it on.
I'd share some pics, but my camera batteries just died. When my wife gets home I may upload a few using her camera.
Last night I was vacuuming her gravel and she went total ape**** on me. Attacking the siphon, snapping at it with enough force to put bite marks in the hose, going after my fingers if they even touched the water surface! It was quite a spectacle and made tank maintenance very exciting as I tried to clean gravel while dodging a decent sized fish that was definitely NOT fooling around!
It was then that I looked at the backside of the decoration she's been so vehemently defending and I noticed a large clutch of eggs all stuck to it.
Right then all the pieces came together and her behavior made perfect sense. I had thought I had a male that was acting weird. It turns out I have a female that is doing exactly what evolution has taught her to do.
Unfortunately there is no male to fertilize the eggs, so no babies in that tank. If I had a big enough tank, it would be cool to introduce a male Red Devil. Probably with a tank divider at first, then after an adjustment period, take it out and crank up the heater so they think it's time to get it on.
I'd share some pics, but my camera batteries just died. When my wife gets home I may upload a few using her camera.
