My male red devil is in a 75 alone. He's digging craters EVERYWHERE and is doing the ol' cichlid shake and cleaning up smooth surfaced rocks. This is my first RD, is this a phase or is this an on going thing until he forces me to get a female? Also he's been in the tank for about 3 weeks now.
A. Labiatus male in heat.
- Thread starter Captain F Bomb
- Start date
Typical cichlid behavior.
He probably won't do the flaring up until you appear lol but rearranging and digging yes most of the time.
My A. Saggitae would dig out the pits as I filled them in. It got to a point where I left his main one alone and he stopped digging extra ones.
They dig, it's what they do. A 75 isn't large enough for a male by itself long term, so unless you're planning an upgrade to a really massive tank, ignore any thoughts of finding a female.
I’d be glad if I were you, I love watching cichlids go about their natural behavior. Other than the obvious “I want a girlfriend” reason, it also shows that’s he’s pretty comfortable in there imo. Amphilophus species make great wet pets. Love em.
Lol, I think that's big enough for one RD. Come on now, let's not get crazy here.
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It's a matter of what you believe is acceptable. For me an aquarium which is under four times the length and only a few inches wider than the adult size isn't anywhere near large enough. Many people will tell you that this is fine. True it's reasonably easy to maintain the water quality enough to ensure the fish survives a few 50%+ water changes a week will keep this in check but apart from either a completely bare tank or a small number of pots eventually it will become cramped. While I agree in a 75g you can raise and maintain a wet pet I don't believe it's in the fishes interest.