Whats up fellow MF keepers im a new member but have been lurking for quite some time. I just got my new 90 gallon set up which i was hoping would hold me for maybe a year or so. I guess i was wrong. I had my texas(around 4") and my mayan(2") in my 30 gallon and came upon a nice deal on a 90gallon tank. So i switched them and introduced a red devil(3") in also. Man this damn Red devil has been bulling the texas so bad i had to remove the texas and place him in the 30g alone. I mean he has just been whooping his ass. Funny thing is I owned a mayan in the past and he took out everything from JD's to Convicts and even a RD. I guess each fish has it's own temperment. I was really into piranhas in my high school days but cichlids are just so much more beautiful. I did have some snakeheads back when they were leagal years ago and those things were honestly the most ferocious fish i have ever seen and grew too damn fast. The RD doesn't really mess with the mayan much. I came accross a Dovii which are pretty much hard to get in this area so i decided to snatch him up for 15$. He is maybe half the size of the RD and i being serious when i say the RD doesn't mess with him at all. I have been wanting a Jag as well and know of a guy who has one for about 3" for sale but don't want to the tank even though i rarely see jags around here as well. Looking forward to getting my sis's tank within a year or so, very nice 180 gallon. Any ideas on how many and which of these guys i could keep in the 180gallon together?
Damn Red Devil!
- Thread starter DoubleR
- Start date
I haven't owned a dovii but I'm pretty sure people here will tell you it will need a tank bigger than a 180 in the long run and won't be good with tank mates in something that small. All of the fish you're talking about are pretty aggressive, so it's hard to say how they will do together in the long run. You can keep the other four big cichlids in a 180, assuming they don't kill one another. Red Devils and Jags are pretty vicious.
the 180 will be fine for a dovii and a smaller cichlid if it will tolerate one. jag and small cichlid for the 90 gallon. dovii does have a large max size but you will find that the ones around here even the ones kept in large tanks rarely exceeed 18-20 inches. jags around 13-15 inches. good luck with whatever you decide.
It definitely depends on the temperament of each fish, but with that being said, I would bet that you could fit A Jag and 2 of the other smaller cichlids in the 180 with a few dithers. Maybe the Jag, Mayan and Texas. That would be my setup. I use Tinfoil Barbs for my dithers.
As for the Dovii, In time, it will kill or at the vary least bully everything in the tank assuming your using that 180. I would ditch the dovii and get that jag. That way you have a much better shot at having multiple cichlids.
My Setup 225 8foot tank: 12inch male Jag, 10inch male GT, 6inch female Festae, 4inch male convict, x4 6inch Tinfoil Barbs, x8 4-7inch Clown Loaches and 2 common Plecos. The only fights that ever happen are between the GT and the Jag and that is no more then flaring at best.
As for the Dovii, In time, it will kill or at the vary least bully everything in the tank assuming your using that 180. I would ditch the dovii and get that jag. That way you have a much better shot at having multiple cichlids.
My Setup 225 8foot tank: 12inch male Jag, 10inch male GT, 6inch female Festae, 4inch male convict, x4 6inch Tinfoil Barbs, x8 4-7inch Clown Loaches and 2 common Plecos. The only fights that ever happen are between the GT and the Jag and that is no more then flaring at best.
I really appreciate the responses guys. I think im gonna try and keep the Dovii and another in the 180g and go with the Red Devil and Mayan or Jag if i get it in the 90. I may end up getting rid of the Texas, it's really a gorgeous fish but i really thought he would hold his own against the RD. I had a mayan before and ended up finding out that it actually wasn't a festae as told to me by the store but man that thing killed everything i placed in the tank with it.
a seriously doubt you will be able to have a dovii with tank mates in a 180g, unless it is MUCH smaller than the others and is the last one added to the tank, especially with just one other cichlid to take out its frustrations on i dont see the tank mate lasting long and 180g is def not big enough to have more than one large cichlid tank mate with a dovii, that tank looks HUGE now when they are all small but when you have a 20in fish flaring at you and trying to take of your fingers in there it wont seem like there is that much extra space. i would def go for the jag and rehome the dovii to someone who can keep it in a tank on its own or has a larger tank for tank mates. also if your "texas" is a cyanoguttatus then it should be able to hold its own against a RD when older but if its a carpintis then IME they just aren't on the level of aggression as a RD and will probably be bullied to death. and yeah Mayans are mean SOBs i think they are meaner than festaes (at least when not breeding) but yeah every fish is different you just have to play around with different fish until you find a combination that works, and the younger you start them together the better your chances
If you want to give that whole tank up to keeping one Dovii then do it otherwise, no. I have no problem giving up an entire tank to one fish, most people do however. If I was ever to keep a Dovii I would want an 8ft tank with a min of 265 gals, a 180 is a great tank but not for a Dovii with tank mates IMO. People don't seem to realize what a full grown male Dovii is or is capable of, I don't have anything tank wise that I feel would do one justice. I see a lot of posters that want a Dovii just to say they have have one without giving the long term needs of such a fiish enough consideration. Please don't misunderstand I'm not saying this is you, I'm just saying what I see a lot of times. With a 180 you have many options.