GENERALLY speaking......... the bigger the tank and the more the tankmates the better your chances. I have a monster that wants to take my hand off yet gets along with most other fish (as long as they stay away from his girl). The tank is 10'x4' and has all sorts of cichlids, etc. from 1" up. He has a mate and still totally ignores the other small dovii pair (7-9") in the tank. I keep the monster dovii well fed, and since he was a fingerling he has never been offered feeders...... Well, not on purpose (hahaha!). If he skipped a couple of meals, I'd expect him to "pay more attention" to the convicts in the tank!
On the other hand, Reagan has a giant wild male that spent several years in the wild eating fish, and in captivity it gets to eat six inch Midas cichlids (and anything else with fins that makes its way in the tank). He's 100% killer from what I hear. Perhaps Reagan will contribute more info......
Mel Omeara has a beautiful male (Youtube: Dovvis gone wild), that doesn't play well with others even in a huge tank.
We all have different experiences. These fish may not be maniacal killers 24/7, but I'd suggest that it's better to assume the worst most of the time. In my case, I accept the fact that I could go to my tank one day and find a massacre has taken place! But as with all cichlids, in the wild they kill for food or for reasons of territoriality and breeding dominance (and death resulting from territoriality would be VERY rare in the wild; too much room to flee). In captivity, extreme isolation or the absence of sufficient stimuli can result in pathologically aggressive fish. That applies to most/all cichlids, not just dovii.
So, start with a young or socialized fish. Provide more tankmates than the dovii can easily isolate and target. Make sure the other fish aren't seen as direct competitors (e.g. Baltons grammodes), and make sure the tank/pond is larger than whatever the fish feels is an appropriately sized territory.
....and cross your fingers!
On the other hand, Reagan has a giant wild male that spent several years in the wild eating fish, and in captivity it gets to eat six inch Midas cichlids (and anything else with fins that makes its way in the tank). He's 100% killer from what I hear. Perhaps Reagan will contribute more info......
Mel Omeara has a beautiful male (Youtube: Dovvis gone wild), that doesn't play well with others even in a huge tank.
We all have different experiences. These fish may not be maniacal killers 24/7, but I'd suggest that it's better to assume the worst most of the time. In my case, I accept the fact that I could go to my tank one day and find a massacre has taken place! But as with all cichlids, in the wild they kill for food or for reasons of territoriality and breeding dominance (and death resulting from territoriality would be VERY rare in the wild; too much room to flee). In captivity, extreme isolation or the absence of sufficient stimuli can result in pathologically aggressive fish. That applies to most/all cichlids, not just dovii.
So, start with a young or socialized fish. Provide more tankmates than the dovii can easily isolate and target. Make sure the other fish aren't seen as direct competitors (e.g. Baltons grammodes), and make sure the tank/pond is larger than whatever the fish feels is an appropriately sized territory.
....and cross your fingers!
