# Looking for an aggressive, durable and solo fish



## thunderhead (May 25, 2011)

The title probably sounds misleading but IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m really interested in getting a fish and itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s for my office at work. I would like one that is fine living alone and also I think the more aggressive and meaner the better. Again that probably sounds bad but I just like the lone wolf idea behind it. I plan to buy one fish and it will never have another fish in its tank. I was at a larger chain pet store and someone recommended the Red Devil to me and I almost bought one but I wanted to get some enthusiastÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s opinions on it first, I want to make sure the fish I pick is one that is ok being in a tank alone and will be fine on Sundays when no one is in the office.

Also this section is the one with the Red Devils but IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m open to any Cichlid or even an Oscar IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not too particular on the species but I would like one that is pleasant to look at and when I say durable that means one that is good to live on its own and also isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t really fragile to the tank cleaning and water changes.

Thank you


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## sirnewb (Dec 3, 2010)

First off, what size tank will the fish be staying in? Most people are going to recommend a 75 gallon for a lone red devil. If you have a 75 then a red devil would work perfectly for what you are looking for, that's my opinion anyways.


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## homerl (Jan 6, 2009)

Go for a male flowerhon, character and the look of him when he get's his hump will keep people looking. A decent one will set you back a few bucks but well worth it in imo. :thumb:


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## Elijah (Mar 30, 2011)

Yea what it comes down to is tank size. Period. And if you intend on keeping the fish alone, be prepared, you won't see much aggression.


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

homerl said:


> Go for a male flowerhon, character and the look of him when he get's his hump will keep people looking. A decent one will set you back a few bucks but well worth it in imo. :thumb:


+1 flowerhorn are the best wet pet I have ever owned. If you do get a flowerhorn keep your fingers away when feeding. The fish will nip you if you give it the chance. My fh has come completely out the water while feeding pellets and nipped me. When kept alone or with other mates it will get mean. I also have seen flowerhorns kept on 40 gallons alone but not recommended.


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## thunderhead (May 25, 2011)

The tank size will depend on whats needed for the fish, so if a red devil is the best then i will go for the 75 gallon if thats what i need, but first i want to pick the right species


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The dimensions are the most important to mention, not the volume.


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## Adrian101 (Jan 24, 2011)

if tank size doesnt matter i wouldnt go for a cichlid, pause for the gasps, id say a indo tiger fish, African tiger fish, a fresh water ray, black ghost, wolf fish or a red tailed cat. For a cichlid id say a dovi or jaguar. Just my input.


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## Elijah (Mar 30, 2011)

Flippercon said:


> +1 flowerhorn are the best wet pet I have ever owned. If you do get a flowerhorn keep your fingers away when feeding. The fish will nip you if you give it the chance. My fh has come completely out the water while feeding pellets and nipped me. When kept alone or with other mates it will get mean. I also have seen flowerhorns kept on 40 gallons alone but not recommended.


Nice looking flowerhorn you got there Flippercon. I'm curious, what size tank do you have him in and what size do you think he will get to?


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

He is in a 55 right now and paired with a female rd. They are getting ready to spawn. I know I am going against the grain here with size and aggression but its the only tankmate the fh will tolerate. At least I got the two sexed. The rd has her tube dropped and the fh is ready for her. They have been cleaning slate and doing the whole vibrating thing. It wasn't my plan but needed to temp house the two untill I get a bigger tank. Man I have 15 tanks I don't know if I can hack another one. Not to sure on size but when I got the fh it was 3" smaller and that was 3 months ago.


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## Elijah (Mar 30, 2011)

Flippercon said:


> He is in a 55 right now and paired with a female rd. They are getting ready to spawn. I know I am going against the grain here with size and aggression but its the only tankmate the fh will tolerate. At least I got the two sexed. The rd has her tube dropped and the fh is ready for her. They have been cleaning slate and doing the whole vibrating thing. It wasn't my plan but needed to temp house the two untill I get a bigger tank. *Man I have 15 tanks I don't know if I can hack another one. *Not to sure on size but when I got the fh it was 3" smaller and that was 3 months ago.


Wholly mother of God! I only have 2 tanks, and I have to re-arrange things to upgrade in the future. I can't even imagine having 15. Anyway the flowerhorn is a really good looking fish. You should post a pic of the red devil. Good luck on the spawn!

O, sorry for the hijack thunderhead.


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

I will post a new thread.


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## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Male Red Devil/Midas in a 90g is perfect wet pet. Pretty and lots of attitude.

....Bill


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## Leucistic Guy (Jul 8, 2009)

MonteSS said:


> Male Red Devil/Midas in a 90g is perfect wet pet. Pretty and lots of attitude.
> 
> ....Bill


X2!!!
I prefer the 90G more volume, happier fish.
Basically the same footprint.

I have my biggest RD in a 90G & he luvs it.
He didn't like tank mates while growing up, but tolerated his dithers/hybrids for now. opcorn: 
It's fun to watch him chase them around.

If you go the Oscar route be prepared to do more maintenance, they poop a lot more.


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## phishes (May 17, 2005)

Adrian101 said:


> if tank size doesnt matter i wouldnt go for a cichlid, pause for the gasps, id say a indo tiger fish, African tiger fish, a fresh water ray, black ghost, wolf fish or a red tailed cat. For a cichlid id say a dovi or jaguar. Just my input.


So he would need well well over 200g tank for most of those fish. Think he is looking for a cichlid wet pet.

Good choices for a 75g would be a red devil, midas, trimac, green terror, texas cichlid, oscar, red tiger mota, black belt, black nasty, or cuban cichlid. Just giving common names, because much easier. If it were me personally, I would get a trimac, because they are beautiful, and have a lot of personality. A lot of flowerhorns have trimac in them, but flowerhorns will cost a lot more.


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## Adrian101 (Jan 24, 2011)

sorry. My mistake. Guess i have a different idea of a wet pet lol.


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## Leucistic Guy (Jul 8, 2009)

Adrian101 said:


> if tank size doesnt matter i wouldnt go for a cichlid, pause for the gasps, id say a indo tiger fish, African tiger fish, a fresh water ray, black ghost, wolf fish or a red tailed cat. For a cichlid id say a dovi or jaguar. Just my input.


He did ask his question in the CA/SA cichlid section so...




phishes said:


> So he would need well well over 200g tank for most of those fish. Think he is looking for a cichlid wet pet.
> 
> Good choices for a 75g would be a red devil, midas, trimac, green terror, texas cichlid, oscar, red tiger mota, black belt, black nasty, or cuban cichlid. Just giving common names, because much easier. If it were me personally, I would get a trimac, because they are beautiful, and have a lot of personality. *A lot of flowerhorns have trimac in them, but flowerhorns will cost a lot more.*


Not necessarily, a true Trimac is quite hard to find.
If you do find one it's gonna cost you a lil bit more then your average cichlid.
Most FH are overbred/inbred so you can find some really cheap ones.
I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap FH, they don't look nearly as good as a high grade FH.

Why don't you try to get a Amphilophus lyonsi?
They're considered rare & you might be able to go with a pair if you get a tank in the 6' range.
They're also a little more tolerant of tankmtes, they don't have the "kill 1st" instinct.[/u][/i]
They resemble a FH but minus the large "kok".
IMO those really big koks are kind of gross.

If you're going after a pure/true specie go with a Red Devil, Midas,Jag, or Wolf.
If you like the look of a FH but want to stay with a real specie go with a Trimac, or a Amphilophus lyonsi.
If you like the looks of a FH, make sure to buy a higher grade FH, be prepared to spend over $150-$300 for a nice FH,a show quality FH will cost $500-$1000+.

To help narrow down your search, how bout you name the color(s) fish you prefer, tank size, & experience you have or the ppl @ work who may be doing maintenance have.


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## Roux14 (Jan 31, 2011)

Go for a Jag! I love mine :thumb:


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## homerl (Jan 6, 2009)

Flowerhorn hands down! :thumb:


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## Mussin (Oct 30, 2008)

I sya Male Flowerhorn or Male Red Devil/Midas.


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