# Dovii questions



## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Hey guys!

I really would love to get some Dovii in the near future and I just have some questions!

#1) Could a single Dovii live in a 125 gal longterm?

#2) What is their growth speed? If I baught one as a juvie 1 inch - 2 inches and how big would they be by 6 months, a year, year and a half, and so forth. Basically what I am asking is could I buy some juvie Dovii's before I had the 125 or bigger but I was saving for it and keep them in either a 40 gal breeder, 55 gal, or 75 gal and have the 125 or 180 within a year. Would that give me enough time or would I have to upgrade sooner? If it would give me enough time how long would I have before I would need to upgrade to a 125 or 180?

#3) A breeding pair would need at the very least a 180 by themselves but it would be best to have bigger and make sure I have a divider. What would a single female need? Would a 75 gal be ok?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!


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## fishghost (Jul 27, 2003)

1. You could possibly keep a female in a 125, but it would be a wet pet setup. That would probably be pushing it.

2. That depends on how you keep your water and what you feed them. I would say your going to need the biggest tank (w/e size you can get) sooner than later. A year minimum.

3. a 220 would be better if you plan on keeping a pair.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> You could possibly keep a female in a 125, but it would be a wet pet setup. That would probably be pushing it.


Really wow! I thought I read some where that a Female Dovii by herself could be kept in a 75 gal. Oh yeah I was going to keep her by herself and have her as an extra female incase the paired one got killed by the male.



> 2. That depends on how you keep your water and what you feed them. I would say your going to need the biggest tank (w/e size you can get) sooner than later. A year minimum.


Oh yeah I do weekly 50% syphon water changes on all of my tanks and feed them twice a day. Yeah I knew I would need a big tank sooner than later. Ok a year is good!



> 3. a 220 would be better if you plan on keeping a pair.


Ok! I will keep that in mind!

Thanks! :thumb:


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

sure a female could be kept in a 75g... doesn't mean it is right to do... an oscar could be kept in a 30g to...


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> sure a female could be kept in a 75g... doesn't mean it is right to do... an oscar could be kept in a 30g to...


I am not trying to be cruel! I am just saying that is what I heard on here before. 
I just want what's best for my fish and I won't keep a Dovii in a 75 gal.


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## fishghost (Jul 27, 2003)

gage said:


> sure a female could be kept in a 75g... doesn't mean it is right to do... an oscar could be kept in a 30g to...


that's why he asked first...no need for the rudeness bro :?


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## M0oN (Dec 8, 2003)

I think even a male dovii would be fine in a tank that size - not all of them grow to the monster sizes you hear about. Maybe 16" or so 

Is it a 2' wide tank or 18" wide?


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

I went to the petstores yesterday and measured their 125 gal's (I went to 2 pet stores). Both of their 125's had the same width as a 75 gal 18'' wide.


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

CiChLiD LoVeR128 said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> I really would love to get some Dovii in the near future and I just have some questions!
> 
> ...


1. I think a single female would be fine in a 125g for life.

2. Their growth is very similar to the rest of the Parachromis family. That is, slow when small, maybe 1/2" per month until they reach 4" or so. Then a growth spurt with up to 1" per month until about 12". After that, growth slows back down to maybe 1/2" per month or less. Of course, this is a general rule of thumb. A lot of factors can change the growth rates like food quantity and quality, and water quality.

My male dovii has gone from about 4 1/2" to well over 9" in six months to give you a general idea of typical growth.

3. A 75g may work for a good long time, but I'd rather have a 125g for a single female and AT LEAST a 180g for a pair. A 180g is what I'd consider bare minimum for a pair, with a 240g being what I would call "standard". And of course, larger is better.

Looking at the typical growth rate, you may be ok with a 75g for almost a year if you start them out at around an inch or two. But as always, the sooner you can get them in a bigger tank, the better.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Why put a fish in a tank that is only 2.5-3 times as long as it will get? That seems like it would be very boring to watch.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> 1. I think a single female would be fine in a 125g for life.
> 
> 2. Their growth is very similar to the rest of the Parachromis family. That is, slow when small, maybe 1/2" per month until they reach 4" or so. Then a growth spurt with up to 1" per month until about 12". After that, growth slows back down to maybe 1/2" per month or less. Of course, this is a general rule of thumb. A lot of factors can change the growth rates like food quantity and quality, and water quality.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much Terd! :thumb: :thumb:

By the way could you post some pics of your Dovii? I would really love to see him/her! :drooling: :thumb:


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

CiChLiD LoVeR128 said:


> > 1. I think a single female would be fine in a 125g for life.
> >
> > 2. Their growth is very similar to the rest of the Parachromis family. That is, slow when small, maybe 1/2" per month until they reach 4" or so. Then a growth spurt with up to 1" per month until about 12". After that, growth slows back down to maybe 1/2" per month or less. Of course, this is a general rule of thumb. A lot of factors can change the growth rates like food quantity and quality, and water quality.
> >
> ...


Here's one from last month...


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Beautiful Dovii Terd! :drooling:  :thumb:

How big is he?


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

CiChLiD LoVeR128 said:


> Beautiful Dovii Terd! :drooling:  :thumb:
> 
> How big is he?


Thanks. He's over 9" now. He's hit a little growth spurt in the last couple of months. 8)


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> Thanks. He's over 9" now. He's hit a little growth spurt in the last couple of months.


Very nice! 8)

I also love your Mota and is that a fredricksthalli or a Loisellei? Very nice! :thumb:


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

CiChLiD LoVeR128 said:


> > Thanks. He's over 9" now. He's hit a little growth spurt in the last couple of months.
> 
> 
> Very nice! 8)
> ...


Thanks again. In the dovii photo, that's a female mota and a big male loiselli.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

I have been following your predator thread for a while. I love it! Good job! Keep it up! :thumb: I really love the Parachromis family and I would love to have Dovii but I don't think I can manage a proper tank for them for a while. I really love spawning cichlids and fish. I do like Jags but I like the other members of the Parachromis family better! I can manage a 125 gal but it might be a year or two. I really love the Parachromis friedrichsthalii and the â€˜La Ceiba, Honduras yellow headâ€™ and motaguense Red Tiger Mota. I have never kept any of the Parachromis family and was wondering what would you suggest for a beginner? I really like the Yellow Heads the best!

Could a single female be kept in a 75 gal alone without tankmates? I would keep her as a backup. And what would you suggest for a pair alone without tankmates? Could a pair be kept in a 75 gal or no? Thanks! :thumb:


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

CiChLiD LoVeR128 said:


> I have been following your predator thread for a while. I love it! Good job! Keep it up! :thumb: I really love the Parachromis family and I would love to have Dovii but I don't think I can manage a proper tank for them for a while. I really love spawning cichlids and fish. I do like Jags but I like the other members of the Parachromis family better! I can manage a 125 gal but it might be a year or two. I really love the Parachromis friedrichsthalii and the â€˜La Ceiba, Honduras yellow headâ€™ and motaguense Red Tiger Mota. I have never kept any of the Parachromis family and was wondering what would you suggest for a beginner? I really like the Yellow Heads the best!
> 
> Could a single female be kept in a 75 gal alone without tankmates? I would keep her as a backup. And what would you suggest for a pair alone without tankmates? Could a pair be kept in a 75 gal or no? Thanks! :thumb:


Thanks for the kind words. I think most any female Parachromis would do fine in a 75g for a very long time, if not for life. All but the dovii won't get much bigger than 10" to 12". The female dovii may grow a bit larger, but it will take a while. On the other hand, all the males in the Parachromis family will all get well over 12". I'm not sure a 75g would be quite adequate for a single male and definately not for a pair.

If you want a bare minimum, I'd say 75g is ok for any single female but dovii. And I'd say a 90g is bare minimum for any single male but managuense and dovii. A 125g would be bare minimum for a pair, again except the dovii. I think a 180g is bare minimum for a single male dovii and probably 240g for a pair. And as always, bigger is always better. For instance, it's not that much of a step up in price from a 180g to a 240g in most cases.

Here are the max sizes I have seen for parachromis...

Parachromis loiselli 
male-14"
Female-10"

Parachromis motaguense 
male-14"
female-10"

Parachromis friedrichsthalii
male-15"
female-10"

Parachromis managuense
male-16"
female-11"

Parachromis dovii
male-26"
female-15"

The "la ciebas" should turn out very similar to the loisellis and freddys in size, but it is still unknown as they are relatively new to hobbyists. Now, please keep in mind, these are fishes I've had or seen. I have heard reports of larger specimans but without proof. For example, I have heard of wild caught dovii reaching well over 30", but not in any home aquariums. I have also heard tell of 19" wild caught jags in the canals around Miami, but again no real proof. It is still possible though for well kept, well fed older specimans to get larger than the max sizes I posted. These are what I call "rogue status" fishes. Just like with people, there will always be the few exceptions with superior genetics that have that rogue status potential.

Also, rogue status fishes aren't limited to wild specimans. I had what I'd call a Rogue Status Convict. He up and died one day. His death was out of the blue and the cause was unknown. He was young and still had a lot of life and growing left to do, but his fins (total length) was longer than a dollar bill. Just something to keep in mind when thinking about minimum tank sizes. I think Toby H said it best in his sig line (and I'm probably paraphrasing) that bare minimum tank size equals bare minimum happiness.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> Thanks for the kind words. I think most any female Parachromis would do fine in a 75g for a very long time, if not for life. All but the dovii won't get much bigger than 10" to 12". The female dovii may grow a bit larger, but it will take a while. On the other hand, all the males in the Parachromis family will all get well over 12". I'm not sure a 75g would be quite adequate for a single male and definately not for a pair.
> 
> If you want a bare minimum, I'd say 75g is ok for any single female but dovii. And I'd say a 90g is bare minimum for any single male but managuense and dovii. A 125g would be bare minimum for a pair, again except the dovii. I think a 180g is bare minimum for a single male dovii and probably 240g for a pair. And as always, bigger is always better. For instance, it's not that much of a step up in price from a 180g to a 240g in most cases.
> 
> ...


Wow thank you very much! So I will keep a pair in 125 and a single female in a 75 gal.



> The "la ciebas" should turn out very similar to the loisellis and freddys in size, but it is still unknown as they are relatively new to hobbyists. Now, please keep in mind, these are fishes I've had or seen. I have heard reports of larger specimans but without proof. For example, I have heard of wild caught dovii reaching well over 30", but not in any home aquariums. I have also heard tell of 19" wild caught jags in the canals around Miami, but again no real proof. It is still possible though for well kept, well fed older specimans to get larger than the max sizes I posted. These are what I call "rogue status" fishes. Just like with people, there will always be the few exceptions with superior genetics that have that rogue status potential.
> 
> Also, rogue status fishes aren't limited to wild specimans. I had what I'd call a Rogue Status Convict. He up and died one day. His death was out of the blue and the cause was unknown. He was young and still had a lot of life and growing left to do, but his fins (total length) was longer than a dollar bill. Just something to keep in mind when thinking about minimum tank sizes. I think Toby H said it best in his sig line (and I'm probably paraphrasing) that bare minimum tank size equals bare minimum happiness.


Yeah I remember reading some where that the Yellow heads are new and they aren't sure how big they can get and everything! Yeah I have heard of fish reaching beyond their "Max" size. Wow that's crazy about your Convict! I have had mysterious deaths before with some of my female Cutteri.



> bare minimum tank size equals bare minimum happiness.


Yeah I remember reading that and I am not trying to do the bare minimum it's just what I can afford! Thanks again!


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