# Bulldozing Red Devil! Annoying!



## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

OK, my Red Devil makes me furious! Is there a way to stop my Red Devil from not moving the gravel around? An he HAS to dump it all in front of the tank. I don't bother designing my tank anymore, because he keeps ruining it. I was thinking maybe if I add rocks in the tank, then he may stop?

I read that its a nature of Red Devils to dig, but its really getting annoying.

Any suggestions?


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to large fish - there is nothing short of a bare bottom tank that will keep him from doing what he see's fit in that tank. As far as he's conerned it's his now.

Alterenatively you could use large river rocks from Home Depot that he can't bulldoze around - but tank maintenance goes up with that as you have to move them around to get under them for debris.


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

LOL Not laughing at you but at your RD. You have one of the coolest fish you could ever possibly own. Years ago I felt the same way when I bought my first RD. It made me soooooo mad I took him back to the fish store. After I took him back I realized just how cool he was. I mean he actually noticed me when I walked by the tank. He folllowed me and beg for my attention. My friends were in awe of his size (about 10") head hump and boldness. After a few days I had second thoughts and went back to the fish store to get him back......but he was gone. I couldn't find another one at the time. Now I have another big bad boy and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Just don't make the same mistake I did and get rid of him unless that's what you really, really want.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

You can tell how pissed he is when you move the gravel back to its original way. It's like it REALLY is his tank.

It freaks me out whenever he digs. I'll be working in the same room where his tank is, and suddenly you hear this very loud crackle of rocks falling in front of the glass. Do you think he can harm the glass if he keeps doing it?

I'm thinking its because he really has nothing to do in that tank. Its just a tank full of gravel and water. I'm thinking of finding him another way to kill time. Any suggestions? He loves to mess around with the table tennis ball, maybe i'll just leave it in there for him to play with.

If digging is his natural instinct or hobby, then there's obviously nothing I can do except remove the gravel from his tank. (but the tank looks so dull already, making it bare bottom would look so plain in my opinion.)


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## convictkid (Jul 28, 2004)

How big is the tank. Maybe get some dither fish, or a possible mate. They would still dig but at least it would be more interesting. I would like a wet pet in a 75 or 125 but the idea of buying something like that and putting the time and money in to it for one fish is just not justified for me. Please dont tell me you have him in something lesss then a 75.


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## MetalHead06351 (Oct 3, 2007)

He'll be likely to move everything you put in there. I have a texas red devil hybrid, and he has to have 3 almost square foot trenches at any given time. He also picks up rocks and move them that I would never think he could pick up, let alone swim with them in his mouth.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

75 gallon


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## JayJ (Aug 4, 2006)

Add some sort of ball that sinks for him to push around the bottom? Just a suggestion.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

what kind of ball?


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## JayJ (Aug 4, 2006)

I don't really know was just a suggestion. Golf ball? Could work.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

i'm going to try that, thanks for the suggestion


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

Pam Chin leaves golf balls in with her dovii to play with.

Alternatively you could get some silver dollars for the tank for him to chase around...


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

fishlids said:


> You can tell how pissed he is when you move the gravel back to its original way. It's like it REALLY is his tank.


It IS his tank. He's the one living in it, not you, so that makes it his territory. How would you like it if someone came into your house and rearranged everything to their liking instead of yours? You'd be pissed too 

Look at it this way. It makes him happy, shows his personality, and keeps him occupied. You can try dithers and toys (mine have rubber cows, pigs, fish, etc in their tanks to play with) but it won't stop him from arranging his territory as he likes it. It's natural.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

I see, thank you for the advice.

do you really think silver dollars can survive with a red devil? I've never kept silver dollars, are they fast? i would love to have another fish in that tank, but I am to scared to keep one.


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

Silver Dollars, Convicts or Giant Danios would work. Danios are kinda spastic so they give a lot of action to the tank. They will also give your RD a lot to think about.


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

I wouldn't use a convict...they can be stubborn and a RD would tear them to peices.

Silver dollars are very fast and wide - the red devil will chase em' around when he's bored.


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

I have 5 females Convicts in with my male Midas/RD and they do fine. He tries to chaise them but they are way too fast. They circle around and come up behind him before he knows it. If your RD is a male it is best to get female Cons to put in with him. He will view them as less of a threat than a male Convict.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

I have a female convict in another tank, i'll just drop her in and see what happens for a few minutes. If I add her in the tank, or add silver dollars, would you recommend putting some of the river rocks back in his tank?

Don't convicts love to fight back anyone who tries to mess with them? whether it's a Red Devil or another convict?

I don't want my convict to do anything stupid and end up getting eaten


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

That's what I'd worry about...

You'll want to feed the red devil while you add the other fish to distract it...adding more river rocks can help to break line of sight ect.

Silver dollars are so fast that your RD will never catch them, and they relegate themselves to the mid and top levels of a tank.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

Are silver dollars always moving? can 2 silver dollars work fine? quarter size? that's the only size they sell in my area.


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

I'd get at least 4 or 5...they're constnatly on the move.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

ok, but is quarter size fine?


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

A bio ball would work as well...but

Red Devils dig. That's who they are.


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

Quarter size is fine if they can get settled in before the red devil starts to harass them, the fish will be disoriented for the first 5 minutes or so and might get eatin' during that time.


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## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

I found that adding a cave isolates his digging area to that side only so its not as bad...


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

I think I'll add a flowerpot along with the river rocks. And before I add the fish, I will move around the gravel and disrupt his "home". Or maybe even take him out of the tank and let the silver dollars adjust for a few minutes. I don't think feeding him will be such a distraction as I add the silver dollars.


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## AU Chief (Jun 20, 2007)

fishlids said:


> I have a female convict in another tank, i'll just drop her in and see what happens for a few minutes. If I add her in the tank, or add silver dollars, would you recommend putting some of the river rocks back in his tank?
> 
> Don't convicts love to fight back anyone who tries to mess with them? whether it's a Red Devil or another convict?
> 
> I don't want my convict to do anything stupid and end up getting eaten


I actually think you'd be better off with several convicts rather than just one. In my experience a number of convicts (like a larger group of 5 or more) works better no matter the tank. Even if some start breeding they spend so much time messing with each other, and there are so many of them to spread out the agression, that it takes the burden off of everyone in the tank.

The problem with adding one lone convict is that it will be the lone object of the RD's agression, and that wouldn't be very good. Convicts are tough, but RD's are just as tough, and much bigger.


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

Are convicts slow swimmers?

I have a male firemouth about 2 inches who in my opinion is really fast. Perhaps I could try him.

See, if I put in a fish in the Red Devil tank, I want it to be a fish that is constantly moving. You never know when in the night the RD goes hunting on a sleepy fish on the bottom of the tank :zz: . I don't want to risk it. And the convicts can easily fit in the RD's mouth. So even if they supposedly die, I can't return the body and get my money back.


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## DirtyBlackSocks (Jan 24, 2008)

You should be able to find decent sized silver dollars at PetsMart or PETCO...


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## fishlids (May 5, 2007)

Yeah I'm going with silver dollars. If they don't work with my red devil, then I will just put them in the oscar tank, that are much nicer.


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