# Is my Red Devils behavior normal - video attached



## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

I have had my Red Devil for about four months and he has always displayed a lot of what I believe is flashing. As far as I can tell he is perfectly healthy, no ich or anything and it does not seem to depend on water changes as his flashing is constant. He especially does it in his barrel and under the rocks. Is this normal?





By the way, I don't suppose the is anything I could keep with him in a 90 gallon?
Thanks


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Looks fine to me, if you're refering to the gill flaring he's probably doing that to his reflection...

Nice looking fish.


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## cichlid_kid96 (Nov 22, 2010)

yep also looks normal to me. thats a sweet looking rd has he always looked like that. on the question about tankmates i would say in that tank u could probably put a texas with him or maybe some other similar sized fish id say nothing that doesnt grow to at least 10 to 12 inches but it all depends on the fish. some rd's just wont tolerate tankmates and some will. i would try it. how big is he.


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

Personally I would not attempt a tank mate... He'd make a nice show fish...


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## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

He is about 9 to 10 inches and has probably grown since I've gotten him 4 months ago, but he was in a 60 liter tank at the fish store. he is now in a 350 liter. I had to buy a new tank to fit the fish! Someone had brought him in, and the fish store did not want to resell him.

It is not so much the gill flaring I am concerned about, it is the rolling on his side at the bottom like he is trying to move the sand away from the bottom. He does this a lot and I read it can be a sign of ich, but I do not see any on him.

They had a large pleco in with him. Maybe I will try one of those if the store gets another big one in.

What do you mean by a show fish? The only fish in the tank or competion shows? I know, probably a stupid question.

Thanks for the compliments i also really like this guy, even if he is very aggressive and makes it hard to clean his tank.


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## cichlid_kid96 (Nov 22, 2010)

he might be a she and she might be trying to clear a spot to lay eggs. sometimes they will lay eggs without a mate. or it could just be clearing a spot to call its territory


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## FIN01 (Jan 19, 2010)

Behavior looks pretty normal. I would not put anything else with it. I wouldn't bother with a large pleco as it would just create a ton more waste.


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## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

I do worry about the bio load as this guy creates a lot. Do plecos add a lot of waste?


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## ebjdftw (Aug 24, 2010)

im not sure if i have seen any fish poop as much as a pleco


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

ebjdftw said:


> im not sure if i have seen any fish poop as much as a pleco


LOL This is so true....

I would not add anything.



cichlid kid said:


> he might be a she and she might be trying to clear a spot to lay eggs. sometimes they will lay eggs without a mate. or it could just be clearing a spot to call its territory


Males will move gravel just as much as females if not more. We'd need a good vent shot from the side to sex the fish.


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## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

OK I guess the verdict is to not add any more fish. I definately do not need any more poop, he is plenty to keep up with.

I will try to get a good vent shot tomorrow. The lights are off for the night in the tank.

So all the flashing/gravel moving is normal?


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I didn't see any flashing in the video. Does it look like he's trying to scrape something off?


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## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

Here is a video where you can see the behavior better. It is kind of long so if you go to the 47 second point in the video, you will see what I am talking about.


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

I still haven't seen anything to cause concern...


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## daz1 (Nov 21, 2010)

Thank you, good to know. He lays on his side and moves as if to clear the sand quite frequently


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## TheFishGuy (Apr 21, 2005)

If you're concerned get any product with malachite green in it and treat the tank for three days. Before you start treating jack the temp up to 85*

After treatment for three days do a 50% water change and over the next couple of days lower the heat back down to 78-80.

This should take care of any external parisites if there is any.


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