Red Devil Cichlid Tank Mates

[jcbarbour@comcast.net]

What other fish could I keep with a 8-9 in Red Devil in a 55 gallon
other aggressive cichlids, schooling fish, bottom feeders?
thanks

 

[shroob]

I wouldn't add anything else, in that size tank a RD would most likely kill it or harass it and make its life a mysery.
If the RD is male you will be looking at a tank upgrade to 75 gallons soon enough, if the RD's female then you might be able to get away with a 55 with plenty of WC (though bigger is always better).

 

[Talleyrand]

I had a Red Devil in a 100 gallon with an albino Oscar, a Jack Dempsey, pleco, and two large Bala sharks.
Everything was fine for a year(?). Came home from work one day and I had one fish in the tank. The Red Devil. She had destroyed every other fish in the tank, it looked like someone had run them through a wood chipper. Even the pleco.
She is a beautiful fish, but insane.

I would only keep a Red Devil by itself. Very....hmmm....Personable(?) fish. The Devil seems to recognize you, swims to the front of the tank, and gives an acknowledgment like,"Hey, how you doin' that my other fish lack. It has people it likes and dislikes. Kinda like a little barking dog.
Oh and it has grown huge teeth. Seems to have two sets of chompers and the outer set are large and sharp. And now that She is at least a foot long She likes to attack you when you clean the tank. My wife has named her 'Molly". If Molly breaks the skin one more time, Molly is going to have an accident. I am assuming its a female because it doesn't have the forehead bump associated with males.

 

[chicklette]

Oh yes, I agree, the RD needs to be housed alone especially in a 55 gallon tank. They get really big. They are super aggressive, one of the most aggressive cichlids.

So definitely do not add any tank mates, they will get a beating and killed. I also agree, you will most likely need to upgrade is your RD is a male.