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how can you tell the difference between a male red devil and a female red devil? i'm asking because i just bought a 60 gallon tank and i want to breed red devils. if you can i really need advise on how to raise red devils. thanks.

Originally posted by Mike2002:
how can you tell the difference between a male red devil and a female red devil? i'm asking because i just bought a 60 gallon tank and i want to breed red devils. if you can i really need advise on how to raise red devils. thanks.

Yeah, if anybody knows a way to tell, I'd sure love to hear it. I've got a Red Devil myself, that is *surprised* about 8 inches. I just measured him... thought he was only about 6.5 inches. Out of plain curiosity, I'd like to know if I should be calling my RD "him" or "her". ^_^

Ive been told it is similiar to sexing frontosa. Wait until they reach maturity and the male developes a bump on his head, although it is not as profound as the male frontosa.

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Candice

Yes, you usually tell by the hump on the head and the pointed dorsal fins etc....same usual things go, male bigger etc...

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Joe
www.cichlidfish.com

Ive just bred RDs myself
The male has a slight hump and a more pointed dorsal fin as mentioned and the female is considerably smaller. The easiest way is the hump which in the aquarium gets bigger the older they get. my male is about 6 to 7 inches and the feamle is about 4 inches, so they start well before they reach their potential length of 12 to 14 inches.

They are not community fish so you couldnt put any other fish in with them. Mine spawned their eggs on a rock and I have about 300 fry. Im going to use some for feeders and raise a managable amount and sell them(well thats the plan)
I have been feeding the fry Wardleys fry food in a tube and crushed flake.
I have left half with the parents and the other half in another tank. The parents are quite good with them and dont even attempt to eat any of them unlike other cichlids and are very protective over them

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TONY The Proud Aussie
Duboisi.com

Got an emergency? Email Me
oscar2001@cichlidfish.com


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"if well fed both sexes will have hump.

the most reliable way is to vent the fish. And with a fish 6" and above, it should be quite simple.

male vents are very thin, and if not very thin, will be pointed.
Female vales are thicker, and more blunt"

this info is from a friend of mine on another board. he has vast experience and knowledge of all new world cichlids. if you're unable to get specimens which you are sure are male/female, get about 6 juvenile red devils and wait for a pair to form. once formed, remove and return the others immediately to avoid unnecessary injuries or deaths. you should keep an eye on them also, the male might inflict some damage on the female if she is not ready to spawn when he is, as is common with many larger new world cichlids. 60 gallons doesn't leave her much room to run.

I have a adult female RD that keeps laying eggs but I don't have a male. Can anyone tell me where I could find one (a adult male red devil).

Yeah it took me 3 attempts to house the 2 together sucessfully. The male dont like company a great deal even his own kind.

Never heard the one about both males and females having the humps. Might look into that further.

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TONY The Proud Aussie
Duboisi.com

Got an emergency? Email Me
oscar2001@cichlidfish.com


My Cichlidfish.com Home page

oscar2001, i had never heard that either. but it came from someone that has become a good friend of mine in another forum and i don't think he'd say it unless he's seen it in person. still, i have no proof that it is accurate, but i still have a tendency to believe him. call me naive . i would like to see it for myself, though.

Sorry I wasnt saying he was wrong, just interested in other peoples opinions. Theres a lot to be learnt by all in this hobby.



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TONY The Proud Aussie
Duboisi.com

Got an emergency? Email Me
oscar2001@cichlidfish.com


My Cichlidfish.com Home page

oscar2001, i didn't take it as you were saying he was wrong. i merely wanted to clarify that i had no proof myself and was just quoting someone else. i'd be very interested to see, for instance, a mating pair which both had the cranial hump to see if it is true.

Haven't heard of the females having as
pronounced a hump as the males. The females
I have seen tend to have a sloped head. Am
currently seeking a female red devil, but
she would have to be fairly large. My male
is about 11". Any assistance?

Originally posted by Char:
Haven't heard of the females having as
pronounced a hump as the males. The females
I have seen tend to have a sloped head. Am
currently seeking a female red devil, but
she would have to be fairly large. My male
is about 11". Any assistance?

Your going to have a hard time with any sized female. Once they get to that size they get set in their ways and are hard to mate. Best to pair them when they are young. You may get away with mating using a divider between them with a gap at the bottom and a rock. This is common practice for other cichlids like oscars to protect prize breeding stock.



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TONY
Australian and proud of it!!
Duboisi.com



My Cichlidfish.com Home page

Thanks Tony for the tip about using a divider. Figured that is what I would have
to do if I can locate a suitable female.
Found one but she was only about 6-7 inches
and not healthy looking, so I passed her by.
About how much gap at the bottom of the
divider would you recommend?

I have not actually tried it myself, but try about an inche