Red devil Acting Weird

Hi guys

I am writing here with some strange news. I have had my red devil (w no tankmates) for about 2 months now after cycling my tank. Recently she has been acting kinda weird. Over vacation a while back she kinda dug a pit so she could get to her cave, which was fine. However, recently she had been obsessed with the pit, and has dug it almost down the the glass. also, her eating habits have changed. she used to eat what =ever I put in the tank. now, she feeds okay in the morning, but not good in the evening, at around 6pm. today she barely touched her food, which was frozen shrimp and bloodwaroms, her favorite. Also, her genital has gotten larger over the past few days, and recently she has been more aggressive toward me, even flaring her gills, which is rare. Another thing, she recently just got out of a color change, where the tips of some of her fins and a little of her flanks turned black. This is gone now, but could it have anything to do with her strange behavior? Parameters in the tank are 0,0,0, temp 78.5 with weekly water changes. tank is 75 g. she is a young devil, maybe 3-4 inches in length. She has no fungal infections or outer problems. I am gonna try to feed her again in about 2 hrs, maybe she's just not hungry. I read that the pit digging is something they do for breeding... Maybe this and the reproductive part getting larger are signs that she is acting on breeding instincts, even tho there are no other fish in the tank? Is this why she wont eat at night? Her diet is good with high quality foods... Also I have seen no eggs or anything, but maybe she will lay some in the pit. what do I do if that happens?

 

Pls answer any input would be appreciated greatly!

 

Nvm, she back to normal now...

 

It's normal for the big Central American Cichlids to dig, even rearrange the decor.
The observed swelling might have been the start of a prolapsed anus.
Be careful not to overfeed.
It's not unusual for a Red Devil or Midas to become aggressive & territorial towards it's owner. Don't be surprised if she occasionally bites your hand. btw
Red Devils grow teeth & a bite from an adult can actually break the skin.

 

Glad she’s doing ok again, I don’t keep cichlids (except past angels) but from reading threads here they have a huge personality & aren’t afraid to use it

 

I dont think the swelling is prolapsed, anus, she seems 100 percent healthy. what is a prolapsed anus and how does a fish get it?

 

Hi guys

I am writing here with some strange news. I have had my red devil (w no tankmates) for about 2 months now after cycling my tank.
(...)
Parameters in the tank are 0,0,0, temp 78.5 with weekly water changes.

Is the tank cycled or not yet? No Nitrates whatsoever?

 

Yes i spent a whole month doing the cycle with fritz ammonia powder and api master test kit... Fllowed the guide well and tank can process around 2ppm of ammonia in 24 hours, maybe even faster now... Trust me the issue is not water quality. As said above she is all back to her normal behaviors...thinking mayber she was obsessed with the hole for a while becuase she is getting bigger and nneds more room to get to her cave. Nitrates are low because I keep up with my 30-40 percent water chnages well and gravel vac and dont overfeed. Thx for the response and your concern
Also the fish has been in the tank for almost exactly two months at this point so if the tank wasnt cycled ammonia and nitrite issues would have already popped up