# Dovii



## serra_keeper (Jun 12, 2007)

hey fellas! recently, i started to get interested in a dovii..or a wolf cichlid..
did some research and found out about a few things. 
id like to know, at what size will it start being aggressive??
thanks.


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## CichlidAddict (Jul 1, 2005)

Depends on what it's tankmates are.
That being said, mine got pretty mean around 10".


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## serra_keeper (Jun 12, 2007)

CichlidAddict said:


> Depends on what it's tankmates are.
> That being said, mine got pretty mean around 10".


if kept solo, will it be aggressive as a juvenile? like 3-4"?


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## CichlidAddict (Jul 1, 2005)

serra_keeper said:


> Depends on what it's tankmates are.
> That being said, mine got pretty mean around 10".


if kept solo, will it be aggressive as a juvenile? like 3-4"?
[/quote]
It would probably be pretty shy if kept solo that small.


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## serra_keeper (Jun 12, 2007)

CichlidAddict said:


> Depends on what it's tankmates are.
> That being said, mine got pretty mean around 10".


if kept solo, will it be aggressive as a juvenile? like 3-4"?
[/quote]
It would probably be pretty shy if kept solo that small.
[/quote]

i see..good to know! thanks man!


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

doviis will tend to differ depending on one thing. tank mates. if a dovii is alone it will usually have a hidden temper. usually a dovii alone will exhibit agression more or less when the fish is eating or playing. however, doviis even at a small size will become highly aggressive and can have the potential to be real monsters at a sub adult size. expect the dovii to become its true self at a much smaller size then most cichlids. after the juvenille state, the fish will mature quickly and become habitual in its behavior. alone, it may be a mellow fish or a highly aggressive one charging the glass time to time. 
like many cichlids, each of the dovii's will tend to be a little different fish to fish. but you will see a dramatic change at around3-4 inches.


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## spidartanks (Mar 9, 2006)

are these fish available in canada atall?

i'd be interested in one for my tank too - how would one fair in a 200gallon tank with a red tail catfish and a red devil?

(my red devil already kicked my jag's ass anda few other cichlids, i moved them to another tank so its a loner tank now)


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

wouldnt pair a dovii with a red devil..in a 200 gallon tank i would keep the dovii alone, peprhaps look into another dovii for a pair


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## spidartanks (Mar 9, 2006)

Ocellatus2000 said:


> wouldnt pair a dovii with a red devil..in a 200 gallon tank i would keep the dovii alone, peprhaps look into another dovii for a pair


really, they're that agressive huh?

well right now my redtail and red devil/midas are in a 90 gallon on their own. im getting a 200 gallon tank in the boxing week sale..
i really would love another fish to go in with my catfish and reddevil.....can anyone suggest any other options?

in my 90 the red devil did tolerate an oscar for a few weeks before turning agressive on him, maybe with a larger tank that problem might not have happened?

my 90 is 48 x18 the new tank will be 72 x 24


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

its not that a dovii is absolutely not able to be housed with another species. but in general, honestly, yes they are that aggressive. doviis, unlike most cichlids, will actually rip into other fish. most cichlids can be housed with harty enough fishes that can hold their own, or simply fish too big to be eaten. a dovii, a mature one, can absolutely ravage even much larger fish. i have seen first hand dovii's destroy an entire tank of like sized fish at a local pet store i worked at. i was uneducated about the species then and aparently so was everyone else. they call them wolf cichlids for a reason. these fish will actually bite chunks from prey. 
obviously not all doviis are hell spawn lol. but in general, as a rule, since they can have that potential you should have an out in case you want to attempt a multi species tank.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Ocellatus2000 said:


> its not that a dovii is absolutely not able to be housed with another species. but in general, honestly, yes they are that aggressive. doviis, unlike most cichlids, will actually rip into other fish. most cichlids can be housed with harty enough fishes that can hold their own, or simply fish too big to be eaten. a dovii, a mature one, can absolutely ravage even much larger fish. i have seen first hand dovii's destroy an entire tank of like sized fish at a local pet store i worked at. i was uneducated about the species then and aparently so was everyone else. they call them wolf cichlids for a reason. these fish will actually bite chunks from prey.
> obviously not all doviis are hell spawn lol. but in general, as a rule, since they can have that potential you should have an out in case you want to attempt a multi species tank.


Agreed!

They can be kept in multi-species tanks when small... and "small" for a dovii is up to 8 inches. Generally under 10 inches they are reclusive, but that doesn't mean they can't, or won't do damage to tankmates. 
I had an extremely shy 10 inch male that hid in his cave but dashed out to strike some hardy blows to a 14 inch oscar, an 11 inch pike cichlid, and an 8 inch green terror. Eventually he got out of hand and I got rid of him. 
The 17 inch male I own now is a destroyer. I wouldn't even consider trying to add a tankmate. Aggression aside, he just takes up too much damn room anyway.


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

^^17 inch dovii

wow! 
would love to see a pic SP


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Ocellatus2000 said:


> ^^17 inch dovii
> 
> wow!
> would love to see a pic SP


Check the freshwater photos! It's probably still there...or a page or two back.

Anyway, this is him.


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

awesome SP! adult doviis are among the most impressive fish, not cichlids, fish, in general. i love em


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