Parachromis dovii, the guapote, rainbow bass, or wolf cichlid at Fish Story

thebiggerthebetter

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Our first ever dovii was kindly donated by Ron Garcia of Tampa Bay, FL, male, around 12", nicknamed Big Bad. Here is the arrival video on Dec 19, 2019:




But it couldn't stay in the 4500 gal. I was counting on its attitude to save it from the temensis but I was proved all wrong. Soon after I removed the nets out of the tank, which were placed in there to make the old residents uneasy and suppress their predatory moods and give time for the dovii to come to its senses, the 30" temensis pbass came to his old self and started hunting the dovii, managed to bite it a few times. It felt unreal, like in a dream or in a NatGeo documentary when cheetah is chasing down a gazelle in slow motion except everything was going on lightning quick... Just in the nick of time and praise the Lord, my wife was accidentally passing by the 4500 gal and saw the hunt and shrieked and I was able to pull the dovii out and into its own 240 gal off it went (with two adult 20" pleco for housekeeping).

It's done well there, all healed up (just scales and some bits of dorsal / adipose were missing). A moody fish. Sometimes it only wants his NLS pellets. Other times - thawed fish. Lately it's been only fish. One can read the disappointment in his face when I throw in the pellets and the way he spits them out is almost indicative of indignation. If he could, he wouldn't hesitate to spit them out in my face.

Ron says he couldn't keep any other fish with him in a 125 gal. In our 240 gal, he sometimes challenges the pleco, puffs up, postures, and charges and pushes with his mouth but pleco show no damage and aren't too afraid of these advances, so I think it's ok for now. He of course sees cichlids in the neighboring 240 gal tanks, oscars, green texas, especially midas, and postures with them and charges at them as long as the walls allow and obviously passionately desires to possess at least a few pieces of each of them for his collection.

Feb 29, 2020, 18:35 minutes:


 

BIG-G

Goliath Tigerfish
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thebiggerthebetter thebiggerthebetter Always enjoy your video. If I can attain 1/4 your knowledge and experience, I would be good.
That big piraiba and wells are absolutely beautiful!
 
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Andy woods cichlids uk

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Poor Dovii, no where to hide in that crouded tank.
Dovii are like convict cichlids, natural suvivers given the right environment and set up.
He needed to get his bearings not just put in like a feeder fish.
Those bass will chase any fish in distress. Its there natural behavior.
Sorry to sound negative but I'm a Dovii lover and keeper.
 

thebiggerthebetter

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thebiggerthebetter thebiggerthebetter Always enjoy your video. If I can attain 1/4 your knowledge and experience, I would be good.
That big piraiba and wells are absolutely beautiful!
You are way too generous, bro, but thanks!

Poor Dovii, no where to hide in that crouded tank.
Dovii are like convict cichlids, natural suvivers given the right environment and set up.
He needed to get his bearings not just put in like a feeder fish.
Those bass will chase any fish in distress. Its there natural behavior.
Sorry to sound negative but I'm a Dovii lover and keeper.
I am a newbie to cichlids. Teach me. Alright. The chase was happening after 3 days in the 4500 gal tank. It wasn't the stress that triggered the temensis but the size. Temensis are known to go through their tank mates to do an inventory and see who they can possibly swallow. I think it was as simple as that. Dovii was not in distress at that moment and had no mark on him but it was keeping mostly to the top water, which tells me it was afraid to go deeper.

But I admit that I don't know much. So I am 100% open to any and all constructive criticism and schooling.
 

thebiggerthebetter

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The Big Bad has grown an inch maybe, slow grower. Mostly has thickened up. It's also quite moody and picky and ... unexpectedly skittish in my tank.

At first all it wanted was pellets. About in 2 months it started to show interest in thawed fish. For the last couple of months it looks at pellets as if I am offering him lava rocks, only wants thawed fish, and only the glass minnows it is used to.

Doesn't eat much, doesn't gorge or pig out. Never has. Always in moderation and often choosy and moody, mouths the feed spits out, mouths again, etc. There is almost always something left for the plecos to pick up.

If I make an unusual move when feeding, even such as lightly shaking off glass minnows stuck to my fingers, it spooks. Strange.

100_9033.JPG
 

Ogertron3000

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You must have some crazy aggressive big fish if the dovii is the fish getting picked on and almost another fishes dinner.
Your posts always entertain and educate me. It seems you are constantly working very hard keeping all these monsters happy and healthy. I think you earn respect with your honesty about deaths and mistakes you make, if even you get things wrong sometimes then I don't feel so bad when I do too.
I'm happy you've got into cichlids now, they are more familiar to me and I can sort of relate to your tanks and troubles now, obviously on a much much smaller scale.
 

thebiggerthebetter

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thebiggerthebetter

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The Big Bad goes into 4500 gal finally. It is about 18" now. In the last third of the video, he is defending his space:

 
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