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My wolf cichlid is a pansy, If i put some type of cheap fish about his size into the tank with him, would that make him less of a wuss? if he just kept beating fish up would it boost his confidence? HELP me i cant enjoy my fish because everytime i come into the room he hides in his plant.

How long have you had him? My green terror was like that and now when I walk in to my room and by my tank he starts to flare his gills at me, so in time he should come around. What size tank is he in?

what size tank is he in and more importantly how big is he/she? keep in mind that since dovii males can reach adult lengths of close to, if not exceeding 3 feet, they won't reach maturity until probably 12-14" if not larger. this is when their aggression and personality will come out. if he is smaller than that, say 6" and you put a 6" jag in with him, the dovii will be toast. Give him some time...I'd be willing to guess that he's still pretty young.

Jason

Right now he is four or five inches and is in a temporary home of 125 gallons. i have had him three weeks. and he is a WUSS. what should i do?

How high is the tank off the ground?

im 5-8 and the tank is about at my shoulders

The top of the tank, or the bottom of the tank?

I don't think the height of the tank is going to make any difference in this situation. The dovii is still a baby. A 4-5" dovii would be comparable to a 1-2" jaguar. At this size they are going to be skittish, shy and not very aggressive if at all.

Right now he is four or five inches and is in a temporary home of 125 gallons. i have had him three weeks. and he is a WUSS. what should i do?

Be paitent. First, he's barely had time to settle into the tank. Second, what else is in the tank? At that size if there are no other smaller fish swimming around then the dovii is probably hiding from possible larger predators. He needs to grow about another 8-10" at least before you can expect to see his true aggressiveness come out.

Jason

[span class="edited"][Edited by jason_r_s 2004-07-11 18:10][/span]

It is a bit odd that you seem mad keen for this show of agression.

Nick please be patient & keep the following in mind.

Three weeks isn't very long.

A clear tank isn't the natural habitat for most fish so it is natural to be skittish.

This fish is a juvennile.

All fish have different personalities.

Don't keep changing the decor in an attempt to give more hidey holes so he comes out with his dukes up. Leave the tank setup for a while so he gets confident. If stuff keeps changing all the time it may freak him out more.

Adding tank mates to make him more aggressive? I wouldn't recommend this (see above point)

By now you know that fish keeping requires patience with the setting up of tanks and parameter and research etc. You also have to be patient with the creatures you put in the tanks.

All the best with your little friend...

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Thank you all for all of your wonderful advice!! i guess all i can do is wait it out. i will do that. Jason you really seem to know your stuff and have responded to all of my posts. Just wanted you to know that it is really appreciated.

Nick

Thank you all for all of your wonderful advice!! i guess all i can do is wait it out. i will do that. Jason you really seem to know your stuff and have responded to all of my posts. Just wanted you to know that it is really appreciated.

You're very welcome. That's the reason I'm here...to share as much information as I possibly can and help out whoever I can. If you have any more questions or need help with anything, feel free to ask.

And yes, I have no doubt your patience will one day be rewarded. Like I said, your dovii is a mere baby. He'll be a 'teenager' so to speak at ~12-16" and this is when his personality will start coming out.

Jason

Not to revive this post or anything but i do have a suggestion.

Maybe adding some type of dither fish may make him come out more and see that it is safe. Silver Dollars may suffice while he is still young and will be too tall for him to swallow, and yes patience is the key

Good Luck

Dustin

Just to let everyone know, my dovii is doing much better. i put in ten goldfish with him, and he devoured them all. now he is swimming around the tank about fifty percent of teh time

Nick