My Red Devil Cichlid

Question
I have just gotten a juvenile red devil cichlid, and he is about 3 inches in length. i have 2 tiger oscars that are slightly bigger than him. first, my red devil id chasing them and nipping at them every time that they go near him. also, i have two small caves that the red devil goes in and hides in. he has been picking up rocks from the inside with his mouth and puting them out side. i don't know what he is doing or if i should do anything about it. could you tell me what to do about my compatibility and the rocks? Thanks

Answer
Hi Colin,
This is very common behavior for a territorial cichlid like a Red Devil. Be careful that the red devil does not harm the oscars to the point of tearing their fins, which could lead to infection. Or drive them into cowering in the corner of the tank and not allowing them to come out to eat.

Depending upon the size of the tank and individual situation, your red devil may make life hard like that for your oscars soon. Especially when he puts some size on him.

They call them Red Devils for a reason! :-) But he is only doing what comes natural to him, and the picking up rocks behavior is also territory-related. He's staking his claim to that area of the tank and clearing out the cave to his liking. Cichlids will often re-arrange the entire tank to their preference. Oscars, Red Devils and other larger cichlids are known for uprooting and moving plants around, pushing any driftwood or rocks that can manage to move with their mouths. And scooping gravel to create better resting and spawning sites.
Its very entertaining to watch!

Keep in mind two Oscars themselves would need a 80-gallon or larger tank when full grown... And throw an aggressive Red Devil who could reach 12 inches and might bully the Oscars into complete misery and you've got a bad situation here.

A little nipping and chasing here and there is normal for cichlids. But if it gets worse then I would recommend either separating the red devil. Or returning the red devil to the store.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!
Hope this helps!
Susan~