Kodiak wrote:

[snip]

Kodiak--Sorry--I wasn't trying to make you feel bad and didn't
realize you have only been reading this group for a couple of
weeks.

You've gotten some good advice from other posters. I learned a few
things from Cichlidiot's post for sure.

I am glad that you are actively seeking to learn more about how to
keep your cichlids happy and I should have given you credit for that.

Red Devils are remarkably resilient fish and will probably pull
through fine if they are looking better now and you keep up with
frequent water changes. Their toughness is about all I can credit
the salesperson with getting right. The rest was the _sales_
aspect of their job.

Jumpstarting your filter with the goldfish sponge was a good idea.
Don't worry about parasites unless you know for sure that your
goldfish are sick. In fact, don't worry about any diseases unless
you have good evidence that they are present. The best thing you
can do is keep good water conditions. This gives the fish their
best shot at fending off diseases the old-fashioned way. Here is
the best disease site I have found:

http://world.std.com/~enjolras/symtreat.htm

I don't know what your tapwater is like. Unless it is nasty
(water company adds chloramine for example) don't worry about
the changewater so much. If the water is decent, just add it
straight into the tank (use a python), squirt in some "tap water
conditioner", and try to get the temperature close using the
test-it-with-your-hand method. Red devils tolerate this sort of
treatment well because they evolved in an environment subject to
less-than-consistent water parameters unlike African Rift Lake
cichlids. You can skip the destressing stuff as they are *really*
stoked to have a 220 all to themselves.

As they grow, they will become less tolerant of each other even in
a big tank. This may take a year or so. When they start getting
horny, most likely all hell will break loose in your tank. I would
advise adding lots of hiding places now. Clay pots and bits of black,
ABS plumbing pipe (the stuff for plumbing drains, waste pipes,
& vents), or anything else they can get a moments peace in are
good stress-reducers.

Another stress reliever would be some other fish that you don't get
too attached to. A school (8-20) of giant danios or other resonably
large, fast, agile fish would give your devils something to direct
their attention to. They may disappear mysteriously over time though

Expect them to move gravel around. They will alter the tank to suit
themselves--so don't fall in love with any particular arrangement.

Over time, they will develop personality.

Here is a short video of feeding time. The other cichlids visible
are Neets (Neetroplus nematopus).

http://www.drizzle.com/~dantzler/movies/Hungry.AVI

No hard feelings, eh? Hope you tank turns out great.

Jeff Dantzler
dantzler at d r i z z l e . c o m
Seattle, WA