Very Aggressive Fish - The Growing Pains of keeping a Wolf Cichlid "Parachromis dovii" 

You let a fish outsmart you. In your own home. In a tank you bought for it.

That's a big fish in a little tank. He's probably bored to death and going nuts.

Get ur hand in there and smack the shit out of him show him who is boss

whats hilarious is that you keep doing this expecting a different reaction. . .you're basically "his" pet

I think he is trying to tell you that he does NOT LIKE THOSE FOOKING PELLETS anymore!

The fish didn’t even eat. It just wants to slap the shit out of the owner 😂

Bigger tank will help ALOT. I've been breeding Wolfs for about 16 years, that's very normal behaviour in that size tank.

Easy fix... open the lid, quickly put the food in, quickly shut the lid. You create a lot of the drama in this situation. Shaking the bag, prolonging the feeding, keeping the lid open so long.

Start feeding him snickers bars. He should calm down momentarily

He's basically acting like a person acts in jail.

Thats a nice Pitbull you have there.

Fish: no u need to calm down,

You're explaining the fish like he's your son

C O M M U N I C A T I O N ! He's learned that when he splashes you ...he gets FOOD. Clever fish.

1. Fish doesn't like you. 2. Tank is way too small for that fish 3. You are feeding the fish like you're a rookie.

I owned a lot of cichlids before, and his behaviour isn't aggression. It's anxiety, he didn't like hanging around the surface, so he quickly thrashes to resurface. It's what most fishes do especially the wild ones. I think he became anxious like that because he's got a mate now, and probably his fish instincts tell him not to get killed in the surface by a predator (although he doesn't think you are a predator) because if that happens, his mate will have a hard time raising the fry - since most cichlids raise fry together as parents. Usually aquarium fishes know you, from the side of the aquarium, not from the above - unless they're kept in a pond. Their brains just know that whenever you show up in the side of the aquarium, food is about to appear on the surface of the water. You in the side is a different world for them compared to seeing you from above.

He's probably not happy being in a tank these are very intelligent fish, he's probably bored beyond belief!

ha! that's why his tank is so clean, daily 3% water change. lol. he's doing you a favor 🤣

He did become wiser, as he's grown older he's realized more and more than he's being kept against his will, and its pissing him off.

Dude your feeding a fish that eats other fish with processed food pellets..hmm Wonder if that's why he's so pissed 🤔

THEY NEED A VERY BIG AQUARIUM AND MORE STONES ,GIVE HIM A PLACE TO SHELTER

In the wild the guy has as much room as he wants, and can swim for miles a day if he wants, and eat what and when he wants. Now he's in a box, and had to rely on someone else for food, and must be bored out his nut looking at the same shite day in day out, and has absolutely nothing to do!! Now you might say he is captive bred, but he had INSTINCTS and is designed to live in the wild! No wonder he's pissed 😉

10 years have passed..... i am still hooked to this video and it gives me as much pleasure as it did when i watched it for the first time .

No where near enough room for a fish that size. It's equivalent to a person in solitary confinement.. It's trying to tell you it's unhappy 😡

Of course he's angry, you've jailed him in a tiny fish prison.

They're crazy territorial and super aggressive. My buddy had a few in his store and every time I would walk by the tank they would attack the glass and splash water. I owned a Redline Snakehead (when they were legal) and at least he was afraid of humans.

Perhaps he needs a larger space, and he's frustrated

Its like putting a elephant in a phone booth! I would be pissed to!

Doviis are carnivore, feed him some worms or even chopped meat, not that dry food I would be pissed too lol

My dad has a female, its an absolute psycho kills all other fish, including its sister and a pleco! These things are strait out of hell!

he wants to help with water changes

His tank is too small, causing aggression to build up and for him to take it out by aggressive splashing ect

He's not aggressive. He's bored. There's nothing for him to do in that tank. Dovii are quite intelligent and require enrichment in order to be calm. He sees you and he gets excited and reacts just like a dog does when its owner returns home from work. A buddy of mine has a Dovii about that size. He too was agro in a 125 gallon tank. Killed everything in sight and attacked at feeding/cleaning time. Moved him into a 600 gallon outdoor pond with tons of cover and stuff to move around and bang, instant mellow Dovii. He even keeps other fish in the pond with him with no signs of aggression. He'll still strike at things on the surface but, he no longer goes crazy when you approach him.

or maybe thats how the fish hunts its prey in nature. Quick attacks to catch its prey off guard.

* "Again he's running....for the first time ever" * 🤔

It must suck to be that other fish, living your life every day in a pipe because a big bully is floating nearby

He obviously hates you.....Might be time to crank up the frying pan with some hot oil and get your own back.....

If I PayPal you $500 would you stick your head in that tank and spit out a mouth full of those pellets??? AND make a RU-vid video of it??? 🤣

Cannabis infused treats will calm his ass down.

Time for the frying pan.

"dovii used splash" "it's super effective!"

Everyone in the comments are acting like they've kept these fish for 8 years, researched them their whole lives and gives them live food every twenty minutes.

I used to have a big Red Devil Cichlid. If I gave him feeders (small goldfish) he'd eat a few and just kill the rest. He killed every fish I tried to put in with him, mean as hell. One day my buddy brought me a little bullhead catfish. I figured since Red and the Cat were about the same size and catfish are pretty tough... So after an hour of both fish doing nothing I left. When I got back it looked the landing at Omaha Beach, rocks flipped over, craters everywhere, red water with floating chunks of catfish and the Cat looked like a well stripped corn cob.I felt kinda bad but the Cat was still alive so I put a clear divider in the tank and left him alone. A couple weeks later that Cat was pretty healthy and Red was pissed, ramming the divider and all that. One morning I see the divider is knocked sideways, Red is hiding in a corner and that cat is cruzin around like a Boss. It seems that Cat figured out that #1 the best defense is a good offence and #2 He could get Reds whole mouth inside his own and Red couldn't do shit! I laughed my ass off. Just had to share this. btw good vid

I love just how the Social and intelligence of Fish of any kind display in knowing Human Beings.

Feed him live food, feed him till he's full and happy...he'll calm down.

Dovii just don't adjust well to captivity, even if they're born into it! At heart, they are wild animals.

I love big, aggressive, colorful fish as much as the next guy. But the amount of water that gets kicked up on the daily is outrageous.

A fish like that needs a massive tank. Of course the fish is going to go nuts, with less objects to amuse him, seeing the same things day in and day out, swimming in a confide space, his aggression and poor mental state will get worse over time. Especially with nothing to do. Put yourself in his position, would you go nuts too if your life was going to be like this?

At least your home is safe and well protected against intruders!

Give the kid sum real fish, them damn pellets ain't gon cut it😂😂😂

He's Beautiful.. I Had 1 I Rescued, He Lived About 2 Years With Me And He Was My Favorite Fish.. I Named Him Joker Because He Destroyed His Tank Everytime I Organized It.. And The Splashing Is The Funniest When People Come In The House And Have No Idea He's Gonna Do It.. I Really Miss Him But I Know He's Splashing Around In Fish Heaven..

He wants you to swim with him

I have a female dovii. She is in 100 gallon tank and she is aggressive as hell. When I walk by the tank she immediately hits the glass. Feeder fish don’t stand a chance! I have a black belly piranha but he doesn’t really do anything but swims in one spot

There’s alllloooooooooooooot of people telling you to get the fish a bigger tank and to feed it live food dude.

That could be easily fixed... by a frying pan, a cooker, some fries and a slice of lemon.

"I love the guy, but he needs to calm down" So funny!

fish is bored, not hungry. he needs something to interact with. Live food- earthworms, crayfish, maybe even small clams.

Do U still have this guy...can U possibly give us an update on whatever happened to him?!?🤔🐟🤔

I can't be bothered with the aggressive species any more. Strangely enough, I'm more content with a tank full of mindless cardinal tetras, or other community fish. Less intelligent, but certainly won't nip your fingers when it's tank cleaning time.

what about the one hiding in the tube, when does he eat?

I had one and you can teach them not to do that It takes patience and time but here’s what you do take a medium sized net and gently push him away every time he goes to breach the water and splash It will basically become a muscle memory not to surface during feeding time It worked for my overly aggressive male Oscar too

I have an Oscar about his size, about as mean too. He used to take chunks off skin off my hand when I'd clean the tank. I finally had enough and started jabbing him in the side with my finger every time he attacked. He calmed way down only after a few sharp jabs. Chiclids are smart and very trainable.

He grabs his pray quickly before it gets away.. LOL!

No judgement. I use to have tanks, had many fish over the years. My favorite guy was a an oscar. I went to keywest for holiday, went to a place with a giant tank, like swimming pool+ size, they had an oscar and he was across the swimming pool with a few flicks so fast. Made me feel bad for my guy, even though he was in a big tank.

Maybe he's tired of that dry ass food. Lmao Feed him something (organic) live.

It's like feeding a lion with whole grains. I think he likes to eat live fish that's why he's angry.

He wants a bigger tank, imagine being cooped up in that small tank when you could swim for miles after miles. Plus he’s gotta eat that food before another fish does...lol

2:43 Cichlid: I'm a Piranha! They're from the Amazon!

Looks like it's more focused on biting your hand than eating the food.

That fish wouldn't last with me! He'd be in the frying pan after one splash!

Call Cesar Milan

I love the aggression of the Dovii

why not just have a long tube about 5 feet away that runs into the tank and just drop the food pellets into the tank?

Great video!!! He really is an aggressive fish. Most people btw dont understand that these fish normally live on their own, hence they dont suffer from being alone in a tank... And that tank is really big enough for him.

that was really simple,DON'T LEAVE THE LID LAYED BACK AS YOU FEED THE FISH.

The fish is angry because it knows it should not be living inside a box in this guy's living room.

how did you clean that tank?

I’ve probably watched this video a dozen times and it’s probably the best dovii video and made me want one even more

Maybe thats not a good fish to keep in an aquarium, im no fish guy but they might really like having their freedom..

The actual name of the fish is *'Why would you enter into water if I exist'*

That wolf is off the chart. Awesome!

Give the Fish Live food

Love the "I want a divorce", too bad I was taking a hit from my ecig. Stuff burns going down wrong pipe....

Dovi are so great and smart. I miss mine so much. We used to play with a ping pong ball everyday. And Tuesday was his live feeder day and he'd splash water out of the tank with excitement.

If I had a big fish which was that nasty, I'd be looking on YT for recipes.

Install a tube to feed the food into the aquarium

Awww, he's gorgeous! This aggression issue is not mysterious,really. Why aren't you letting him hunt and kill feeder fish? That would give him such a fulfilling activity and work out some of his completely natural aggression. He's feeling very oppressed living in a tank with none of his natural behaviors supported. The food is probably the biggest thing,but as territorial as they are and as big as he's gotten you should definitely accommodate that growth with a upgrade soon. They like to guard certain spaces,yes, and don't require massive area but he's probably feeling hemmed in now. Other animals behave badly too when put in situations that don't support their natural behavior. Zoos I won't even broach the subject because most are comitting such an epic oppression/imprisonment crime against the very animals they purport to love that I can't even begin to list the ways, BUT even take domesticated animals like a dog stuck in a yard never allowed to go out and sniff around or walk or interact with : the dog becomes alarmed and/or WAY too excited by people coming by the fence or the gate. If a dog is given nothing healthy to chew and gnaw and given nothing but a cup of kibble daily, he will destroy your shit. Shoes,chairs,anything that gives him a good chew-their bone chewing fulfills an natural behavioral instinct that goes back to their origins Let him kill stuff. Get a healthy and safe source of live food-it's not hard to find . Supplement him with the pellets for color and extra vitamins/minerals, but he wants NATURALLY to hunt and kill. Needs to. Also, he won't focus on you at the moments of feeding because they prey will immediately draw his attention into a natural chase that will really thrill him. Hope you don't take offense at my long winded message, because you obviously want to do something good for him and change this relationship you have with him to a more positive one which makes you a good person in my opinion. I think you can change this,but if he stays aggressive I hope you keep him and don't just pass him on. You raised him and he's gorgeous and I feel fish should be given the same respect as all pets:commit to caring for him for life. Good luck:)

Did no one notice the little fish scared to death to come out? Shouldn't they be in different tanks??

They are beautiful species...very strong...very intelligent my God these species are ,... AMAZING !!!!

haha he's cool, but that looks like a pain to deal with

Ever heard of fish filet? I had a rooster that kept attacking my husband any time his back was turned, and he had massive spurs. He knew better than to attack me, because when he came at me, i would lunge at him, and wallop him. But then one day he went after my 4yr old granddaughter, and spurred her. That was it! Chicken and Dumplings were yummy....enjoyed that rooster for the first time! LOL!

Well lets be honest he's probably wondering if there's more to life than being stuck in a tank.

....screw that. Wow, that is a seriously bad tempered fish. Beautiful, but cranky. Yeesh. Do believe I'll stick with my fat, lazy Oscars.

Still better than keeping a girlfriend.

feed him bigger live prey they are meat eatters i seen one guy calm his down by feeding his small to medium size koi and goldfish and other similar live prey iteams

In this comment section - People relentlessly anthropomorphize and humanizing a fish and thinking they actually understand its emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. In reality - Not one person in this comment section knows or understands or can actually relate to what is going through the fishes mind. You can humanize it all you want to feel you can relate to it more. The reality is it is a fish. It is not processing thoughts on the level you guys want to believe that it is. This species of fish is known to be very aggressive and jumpy. It doesn't matter if its captive or in its natural habitat. They are not somehow angry or realizing its captive so its acting out. That is just not the reality of things. This is generally how a a member of this species acts in its life. Some are more aggressive then others but it is purely instinctual behavior. They are simply not processing morality in any way similar or close to how you and I are. Its unfair to this RU-vidr and to pet owners anywhere to constantly push on them using this kind of reasoning as a justification to insult them or say they are doing wrong. Its simply not the case. This doesn't mean that an animal isn't intelligent. They are in their own ways. But that fish isn't any more aware that it is being held captive by a captor then you are aware of the fourth dimension in day to day life. It acts as it does because that is how the species has evolved and adapted its strategies over very long periods of time in evolution. If it had a higher level of sentience and had the ability to feel actual distress over an advanced situational concept of being held captive as a pet then this would be a far different world. No one would be allowed to have pets by this time obviously. It would be as bad as slavery of other humans because it would mean inflicting such a pain and trauma on them that they would be cognizant and starkly aware of constantly.

Looks like you need help from the Fish Whisperer, That fish is totally out of control.

He could feed him through a feeding hole. I doubt he can splash much water through a small hole.

He's splashing because he needs more space.fish size to gallon ratio way off especially with those logs taking up room

I have a 6" bumble bee cichlid that likes to splash around to get attention so that you will feed him. Seems to also be a method he uses to clear the area of competing fish at feeding time as they all pack in trying to get the best spot for feeding despite my efforts to spread the food along the entire tank. I'm sure a bigger tank will help but you might also try getting a power head or even 2 for the tank to create a nice current. I often see the fish getting their exercise in swimming into the main stream of the power head, keeps them fit!