Got a convict ciclid by himself in the tank.

Still very shy even though iv had him for months. doesnt swim around much at all, just hides under the heater.

He does however like to remove all the gravel from a small perimeter around where he stays, so hes completly bare of rocks.

any ideas why?

Remember that convict Cichlid behave in a very similar way to Oscars when they breed and lay eggs, they will also behave in a similar manner as Oscars, such as shoveling gravel, moving things around the tank and ripping plants out.

oh yeh thats true.

are convicts normally shy by themselveS? i know my friend has a bunch and they still look a bit shy.

cos there isnt any dither fish either.

I rescued a convict a few years ago and it was a right little bastard towards my clown loach so I had to find another home it. I honestly think that a fish's temperament can depend greatly on the environment you are keeping it in. It could also do depend on how he was treated before you got it. Not every fish is the same, thankfully, it would be very boring if they were

ahh yeah true. i heard these guys are pretty mean.

do u reckon the Red devils are the worst?

Yeah hes always been shy..

i think one reason why.. is because we actually caught him from a lake!

I have never kept red Devils but I do know they can be extremely aggressive. Remember that convicts don't get very big unlike some of the other large cichlids. A lot also depends on the individual fish. Just because one fish is aggressive, doesn't mean they are all.