jack dempsey fish?

[Jacob Morgan]

Sorry if I misspelled the name.

This is something that has made me puzzled for a very very long time. My dad once aquired a 20 gallon tank with a Large oscar, a pair of jack dempsey fish, and a pleco..

Ofcourse he immediately moved the fish to a 55 gallon tank, where they lived quite peacefully since they all had "Grown up" together. Well one day one of the jack demsey's died. As did the very large pleco.. Ofcourse this over a great deal of time, and after a move of locations.

The thing is, ever since the jack dempsey's mate passed away, we've never seen it eat. Since then my dad has added a second oscar in the tank.. (I know I know.. ) Which to my surprise has done great, even tho he is much much smaller then the other oscar, but still a good size oscar.. Well When you feed these fish the two large oscars fight for the food, and believe it or not the smaller oscar usually wins.. but its quite obvious both oscar's get plenty of food. However the jack dempsey NEVER tries to get food, and since my dad feeds the fish round ball's there isn't' any food left over..

Are these fish just filter food time fish? or what? The fishes mate died over a year ago, if not longer. So it cant be the fish is actually starving because its quite obvious healthy..

I'd be appreciative if anyone could enlighten on how this fish has lived, without apparently eating?

Thanks guys,

Jacob

 

[krap101]

it might be eating out of nessisary causes. might try getting another tank and getting it another mate? but if it looks healthy thats good enough for me

 

[Devilishturtles]

You might want to consider getting another tank, and getting the JD a mate. Most fish become listless and lonely without a mate...especially when they have been used to one for a long time. You will see activity picking up, color brightening, eating more, etc.

Other than that..they way it is surviving..it is eating something(food, waste). With all the commotion your oscars are causing, something has to be getting down to him. All I can advise would be to feed the oscars on one half of the tank, the JD on the other. Eventually, I think the JD will figure out that you are trying to help it out I would say try some sinking tablets...shrimp pellets, algae wafers, etc. I'm not all that sure what they eat...but don't worry, it is eating something

HTH

 

[krap101]

i think the jacks jealous of the oscars 8P

 

[Menagerie]

JD are predatory fish. I highly doubt that fish is eating other fish's waste--no fish will do that (that's why you need to clean the tank )
Oscars are messy eaters and there is plenty left over for the JD. Try feeding the Oscars on one side of the tank and drop in food for the JD on the other. Also try to vary the foods--try adding frozen foods or try live foods.

 

[Jacob Morgan]

lol frozen foods.. If you drop a frozen food like thing.. I think he gives them bloodworms as a treat? I think they are blood worms..anyway the larger oscar will take the whole cube just to take it from the other oscar.. its funny tho.. cuz he can't keep it and he blurts it out and the lil worms go all over the place..

ahh its halarious to watch them try to beat each other to food, and to a point they are doing it just to be honary.. but yet they don't EVER Fight each other.. the small one brushes against the larger one alot and swims by him.. its like they are buddies just messin around when it comes to food time lol..

As far as moving him, or nething like that. Its my dads tank.. He does it HIS way.. and Its worked for him over the years....so I doubt the dempsy will get moved, which means If you add anything to the tank there is a very high chance the oscar will pick on it.. I believe the main reason the larger oscar doesnt' pick on the dempsy left in there is becasue they grew up together..

Hes looking to get another 55 gallon tank for the bottom, if he does.. i'll see if i can't erk him to moving the dempsy below and getting another one but I dont' know what his plan is for that tank.. soo who knows :d

I was just mainly curious if the Jack dempys fish are known for being filter food kind of fish, because the main diet of the tank is those round ball ones.. so its not like flakes :-/ .. but he looks healthy sooo I guess 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'

 

[Menagerie]

That's why I don't feed my African cichlids whole chunks of food at a time The food goes flying out of their gills PIGS!!!

 

[Jacob Morgan]

Agreed they are..

Also, about live foods, the reason we have never fed our oscar live food is we were told that by feeding them live food it made the more agressive? I mean oscars are fairly aggressive by nature, but by feeding live food makes them more? is that a myth?

The main diet of these oscars are the pellets, and every now and then he has a coupel frozen foods he gives them, one is lil cubes of blood worms, and the other.. I forgot its sold in froze sheets and you just break/cut off a piece of it.. maybe brill? Not positive..

 

[Menagerie]

I wasn't suggesting feeder fish, but there are other live foods--mostly invertebrates. Many members that do use fish as food breed their own. Feeder fish are generally kept in poor conditions and can bring disease into your tank. Sicne my brichardi are breeding (I asked them not to!) and some of their fry have bent spines, they are fed to the African cichlids (okay, I don't have the stomach for it, so my fiance does it ).
I think the feeding of live foods making the fish aggressive is a myth, but I am open to what other's have to say.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I highly doubt that fish is eating other fish's waste--no fish will do that (that's why you need to clean the tank )

Oops..

I think it is a myth as well, that feeding live foods will make your fish more aggressive...atleast, I've never seen any real time experience where this would prove correct...

 

[patryuji]

Probably just make the fish more active [feeding them live foods] as they now would have to chase after it (well, except for worms and snails).

 

[Jacob Morgan]

Well I guess when we were told that my dad had a 30 long tank, FULL Of guppies.. Its like they wouldn't quit breeding.. I Dunno if guppies would of been the wrong live food to feed em, but i remember people suggesting it to feed the oscar some of those guppies, then other advising not to..

(our tanks are on display at our business, so we hear ALOT of stories and such from people, which is where we heard about the aggressive part.. but from several people)

 

[poikilotherm]

I don't have enough experience to be authoritative on whether aggression is exacerbated by live fish, but I think it is unlikely, as I imagine that carnivores don't think of the feeders as fish, but as food instead. I suspect that there is little crossover between these behaviors.

A major argument against feeder fish is disease. When I had Oscars, I had no problems until I started feeding live fish, then afterwards they started getting hole-in-the-head and other problems (possibly water quality issues too, but the timing was remarkable!) Inverts would probably be less of a problem, especially if you breed them yourself!