New Jack Dempsey

[Fintique]

Hi guys, I'm going to the store to score me a Jack Dempsey for my 55 gal. I have never owned one and I have done my research. I just want some opinions.

I have a 55 gal with sand, a heater and a nice canister filter. Unfortunately all my fishes died during my move.. im really bummed cause i had them for a good while.. so I'm left with an empty tank and I have to star all over.

What should I get for my baby JD setup? I know they say that 55 is it but no way to get anything else in there with him? Silver dollars? Etc?

 

[NigelK8485]

Definitely not silver dollars. If you're going for dither fish I'd look into giant danios or filament barbs. Possibly tiger barbs if you get enough that they leave the Dempsey alone. The problem with jack Dempsey is that they will get more aggressive with age, but with enough hiding spots for the other fish and enough open space for the Dempsey to swim you should be okay.


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[Ryanplaya]

I'm new to the hobby and probably not the best source of advice/insights, but, I recently (a week and a half ago) purchased an entire setup (60gal) from someone locally. I haven't actually measure the fish, but I'd say the Dempsey is between 6-7". The other fish that were included were a blood parrot (5"), catfish (5"), and firemouth (3")...those sizes are approximate. I can tell the Jack Dempsey and Blood Parrot get along well (in my tank). The JD, BP, and catfish pick on the firemouth. I always though the firemouth was just shy, always hiding before last night. Last night, I saw all 3 pick on the firemouth and the firemouth is much smaller than them. Stinks!

Based on their interactions, I'd say a blood parrot of similar size would mix well with the Dempsey. I've seen that a lot of people that have problems with the breeding of blood parrots because of the issues the fish has, so, do some research there to see if you're ok with it if you choose to go that route.

All fish are unique so my experiences won't necessarily be yours, but hope that helps.

 

[Freakgecko91]

As a baby/juvenile, you could add buenos aires tetras or giant danios. An adult really would be best in the 55 by himself


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[NigelK8485]

I'm new to the hobby and probably not the best source of advice/insights, but, I recently (a week and a half ago) purchased an entire setup (60gal) from someone locally. I haven't actually measure the fish, but I'd say the Dempsey is between 6-7". The other fish that were included were a blood parrot (5"), catfish (5"), and firemouth (3")...those sizes are approximate. I can tell the Jack Dempsey and Blood Parrot get along well (in my tank). The JD, BP, and catfish pick on the firemouth. I always though the firemouth was just shy, always hiding before last night. Last night, I saw all 3 pick on the firemouth and the firemouth is much smaller than them. Stinks!

Based on their interactions, I'd say a blood parrot of similar size would mix well with the Dempsey. I've seen that a lot of people that have problems with the breeding of blood parrots because of the issues the fish has, so, do some research there to see if you're ok with it if you choose to go that route.

All fish are unique so my experiences won't necessarily be yours, but hope that helps.

That's a very overstocked 60 gallon tank you have. I'd recommend looking into your stocking levels, aqadvisor is a good place to enter your tank and fish and it'll give you suggestions. Once those fish grow up there will be a lot of issues.


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