Stressed jack dempsey

[VOZIE]

Hi all as always I have come on to my best site for advise.

I am a little new to chiclids and seem to be having a few issues with my fish. I have a fully grown Oscar with a small red devil. I was told that this would be a good pair as they were both hard fish and would be ok.

Wrong my red devil is a bully and caused my Oscar a lot of stress as he refused to defend himself. I called my LFS and they suggested adding another fish something that is equally aggressive. I added a jack Dempsey to the tank and now feel that he is on his last legs as the red devil continues to bully both fish. I added the JD 48 hours ago and he is sat in the corner looking scared. I really don't know what to do. This red devil despite being small is taking over the tank. I am worried about my JD. should I give him time to settle in or take action. What action should I take.

I have a 75l tank water conditions are spot on and I do over feed slightly to try and stop aggression. Any help would be great.

 

[Jakepen]

The tank is way too small to house any one of those fish. Nine times out of ten the lfs will tell you anything to sell you more stuff. You should rehome all of them.

 

[VOZIE]

Sorry I ment 75g not litres.

 

[mikem691]

At least 2 of the 3 need to be rehomed. The jack is the only one that fits in a 75.

 

[VOZIE]

I had a very happy Oscar in there who is fully grown and was doing really well. Then I added a small red devil and it went belly up. I got the JD to take pressure off the Oscar but simply has not worked.

 

[mikem691]

Yea the red devil will terrorize any thing Maybe rehome him and see how it goes.

 

[mikem691]

I've always wanted a red devil but I think they need their own tank or a 220 gallon with a pair. The Oscar and jack may work in the 75 but that's a lot of waste and you will need to watch the water quality real close.

 

[VOZIE]

I have 2 external power filters running and do PWC every 4 days. I agree they are dirty fish and after having a planted community tank I was shocked to see the Oscar mess the tank up in no time at all. I thought the Oscar would hold its own being big and having a massive mouth. If I put my hand in there he won't think twice about having a pop at me. We have been watching closely and the Oscar is defending the JD. Very odd behaviour. The red devil is in the process of being taken out as he is the issue. I hope it's not to late for my JD as he is very stressed due to the red devil.

 

[Jakepen]

If he is stressed and has some nipped fins, just do extra water changes. More than 25 percent. Keep the lights off, less stress the better. With clean water, maybe some stress zyme, he will bounce back.

 

[VOZIE]

Utterly pissed off. I had to get red devil out and get shot of him. Just done it. I hate getting rid of fish it's not fair on the fish. I blame LFS for bad information and myself for lack of home work. Very harsh lesson learnt. Utterly gutted and upset things like this put me off the hobby. Thanks for your help in this matter guys I do appreciate it but I am off to get emotional alone.

 

[mikem691]

Sorry you have to go through that but yea the devil would have killed the others in time.

 

[cbourg746]

Overstocking to cut down on aggression is the worst advise when it comes to sa/can cichlids. A red devil is far too aggressive for the other fish you have. The red devil needs to be in that tank alone. The Oscar needs a 125-150 gallon to live comfortably. Adding the jack was cruel and unfair. You would hide in a corner too if mike Tyson was trying to beat your face in. Rehome the jack and Oscar and let the red devil have its own tank.

 

[VOZIE]

Red devil has gone JD has coloured up and is swimming around now although not yet eating. Oscar is his normal greedy self again. Despite the oscars reputation he is no bully both have calmed down and are looking better.

I will probley get shot for this but I can't agree with housing an Oscar in a 150g tank. In an ideal world that would be great but I suspect that most people especially in the cramped uk can't home a tank that size and weight. My tank is four foot long and deep. It took 3 people to carry it in. It does wind me up when people say the tank is not big enough when in truth I think it is. The fish seem to do well and thrive. If I could afford or house a 150g tank I would. I promise you most can't.

 

[VOZIE]

Not directed at anyone.

 

[Freakgecko91]

I say the minimum for a single oscar, no other fish, nothing, is a 75. I'd still rehome the JD and just keep the oscar.

On a side not, a 75 is a relatively small tank when speaking of large south/central american cichlids. And a 75 should not require 4 people to move, my father and I were able to move mine easily, and that was just a few months after I had two back surgeries lol not trying to mean, just realistic

 

[Oscar98]

I've always wanted a red devil but I think they need their own tank or a 220 gallon with a pair. The Oscar and jack may work in the 75 but that's a lot of waste and you will need to watch the water quality real close.

Red devils do not need a 220g tank for a pair. A 6'x18" tank is sufficient for a red devil. Minimum size for the oscar is 75g the red devil min tank size is 75g and the jd min is 55g. Red devils Re extremmely aggressive and shod not be in a community set up unless it is a calm red devil or a big tank. They get around 12" full grown. Oscar around 15" depending on where you go it from. Wd caughts tend to grow a bit bigger.

 

[mikem691]

Red devils do not need a 220g tank for a pair. A 6'x18" tank is sufficient for a red devil. Minimum size for the oscar is 75g the red devil min tank size is 75g and the jd min is 55g. Red devils Re extremmely aggressive and shod not be in a community set up unless it is a calm red devil or a big tank. They get around 12" full grown. Oscar around 15" depending on where you go it from. Wd caughts tend to grow a bit bigger.

Guess I should have said a 6' x 2' would be ideal for a pair. The huge hump and body thickness on them just makes them look so huge.