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Ethan9696

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
9
I’ve got a mean jack Dempsey that can’t be put with other fish but is super shy and always hides when alone. Any ideas how to get him more active?
 
What does the tank look like? Sometimes having more hiding places will cause them to feel more comfortable and actually hide less.
 
What does the tank look like? Sometimes having more hiding places will cause them to feel more comfortable and actually hide less.



It has multiple artificial plants and a log he stayed under
 
If your tank is large enough it can be hardscaped in such a way as to allow other tough fish to be introduced. There are plenty of really neat fish readily available who can take what ever most Jacks can deal out.
 
If your tank is large enough it can be hardscaped in such a way as to allow other tough fish to be introduced. There are plenty of really neat fish readily available who can take what ever most Jacks can deal out.



What fish would you suggest? I have tried a few other cichlids and an Oscar and he had their fins eaten in a matter of hours
 
Hello Ethan
The variety of possible tankmates depends on tanksize, hardscape and the size of your JD.
I have successfully kept the listed cichlids long term with JD's.
Green Terror (Rivulatus) Red Terror ( Festae) Salvini, Firemouth, Convicts and probably a few others I've forgotten. I've also kept Buenos Aires Tetras with JD's.
A lone Cichlid, especially large Central Americans, will positively own the tank and will attack any fish introduced unless a big hardscape shakeup is made just prior to introducing new tankmates. Its best to stock all aggressive cichlids together as juveniles and allow them to grow up together. Of course thats not always possible.
There are several additional new fish indroduction stategies such as tank dividers, intoduce
multiple new tankmates at once.
This is your chance to overcome a common obsticle that virtually all aggressive cichlid keepers have to deal with.
 
Hello Ethan

The variety of possible tankmates depends on tanksize, hardscape and the size of your JD.

I have successfully kept the listed cichlids long term with JD's.

Green Terror (Rivulatus) Red Terror ( Festae) Salvini, Firemouth, Convicts and probably a few others I've forgotten. I've also kept Buenos Aires Tetras with JD's.

A lone Cichlid, especially large Central Americans, will positively own the tank and will attack any fish introduced unless a big hardscape shakeup is made just prior to introducing new tankmates. Its best to stock all aggressive cichlids together as juveniles and allow them to grow up together. Of course thats not always possible.

There are several additional new fish indroduction stategies such as tank dividers, intoduce

multiple new tankmates at once.

This is your chance to overcome a common obsticle that virtually all cichlid keepers have to deal with.



IMG_2171.jpg this is the set up
 
Your tank looks a little small for a long term home for a JD. They get pretty big and thick. The tank needs a lot more rocks, hollow logs, a Flower pot or anything that will make the JD feel secure.
Research some Cichlid oriented on line aquascaping sites. Once you get a suitable hardscape, you might try to stock a few Buenos Aires Tetras. I dont believe your tank is quite big enough for an additional cichlid.
 
I’ve got a 55 that he was in but he was killing the other cichlids. Also, I’ve got a couple logs and rocks that are being cleaned that are going to go in there
 
Your tank looks a little small for a long term home for a JD. They get pretty big and thick. The tank needs a lot more rocks, hollow logs, a Flower pot or anything that will make the JD feel secure.

Research some Cichlid oriented on line aquascaping sites. Once you get a suitable hardscape, you might try to stock a few Buenos Aires Tetras. I dont believe your tank is quite big enough for an additional cichlid.



He was in a 55 but was killing the other cichlids. Also, I’ve got a bunch of rocks and logs that are being cleaned that have been in there and will go back in there.
 
That sounds good. Hope you can get your JD back into the 55 Gal. soon.
This is a pic of my rock hardscape as it looked nearly two years ago. I think it was a little rock overkill, but numerous varieties of aggressive cichlids were able to coexist because of it.
 

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