Anyone with a Jack Dempsey-READ

[ajstank]

I would love to see pics of your tank set up, maybe help inspire mine, i fee la time for change...lets see em!!

 

[DragonFish71]

Here's our JDs when they were in our 55 (with plastic plants and then went to live plants) before getting them a 120g.

 

[DragonFish71]

Here's their 120g before and after the crayfish demolished the live plants.

 

[hdultra]

Very Very Nice Dragon !!!!

 

[mandy2936]

Dragon,
I looked at your first post and thought, "Wow, those JD are really nice. Ooh, pretty tank, too." Then, I scrolled down and saw your 120g. AH-MAZING! I love it! They look so great! Both the 2nd and 3rd pic really make me jealous. I wish I could aquascape like that!!! Gorgeouss

Oh, P.S. In the 3rd picture, what are the tall, grass-like plants in the back called?

 

[ajstank]

Very nice, dont the cichlids themselves destroy the live plants...im afrid to attempt putting plants in with mine because i have heard some horror stories about the plants getting eaten and derooted:/

 

[hdultra]

My mother has Jack's and they have never messed with the plants. I think the stories go for most other cichlid s.

 

[ajstank]

Does anyone have any idea how to get the cichild to eat with the light on...mine wont
he kinda freezes up when i have the light on, i want to make feeding videos but i cant do that if you cant see anything...

 

[DragonFish71]

Very Very Nice Dragon !!!!

Thanks

 

[DragonFish71]

Dragon,
I looked at your first post and thought, "Wow, those JD are really nice. Ooh, pretty tank, too." Then, I scrolled down and saw your 120g. AH-MAZING! I love it! They look so great! Both the 2nd and 3rd pic really make me jealous. I wish I could aquascape like that!!! Gorgeouss

Oh, P.S. In the 3rd picture, what are the tall, grass-like plants in the back called?

Thanks

My husband is my eyes and I plant/add decor unless it's in one of our deeper tanks. Our two 115g tanks are 31 inches deep and I have short arms.

The grass like plant is jungle val. Very easy to grow.

 

[DragonFish71]

Very nice, dont the cichlids themselves destroy the live plants...im afrid to attempt putting plants in with mine because i have heard some horror stories about the plants getting eaten and derooted:/

Thanks

Cichlids are hit and miss with plants. I've only had one cichlid who totally destroyed a tank. Africans are usually the worst about eating plants, but again, it's hit or miss. With these guys (my cichlids) the only thing that demolished the plants was our 2 crawfish, they acted like it was a salad bar. They decimated $100.00 in plants. I've been slowly replanting each time I find something I want to add. The crawfish are now in our pond (yes, it has a heater)

If you're going to go with live plants, try some of the hardier species like anubias, jungle val, crypts, any of the java ferns and java moss. Swords can be questionable depending on the tank size. Some of the smaller varieties might work like the red melon, bleheri, compacta, pygmy chain. The amazon and rose get huge.

 

[Conneralbrecht]

Does anyone have any idea how to get the cichild to eat with the light on...mine wont
he kinda freezes up when i have the light on, i want to make feeding videos but i cant do that if you cant see anything...

Just give him/her some time to get used to it. Maybe build it a cave thats nice and shady. Also slowly break him into it.. Slowly increase the amount of time you have the light on everyday

 

[hdultra]

Thanks

Cichlids are hit and miss with plants. I've only had one cichlid who totally destroyed a tank. Africans are usually the worst about eating plants, but again, it's hit or miss. With these guys (my cichlids) the only thing that demolished the plants was our 2 crawfish, they acted like it was a salad bar. They decimated $100.00 in plants. I've been slowly replanting each time I find something I want to add. The crawfish are now in our pond (yes, it has a heater)

If you're going to go with live plants, try some of the hardier species like anubias, jungle val, crypts, any of the java ferns and java moss. Swords can be questionable depending on the tank size. Some of the smaller varieties might work like the red melon, bleheri, compacta, pygmy chain. The amazon and rose get huge.

Thanks for the plant list. I think I'll try some, a little at a time.