Are jack dempsey cichlids aggressive?

[Plecos4596]

I want to know your opinion and if you have any stories I would LOVE to here them!

 

[Plecos4596]

Well I rescued this little guy from the lfs he was getting the living crap beat out of him so decided to save him.








These photos show you how much he/she changed overnight second picture was the first day I got he/she first picture was the next morning he changed colors fast!

 

[Jmunroe]

Very aggressive.

 

[Plecos4596]

Finally somebody says something thank you!

 

[itsdagooch]

Quite aggressive, best in pairs in LARGE tanks with loyal waterchanges. Grow fast....need lots of room. Can in some cases be kept as juveniles with others, but will grow rapidly with exceptional tank size / parameters. Cool fish.

 

[Plecos4596]

Thanks at night gets so mad at his reflection starts swaying puffs his gill up and bites the glass.

 

[bshenanagins]

Thanks at night gets so mad at his reflection starts swaying puffs his gill up and bites the glass.

Lmao that sounds about rigjt

 

[Mogurako]

Compaired to some of the other large Central American cichlids Rocio octofasciatum are pushovers. A single pair can be maintained in a minimum of 55-75 gallons with some schooling fish to help them feel more secure.

 

[Plecos4596]

Oh I've seen a ton of videos of jack dempseys messing up Red Devils.

 

[Plecos4596]

Why was he black when I got him then he changed to greenish brown?

 

[haleybeth30]

here's mine. He's currently in a 55 with a firemouth and jewel cichlid. I think the jewel will be going back to lfs soon, though. It's a serious fin nipper as you can see by my JD and FM's tails.. grrr. He gives chase but not too aggressive.. well, yet. I will be getting a 6 ft. tank soon for them and my lutino oscar.. hope it works out.. I've always thought jack dempseys were cool, even as a kid. I admired them when my mom shopped for new mbuna and stuff for her tanks. =) I just read that black substrate makes their colors pop, I'll be looking into that when I get a larger tank. I'm glad you rescued him, he looks much better!

 

[Plecos4596]

Beautiful JD haleybeth30 glad I rescued him to he was getting attacked constantly by a bigger dempsey and he was up in a corner torn up bad):

 

[Mogurako]

- Amphilophus labiatus
- Nandopsis haitiensis
- Parachromis dovii
- Paraneetroplus argenteus

To name a few all make octofasciatum look like a chump IMO. However don't completely write them off, while they're not the baddest they can have a little mean streak.

 

[haleybeth30]

Aww poor guy, he's happy now. I'm not sure about the colors.. I think it depends on mood, though. Let's hope they lighten up when they're happy lol Maybe they will darken up as they grow, I don't know

 

[cmbtengnr43]

Compaired to some of the other large Central American cichlids Rocio octofasciatum are pushovers. A single pair can be maintained in a minimum of 55-75 gallons with some schooling fish to help them feel more secure.

im glad you said it because i was about to lol my parrot fish chases my jack dempsey sometimes. its probablly on the bottom of the totem poll in my tank. they can range from mildly aggressive to pretty aggressive it depends on the fish. like you said yours is alreayd getting ticked at its reflection more then likley cuz it got picked on alot. it will prob be on the more aggressive side.

i attached a compy of mine she's about 9 months old i keep her on cichlid pellets with the occasional kiari frozen blood worms. you can see my parrot holding down his cave lol.

 

[cmbtengnr43]

hikari*

 

[Plecos4596]

Poor guys bad childhood memories make him mean):

 

[Plecos4596]

If put together at a early age can you have a jack dempsey with a red devil?

 

[5x5]

It's all relative to what other species you are comparing. While individual fish can vary temperament, as a whole, I would rate them medium/low aggression. While they are capable of harassing other fish and being generally aggressive, they are not likely to slaughter your tank overnight or be a real problem.

The fish that mogurako mentioned are some examples of high aggression fish and could enforce a 1 fish per tank policy.

 

[cmbtengnr43]

If put together at a early age can you have a jack dempsey with a red devil?

In a big enough tank Id say so bit no less then a 125 IMO a red devil is more aggressive then a jack what do you guys think ?