rutherford_3
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2017
- Messages
- 17
I have a jack Dempsey cichlid I'm getting a 55 gallon what other kind of cichlid can I put with him?
That's a stocked tank imo, just the jack.
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In my opinion a Jack Dempsey will grow out a 55gal by itself. If you already have a Jack in a 55gal I'd look at getting a bigger tank when it's grown.
'Can live' is the key phrase in that sentence.
I had a male Jack Dempsey in a 55gal for two years, once he was full grown he became really timid and skittish and spent al of his time hiding. Once I moved him to a 140gal he was very lively and happy, out in open water all the time. I'm pretty sure the fact that they barely have room to turn around in a 4ft x 1ft makes them feel as if they can't get away fast enough if they are frightened so in turn they just decide to hide all the time.
I use a 55gal to grow out my CA's to about 4-6" before they go into the more appropriate sized tanks now.
Maybe look at Convicts or something a bit smaller.
I disagree @TMRC Exotics.
I think any fish deserves at least double their body length on the smallest side of the aquarium.
I have kept cichlids for a very long time now and I find it hard to believe that you can see a 20cm + cichlid in a 55gal show their true nature.
It's not about whether it can turn around or not, it's about having enough space for them to swim around freely and exhibit their natural behaviours. I'm not humanising it at all, on the more dramatic end of the scale you see people keep Oscars in 30gals and they don't look as if theres anything particularly wrong with them but it still doesn't make it an appropriate environment for a large instinctual animal that naturally occurs in a large body of water.
My personal opinion is that any fish from 20cm upwards should really be in a 75g mininmum.
Arguing about this isn't going to help @rutherford_3 though.
There are 2 different opinions on keeping JD's, take what you want from it but in conclusion I think we can say it's agreed if your really want to put a JD in a 55gal there won't be any room for tank mates.
Thank you guys for all your replies it did help me a lot I don't think I will get the 55 gallon I think I'm going to get a 75 gallon tank. If I get a 75 gallon could I get a tank mate if not that's fine?
I agree with @TMRC Exotics, it's totally dependant on the temperament of the individual JD, and other cichlids.
I wouldn't go with anything larger than the 6" area or there will be a struggle for dominance. I would recommend the JD and 2 females of the other species, such as Convicts (I have found Convicts are probably the easiest combo with Jacks). The JD will more often than not take dominance in this situation. Having 2 'targets' I believe takes the heat of the subdominant cichlid and disperses aggression. This is just a recipe that I have found that has worked for me, others may have a different opinion.
If you get them while they are quite small and ad them to the aquarium at the same time they are more likely to be tolerant of each other when they are adults but thats not a given. The only issue is the smaller you go, the harder it is to tell gender in the case of JD's.
Thank you guys for all your replies it did help me a lot I don't think I will get the 55 gallon I think I'm going to get a 75 gallon tank. If I get a 75 gallon could I get a tank mate if not that's fine?
I have kept cichlids for a very long time now and I find it hard to believe that you can see a 20cm + cichlid in a 55gal show their true nature.
It's not about whether it can turn around or not, it's about having enough space for them to swim around freely and exhibit their natural behaviours. I'm not humanising it at all, on the more dramatic end of the scale you see people keep Oscars in 30gals and they don't look as if theres anything particularly wrong with them but it still doesn't make it an appropriate environment for a large instinctual animal that naturally occurs in a large body of water.
My personal opinion is that any fish from 20cm upwards should really be in a 75g mininmum.
Arguing about this isn't going to help @rutherford_3 though.
There are 2 different opinions on keeping JD's, take what you want from it but in conclusion I think we can say it's agreed if your really want to put a JD in a 55gal there won't be any room for tank mates.