new to jack dempseys

[pcircle85]

Well, some history, I'm new to the forum, and I've kept african cichlids for the past several years. Mbuna, to be precise. Well recently my heater.. screwed up.. to put it simply I came home from work to 12 floating mbuna! The temperature was 98 degrees F and the heater was glowing! So after a couple days of searching and researching, I've decided I want Jack Dempseys.

I saw them at PetsMart (I know large chain fish places aren't liked too much, but they're the only fish store within 100 miles of me) and just had to have them. And they're incredibly affordable! Those mbuna were from $7 each to $24 a piece! These JDs are $2.99 each. They all look healthy and no fins nipped at or torn. And don't get me wrong in thinking that I'm just going the cheap route, pictures of full grown JDs are just gorgeous! And I've always wanted a "wet pet".

Okay, so now I need some specifics. The tank is now a bare 55 gallon that will receive a healthy cleansing and 50 lbs of neutral river rock for a base. Filtration consists of 2 Penguin 350Bs and an Eheim 2217 canister. Also two ViaAqua 240 powerheads for circulation.

The questions!

Well, not necessarily questions, just some clarification..

PH.. 7.0?
GH.. ?? Soft, I'd assume?
Temp.. 75-80ish?

Decor? Driftwood or Boulders? I can do both..

And the proper scenario is a pair of JDs, correct? I plan to purchase 6 JDs, then weed it down to 1 male and 1 female.

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, and any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[IMPULSEBUYER]

dempseys are pretty hardy i recommend dark substrate/background to bring out their colors, they can be pretty aggresive fish, mine likes crickets and feed I them pellets, bloodworms, brine, u can feed them shrimp and feeders when they get bigger, as for the enviro, it depends on how u want your tank to look i think driftwood looks awesome with riverrock, gives it that nat-u-ral look, they do get bigger and stronger, so consider that when buying, never kept two in same tank so i cant speak on that anyone else...

 

[piranha45]

JDs convicts and oscars were introduced to the fish trade in like 1900, so yeah they're all cheap and common.

your method of obtaining multiple JDs and weeding them out until a pair forms is good.

PH GH and all other water parameters are completely irrelevant; do not be concerned about them, and more importantly DO NOT artificially alter them!

temp 77-83 range is good

JDs like (virtually require) caves/cave-like structures, so make your environment suited to support at least a couple of those.

I have considerable skepticism about your JD pair becoming "wet pets". Most fishkeepers including myself find them to be rather shy/secretive in the keeper's direct presence, and though they will acclimate to your presence over time, they'll never become anything like an Oscar.

Once a single solid pair has formed, you should avoid changing the tank's environment drastically, or the change will induce needless fighting (and possibly a fatality) amongst the two.

Enjoy your fish.,

 

[WckedMidas]

the tank you have will house them for a couple years . once the get around the 8 inch mark wich will be some time cuz there not realy fast growerrs. You should step up to a 75. your ph shouldnt be a problem it does matter to fish. but a stable ph is most important. Decore how ever you like the tank to looks. Ide recomend setting up multiple caves so they each can claim there own little piece of heaven. &5 to 80 be good for the temp. two or three small feedinga day be good for them

 

[pcircle85]

Thanks piranha45!

The PH and GH thing being irrelevant, are you positive about that? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just want to be sure. I've kept africans for way too long and their water has to be just right and you'll catch hell for it. But if you're saying I can just dump water in there straight from the tap, that's great! Declor the water though, of course.

I understand the wet pet thing, I'm used to cichlids being shy and fleeing as I walk into the room, but over time they soon realize that I'm where the food comes from and start rushing the top.

Thanks alot for the quick replies and suggestions!

 

[piranha45]

the africans requiring perfect water is ANOTHER popular myth....

the tangs and malawis come from hard alkaline rift lakes, but their good health and care does not require it; professional african breeders/sellers have kept the ph as low as 7.1

water parameters are nonessential for most cichlids and a great many (if not most) other fish as well. I frequent a great many fish forums and even degree-holding ichthyologists are in agreement with this.


The only water tests you might care to have around are Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia.



Important note I left out: Make sure you change at least 50% of your JDs' water once a week and thoroughly siphon the gravel as well.