View Full Version : Just to share some pics
This is my 3" Green Terror. His tail got bit off by my mean juvenile 2" male Convict. Over here...he just had his favorite Cichlid Stick.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/111-1197_IMG.JPG
This is my 2" Jack Dempsey. When he is happy...his color is darker. Over here...he is chewing away a Cichlid Stick in his mouth.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/112-1219_IMG.JPG
Oh...when I get my new fish from Jeff Rapps, 2 Blue Dempseys and 1 Carpintis, I will post the picture :D
Cypherman
07-22-2003, 2:00 PM
Nice pics. When my normal jaks are happy they look like swimming shadows, with a little red and blue on their fins and bodies. My female is pretty variable though. Cant wait to see your blues, congrats.
DarthV
07-22-2003, 3:03 PM
That GT must be only 3" nose to the end of the tail? Definitely doesn't seem as beefy as mine that is around 3.5-4" nose to start of tail.
dave76
07-22-2003, 3:17 PM
Mine is pretty beefy at 4.5". I really think that feeding earthworms has really helped him bulk up.
Yeah...possibly the LFS didn't feed the fish as often as this fish should be fed.
Right now...he has to have 2 big cichlid sticks a meal. I feed him twice a day. He wants to have more stick, but I don't want him to kill himself...not knowing when he is full.
I have to start feeding him beef heart, but have to wait...don't have time to shop :D
When I first got this GT...he was so scared and would not eat for days. Now he come to the front...and wags his tail like a little puppy. So funny to watch too.
dave76
07-22-2003, 4:31 PM
My gt is always begging for food. I feed three times a day, once before I leave for work everyday. once when I get home and once before I go to bed. I have found that as long as you dont give them too much food you dont have to worry about them over eating. Variety is also the spice of life for them as well. Vary thier diet and they will love you for it. My feeding regimen is as follows: Mornings they get flake w/ karotene additives for color and veggies, afternoon they get frozen foods I alternate between brine shrimp, blood worms, plankton, and beef heart. Evenings I alternate between shrimp pellets, sinking pellets, Ghost shrimp or earthworms. Ghost shrimp are a treat they only get say once a month(or whenever I get the chance to stop by the pet store) and I feed earthworms Three times a week. I give one whole worm to my GT and cut up another for my other fish. They LOVE the worms and it is fun to watch them tear at the food as they eat. The only problem I have with feeding earthworms is that sometimes they fight over the food. I also feed algae wafers with spirulina and they will nibble at these as well.
I give all kinds of food in that tank too. My other cichlids (Convicts, JD, another cross breed) don't have problem. They eat anything, but my GT is a bit picky. At first, I fed the tank only cichlid pellets, flakes, and another small color pellets. I just testing to see if any of them touch cichlid stick. Last time I did that...they spit them back out. This time...they love it. After that...my GT just will not touch any other pellets or flakes. He will carry that stick in his mouth like some kind of trophy. And the female convict will chase after him...trying to get a bite of the stick.
I don't think I can find any earthworm around here. I would love to try feed them those. I try to add as much variety of food as possible. I give them shrimp only once a month...make a paste spinach. They love it. My GT has not gotten that treat yet. He was added in that tank just 2 weeks ago. I'm still trying to fatten him up.
DarthV
07-22-2003, 5:01 PM
Just starve the GT for a meal or 2 and I bet you'll see a difference... mine was very picky at first...after the 1rst skipped meal, it started eating more...and then turned into a ravening beast once I added a convict into the tank. I bought a pound of cichlid pellets from kensfish.com and the con and GT seem to love it. My new dempsey seemed a little on the thin side when I bought him a week ago, but after feeding it a little too much (along with extra water changes to keep up), he's starting to bulk up nicely.
Oh oh oh ...I think I found a site where I can buy earthworm. :D
Now...this weekend...I just have to make some fish food recipe for them to try out.
Well, that Green Terror sure knows how to act cute. I've tried not to give him cichlid stick, but he will give me that tail wagging look *sigh*
And my female Convict...she has such big belly. Someone told me that she could be carrying eggs. Is it possible? I mean...she is only 2". Or could it because I overfed her?
dave76
07-22-2003, 6:00 PM
I buy mine at walmart for $2.57 for 24 worms.
Originally posted by dave76
I buy mine at walmart for $2.57 for 24 worms.
Really? Too bad that my neighborhood doesn't have Walmart. The nearest Walmart is located in Long Island, NY. Yuck! That means an hour drive there. I might need to research a bit more where I can find some earthworm.
Thanks for the tips.
peifc
07-24-2003, 11:12 AM
Yippy! I got my fishy, 2 Blue Dempseys, 1 Carpinte, and 1 Flag Cichlid (community tank). I will try to get the pictures up tomorrow.
peifc
07-24-2003, 11:29 PM
A small update. All my fishy are doing great. Healthy and alert after a little trip from NJ to NYC.
Anyway, my Blue Dempseys do stand up for themselves. My male BD showed some aggressive around the female Con. My female BD would fight back when being picked.
Both of them got amazing colors
My 1.5" Flag Cichlid wasn't afraid of my Blood Parrots (largest are 5") He would swim around them.
My 1" Carpinte is a bit skittish right now facing so many big fish. People must be wondering why I put these 2 small fish with such big Blood Parrots. Well, my BPs are very protective of small fish (they protected the 1" Oscar, 1" Gold Severum, and 2" Loach in the past). Maybe because the BPs can't have fly themselves and treated the babies like their own. :D
Will be posting the picture soon.
optix
07-24-2003, 11:39 PM
What did that all run you cost wise?
peifc
07-25-2003, 10:41 AM
Originally posted by optix
What did that all run you cost wise?
All fish with shipping and box cost about $78.
It is worth it. The fish is beautiful.
peifc
07-25-2003, 10:47 AM
Here are some pictures.
A little blur. Sorry. This is my male Dempsey.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/112-1220_IMG.JPG
Here is another picture of him. He has amazing color on him.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/112-1229_IMG.JPG
Here is a picture of my male and female.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/112-1224_IMG.JPG
And here is my little Carpinte, living in the log with my Blood Parrots. They all love that little guy.
http://www.peifc.com/Our_fish/112-1236_IMG.JPG
DarthV
07-25-2003, 11:16 AM
Amazing looking fish.
optix
07-25-2003, 11:54 AM
wow nice fish P.
Cypherman
07-25-2003, 2:14 PM
Congrats on your dempseys. Feed them well; mine have become much darker in the week or so I've had them. Are yours skittish? Mine still freak out and send the other fish in a panic if I move too fast around the tank :rolleyes:
Originally posted by Cypherman
. Mine still freak out and send the other fish in a panic if I move too fast around the tank :rolleyes:
That has got to be the most annoying characteristic of the dempsey, or any fish for that matter. Just that dempseys get decent size and when they freak out like that, they take down decorations and dang near break the tank lol. Very annoying.
Originally posted by Cypherman
Congrats on your dempseys. Feed them well; mine have become much darker in the week or so I've had them. Are yours skittish? Mine still freak out and send the other fish in a panic if I move too fast around the tank :rolleyes:
No, mine doesn't do that. I put them in yesterday in the tank, the female already had a little confrontation with my female Con. Then my female Con was thinking to pick on the male...his gill opened up. Then he charge the Con. My stand JD wasn't as nice. She was chasing the 2 blues around. I just gave him some time out in the other tank...housing with a male Con and a mix BP. She locked jaws with the Con and then ran. Now my Firemouth is trying to be the bad azz, chasing everyone around except for GT and other mix BP.
If not for my baby Carpinte in that Blood Parrot tank, I would have put these 2 beauties (Blue Dempsey) with the BPs. I just have to wait a bit longer before I swapped Carpinte and Blue Dempseys. Maybe by then, the Carpinte will kick the Cons and FM's butt for good :p That sure will be a show I don't wanna miss. It isn't that I don't love my Cons, JD, and FM, but they gotta realize some fish just can't pick on.
Cypherman
07-25-2003, 2:42 PM
My normal dempseys didnt do that at first; but now that I have the blues, they panic when the blues rush off to the back....Very irritating.
My blues can take care of themselves heh. Theyre slightly larger than my normals and I see plenty of displaying. No actual damage ever gets done though so I feel fairly certain they can grow up together peacefully.
My Blue Dempseys are smaller than my JD. I should measure my JD before I placed the order. Oh well, right now my JD has to endure the abuse from the male Con until my Blue Dempseys get a bit bigger.
dave76
07-25-2003, 4:28 PM
Wow I wish u the best of luck with your new fish. They look excellent!
Originally posted by dave76
Wow I wish u the best of luck with your new fish. They look excellent!
Thank you. My other fish are in great condition too. Fish from Jeff Rapps are great.
Look great! Gotta love the price. I pay $78 just for shipping.:rolleyes: