View Full Version : 55 gallon stock advice
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 2:25 PM
what can i put with a jack dempsey in a 55 gallon that wont get killed like my oscar did?
tnoutlaw36
03-22-2008, 2:53 PM
how big is the jd now? from all ive read on here thats about all you can keep due to waste, aggresion, size ect. but just my 2 cents worth. i know that may not be the answer you want, or i could be wrong but i put 1 in my 55 and got a lot of neg feedback due to what i had with it. so i took it out and added 2 jewels so far no problem but only been couple days have a 10g if i need to move some around.
krytan
03-22-2008, 4:06 PM
A convict or salvini should be fine.
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 4:06 PM
well i have also heard that 55 gallon is minimum for a dempsey but wouldnt it get preety lonely in there by itself?if i knew that they where more like oscars and didnt really want company i would feel better but how do you know?oh by the way he is about 3 inches im guessing about6 or 7 months old. how about yours?
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 4:22 PM
A convict or salvini should be fine.
ok cool so just one of either of those will be fine right? lots of hiding spaces right? what about after the convict/salvini is at full 6'' and the dempsey reaches 10'' still shouldnt be a problem?
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 4:58 PM
what about a red devil? will the two get to0 big for a 55 gallon? would they get along ok?
how about a female jack for my male?
krytan
03-22-2008, 5:07 PM
what about a red devil? will the two get to0 big for a 55 gallon? would they get along ok?
how about a female jack for my male?
Red devil's need a much larger tank and are a lot more aggressive than JD's.
A pair of JD's would need a 75g tank.
Personaly i would only put in a convict (max size 4") or a salvini (max size 6").
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 5:23 PM
ok i think im going to go with one convict thanks alot krytan am i supposed to aim for a female due to territorial issues or does it matter?how easy are convicts to sex?size difference between a jd and convict wont cause a problem? thanks again
krytan
03-22-2008, 5:32 PM
Convicts are touth little fish that are more than capable of looking after them selves. If you put a female in it is possible they would breed and then you'll have some cool convict/JD hybrid fry.
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 5:41 PM
Convicts are touth little fish that are more than capable of looking after them selves. If you put a female in it is possible they would breed and then you'll have some cool convict/JD hybrid fry.
wow i had no idea that the two where capable of breeding that would be awsome so i think im going to try and get a female just incase.what kind of things if any are indicators of a female/male?
krytan
03-22-2008, 5:58 PM
There is a thread on one of these forums with pic's of a JD/convict hybrid somewhere and as for sexing the try and look for larger fish, the males have pointed dorsal fins and females have rounder dorsal fins.
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 6:05 PM
wow so i guess most cichlids the males are larger with pointed fins because thats one of the ways i was able to sex my jack dempsey.i am now very interested in this hybrid and if you come across this thread or anywhere else i can see some pictures of one i would greatly appreciate it if you sent me a link.
The convict would be a better choice, the salvini would probably kill the jack in a smaller tank like yours.
Lupin
03-22-2008, 10:28 PM
If your JD already killed the oscar, then you should not be getting another cichlid at all. The risk will be there regardless of the species. Convicts, Salvinis...I doubt either one of them with the JD are bound to last.
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 10:33 PM
hmmmm what do you think about a female dempsey for him?i just dont want him to be all by himself in a big tank wouldnt it get boring/lonely?
Lupin
03-22-2008, 10:41 PM
hmmmm what do you think about a female dempsey for him?i just dont want him to be all by himself in a big tank wouldnt it get boring/lonely?
Worth a try but there's still the risk. You'll need another tank just in case.
Marxman187
03-22-2008, 10:45 PM
ok well i guess i will just have to wait for a while then cuz i cant afford another tank yet but i might try the convict first and if it doesnt work out ill just put it in the new tank
bass28
03-22-2008, 10:55 PM
Convicts are touth little fish that are more than capable of looking after them selves. If you put a female in it is possible they would breed and then you'll have some cool convict/JD hybrid fry.
my old pair of comvicts aobut 2years ago would go up against a 9inch red devil and the male convict was about 4inches maybe 5. and the convict would win somhow. for the size they get they are def the toughest fish in that size range.
bass28
03-22-2008, 10:56 PM
The convict would be a better choice, the salvini would probably kill the jack in a smaller tank like yours.
salvini's are overrated!the one i had would get beat up by everyone and he was bigger then them.
salvini's are overrated!the one i had would get beat up by everyone and he was bigger then them.
No, your salvini was the exception. I have kept them and they need a huge tank to be kept with any other fish, they claim a fairly large territory, and don't just chase others out, they chase to kill.
Marxman187
03-23-2008, 3:41 PM
i agree although i have never kept them i have heard they are very mean. but the individual personality of the fish always comes into play
excuzzzeme
03-23-2008, 8:06 PM
Convicts can be the meanest kid on the block. If you add a female and they spawn - watch out for any other residents! A convict will also kill a female if she won't breed with him. During spawn they will attack any other fish in their territory. The only thing worse is a Pink Convict - the baddest of bad. A Pink at 4 inches will take on any fish 4X it's size.
To breed convicts you need 3 things 1) a tank of water, 2)male convict, 3) female convict. They are the rabbits of the fish world. The water parameters don't matter much. In 6 months I went from 6 to 135.
Marxman187
03-24-2008, 3:08 PM
wow that is insane but if i try to get a female and they dont mate it will still be ok in their with my male dempsey right?are female convicts less aggresive? as long as they both get along i will be happy even if they dont breed but i hope that they will