Questions from Newbie to Cichlids

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ruffian64

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Mar 31, 2003
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I have had one Jack Dempsey male for a couple years. WalMart doesnt give instructions with their fish:confused: so he only got flake food for the first couple years. He is still only 2 inches. Shouldnt he be bigger by now? Could I have stunted his growth by only giving him flake food? He is now getting a well ballanced diet of flake food, blood worms, baby guppies, Wardley cichlid pellets,(along with the one time "treat" of my frog, and angel fish). His color is now beautiful! My husband brought home a huge female in comparrison to our male(about 4 inches) who was georgeous and aggresive when she came home. The next day, I added more rocks to the tank after I found out they needed 4-5 inches. Then the female turned very pale. The male is still almost black, as well as the Jewel that my husband brought home, being a bright red.

Does anyone have any feeding tips for me? Is there anything I can add to poor Jacks diet to help him grow? How many times a day should we be feeding them? The directions on the food say twice a day, but the shop keeper says every other day. Will poor little Jack grow? Will my female color up again for me? what do I do with the baby dempsey's when they hatch? Do pet stores buy or trade them? How old would they have to be to give away or trade at the pet store?

SusanH (aka Ruffian)
 
How big of a tank is this? He's definantly stunted if he's only that big after that long. That could be a product of the food, though if it's a decent brand he shouldn't have been stunted THAT bad. I'd look to your water. How often were water changes done? The female's loss of color is most likely stress related. Again, check the water. It could also be contributed to the addition of the jewel or just moving to a new tank. I'd feed your JD once a day. Usually a full grown New World cichlid could easily get buy on 3 times a week, but you may be able to get some growth out of him, albeit very limited. I doubt he'll every reach is full size, probably maxing out at a few to 5 inches, and his lifespan will probably be shortened as well.
 
tank size

Jack is in a 29 gallon tank. It use to be community tank with grommies(spelling?). It didnt work out so he became the sole occupant. When we moved I put him in a betta vase for a couple months. He seemed to do ok in it. So I set up my tank for 2 angels and a frog. Then the water in the vase got too cold in the kitchen of our old farm house and we thought he had froze to death. Just before I was about to dump him down the toilet we noticed hom move, dumped him in the tank and he immediately came back to life! Now so fortunate for the frog and angels who became lunch. Needless to say for much of his life he has been pretty much alone in the 29 gallon tank. I have found him to be pretty much industructable. I will check the water when I go pick up the feeder guppies tomorrow. Ive made alot of mistakes(thank you oh wise sales person at WalMart) in the past, Id like to get it right now, seeing as how Jack has lasted as long as he has under such crappy conditions.

Susan(aka Ruffian)
 
It's gouramies. How often did you do water changes then? That could've been a starting factor. Definantly, by far, what did him in was the betta bowl. It's pretty unbelievable that he survived for that long. If the water in that wasn't changes daily/bi-daily you are going to have growth problems. I would guarantee that that is why your little guy will never grow. The near death experience probably shaved his life a little shorter too. 2 JD's and Jewel is really alot in a 29. I would really recommend getting rid of the jewel. You could try and get a pair out of the dempsey's, but she might beat up on him if he stays that small. And you'd need to do very frequent water changes when she got larger. So if there's a different spot for her, that's the way I go. A 29 for him would suit him just fine. Just keep on the good meal plan you have for him and do a 20% water change every week to two weeks. He should live a decent little life. Good luck!
 
water changes

I usually did about a %50 water change every couple weeks in the tank. He was in the tank for well over a year when we moved and I put him in the vase for about maybe 2-4 months. I changed the water in the vase about 2 times a week.

I would like to get a larger tank soon and turn this one back to a community tank, just not sure which fish Id like to explore next. Ill have to do my studying before jumping into it.

SusanH(aka Ruffian)
 
I seriously doubt you have a Jack Dempsey. A Jack Dempsey at only 2" after couple years is nearly impossible unless conditions were horrible, and it doesn't sound like they were that bad (aside from the betta vase stage).

Can you get a picture up?
 
Oh, and though they are often called Gouramies (plural of Gouramy ) in the aquarium trade, the original English spelling of the native south east Asian name, and the spelling that is still used as the scientific name for the Giant Goramy, is Goramy (plural is Goramies)

Was that a run on sentence or what?
 
i would say put them into a 55g or bigger and let them all grow out.
 
photo

Id love to put a photo up. Ill have my husband handle that tonight. Hes the photo wiz. Believe me thoug, if he only stayed a couple inches after 2 years, it wouldnt surprise me in the least, since it would be just my luck. Every time I buy a fish, or even a plant, my husband makes snide remarks about the poor thing being doomed from the get go.
 
Prove him wrong and raise something right from the start to a healthy adulthood. You tell us what you like and we can tell you what you need to get. Imagine his surprise if you get a brood! Anyways, yes please post the pics. The thought that it might not even be a dempsey didn't even occur to me.
 
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