Jack Dempsey Food

C

chrisfromnl

AC Members
Feb 20, 2006
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St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Jack Dempsey Food (solved) & Sexing (Help!)

Hi,
I bought a little Jack Dempsey Cichlid on Friday night. The guy who worked in the pet department said that he would eat goldfish flake food no problem, he said it's all basically the same. The problem is, he's not eating it. I'll put some in, and he will take it in his mouth for a few seconds than spit it back out. So I tried crunching it up but he still does it. Any ideas on what I can do to get him to eat it? Or should I go buy some more food? Any suggestions on brand/type? He's only a little guy, around 1 1/2".
Thanks,
Chris
 
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you should buy the little guy some brine shrimp/Baby brine shrimp, cichlid pellets,
cichlid flakes, any brand, just dont listen to that guy again because he does not know anything. cichlids do not like goldfish food, it does not give them the nutrients he needs.
 
Alright, I'll try the cichlid flakes first, would the pellets be too big for him yet? I'll also see what the pet store in the mall has along the lines of shrimp since i'm going there later this evening anyways. The tank he is currently in is not that big, since I am in university, but when I go home in 2 months he'll be in a much larger tank if I can get one, or I might try building one. I was thinking around 90 gallons. I honestly did not know they needed such a big tank, and the guy at walmart diddn't give me any good information apparently. After I got home, and got researching it, I realized what a big house this guy needs.
This is my first tank as well, besides the occasional goldfish we have all kept as kids.
 
Yea you should try flakes first. the pellets should be broken up than you can give it to him. how big is the tank though?
 
dont listen to people in pet stores especially walmart and Petco, they think they know but they dont know anything and just tell you what you want to hear just so you can buy the fish.
 
Ok, I'll try the flakes tonight, and i'll price the other alternatives. The tank is only a little 10 one(Gift from girlfriend). It's way too small I know, but I diddn't know that when I bought him. Thats walmart for you. But as I said, bigger tank in 2 months or so hopefully.
 
the 10 gallon should be ok for a JD for 2 months if he is 1.5 inch or smaller. Did you cycle? and how big is he in inches??
 
He's under 1.5 inches, probably closer to 1.25. I let the tank run for around a day or so before buying him, so I guess it wasn't cycled. Again, first tank I've owned..but I havn't stopped reading websites since friday night, learning alot.
 
yea But there is not a strong chance that he will live than. But JD are very strong and he might make it ;) ... i know what its like i never cycled my first 20 gallon tank, and now im in the process of cycling my 55 gallon. it takes at least 3 weeks to cycle but its most likely that it takes 4 to 6 weeks to cycle the tank.
 
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