Ebjd Journey!

[AeonMapa]

Hey everyone, this is my first post on here, and I hope to get a lot of support from you my fellow fishkeepers, and hope to be able to help you out as well

 
I just purchased a baby EBJD about a week ago. He's only 1" in length. Now I know that its recommended to get this particular fish a bit bigger but he seems very strong and healthy as of now. Very active, feeds eagerly and isn't shy whatsoever despite his tiny size. He gets a 4 meals a day of pellets and earthworms sometimes soaked in spirulina and garlic. He's housed in a 30 gallon all to himself right now. Should I get him a tankmate for mental stimulation?
 
I'll keep you guys posted on his growth!
 
In the meantime, has anyone on here raised such a small juvenile to adulthood? I'd love to hear your tips!

 

[Ninjouzata]

 to TFF! Hope you enjoy it here.
 
I've read they're a bit weak when under 3", and really best to raise them alone. Not sure why this is as I havn't looked into it much unfortunately
Hopefully someone with firsthand experience on them will come along and help!
 
They're beautiful so I look forward to seeing his growth Are you going to start a journal?

 

[AeonMapa]

Thasnks for the welcome! Yes I do plan to post a photo journal. How do I post a photo over here on this forum?
 
I hear they are more sensitive to disease and parasites than a normal fish, about as sensitive as a juvenile discus. Although from what I have read the strains in the past few years are a good bit hardier than they used to be due to the process of breeding regular dempseys into the bloodline. I guess I should keep him by himself to reduce stress, its just watching him chase his reflection around makes me wonder if he'd be happier with another fish

 

[Ninjouzata]

I think if putting other fish in with them it's recommended to do other EBJDs. Could be wrong though. I wonder if a snail would amuse him?
 
You can post pics by going to 'More Reply Options' and uploading file at the bottom.
If that doesn't work for you then you can use a photo sharing website such as photo bucket and link here

 

[AeonMapa]

Here's the first look at the little guy!

hmmm I was thinking about putting in half my colony of RCS actually, they might provide some stimulation as he hunts down the smaller ones. I'm just a bit paranoid about parasites at this point, it is possible for a shrimp to carry something that could infect a cichlid right?

 

[Ninjouzata]

What a cutie!
 
That might be good stimulation. I'm not sure if they carry stuff that could infect it..I'd think so though.
Are they in another tank of yours? If you know they and your fish are healthy then I don't think it'd be a big issue to move them.

 

[AeonMapa]

The shrimp come from a shrimp/snail only tank. I guess what worries me is that I don't know if there could be something the inverts can resist that may prove lethal to a sensitive fish. I am going to try to put it some guppy fry into that tank. If they survive then i'm sure I can take some shrimp into my EBJD tank. They'd probably do a great job keeping it clean as well!
 
Anyways I will keep updating as he grows, if anyone here has some experience with this species and has some tips let me know too!

 

[AeonMapa]

A few new pics! The previous one was when I first got him, this is after a week. He's shown some growth and a little of his blue is going tan as is natural for the species. Heres a shot of him grabbing at an earthworm too

at one week with me

 

[AeonMapa]

As he nears one month with me, this guy has grown about .5 of an inch. I understand they grow quite slow so I'm happy with that growth Also has grown a lot more confident, and he will take worms right from my fingers. He can now take whole tetra bits and bookworms. Also I recently started him on Hikari biogold plus. He has shown improved vigor and coloration in the short week he's been on this food.
 
I feed him5-6 times a day and he gets a 50% daily water change on his 30 gallon tank

 

[Ninjouzata]

He is looking beautiful! And eating from your fingers is great.

 

[AeonMapa]

Here's another update on my electric blue! Had a little bout with ich or gill flukes causing excessive flashing and sulking and I got really worried for awhile, but salt treatments, metronidazole, and 90% daily water changes for a week really healed him up. I can really see big differences in his color and patterning these days, if you compare the first picture to the newest batch he has a lot less black on him. And looking back at the first pic I didn't realize how tiny he was when I first got him! Must have doubled in size by now. Thank you hikari and earthworms!
 
This cichlid is really different from any I've ever kept, his mouth is just huge in proportion to his body, and he has crazy biting power for his size. I like to hold earthworms about 1cm above the water, he'll leap up, grab them and bite them in half!

Here's another update on my electric blue! Had a little bout with ich or gill flukes causing excessive flashing and sulking and I got really worried for awhile, but salt treatments, metronidazole, and 90% daily water changes for a week really healed him up. I can really see big differences in his color and patterning these days, if you compare the first picture to the newest batch he has a lot less black on him. And looking back at the first pic I didn't realize how tiny he was when I first got him! Must have doubled in size by now. I remember I had to crumble up tetra bits just so he could eat them before. Thank you hikari and earthworms!
 
This cichlid is really different from any I've ever kept, his mouth is just huge in proportion to his body, and he has crazy biting power for his size. I like to hold earthworms about 1cm above the water, he'll leap up, grab them and bite them in half!

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'm glad you caught it early on and treated it! He looks so lovely and so much bigger from the first pic. Glad you made a journal, I'll be following that