new dempsey

[cuba408]

Im not attached to any of the tetras. I think i might be that they are to fast for him and he just gave up.

 

[freddyk]

He'll eat the tetra's eventually, just give him time.

 

[troutfly]

JD's are know to take over a tank once they increase their size. A matched pair in a 55 gal or larger would be fine for breeding, I bred them for 3 years and the couple never grew larger then 10 inches, although I have seen JD's as big as 14 inches in larger tanks (120's or bigger). I used rosy minnows as treats for mine, usually right before they spawned to increase their nutrition because breeding takes alot out of them, also I would put a few in there after the spawn because the female will need it. Try not to get minnows that are too big because you risk having the minnows trying to eat the eggs. (Highly unlikely because the parents never leave them alone, but is a minnow survives through the night, when the adults rest the eggs could be prayed on). I hope I have given you some ideas on what to do with them, my JD's were quite happy when I gave them the "treats" once a month unless it was breeding time.

 

[juanveldez]

I have been pondering over how best to reply for the past couple days that and I have been just feeling like crap due to working long hours and not sleeping well.

the information contained in this thread is all good advice. but I some how get the feeling that there are 2 things going on here.

1 cuba was just flipping through a commonly avalible fish encyclopida and saw that JDs are often listed in them as agressive, which to a point they are, not the most agressive out there and for the most part all large cichlids are agressive and are listed as such in most of these books. it is just a part of life that those people including myself take up when they get these fish.

2. he just wanted to see carnage, I highly doubt unless this fish is in a 5 gallon tank and even then that at the size given it is as agressive as it is made out to be. with EVERY fish I have EVER had at that size the last thing they cared about was killing other fish. they were more concerned with hiding and protecting themselves, it even took my cobra pike a LONG LONG time before he was as active as he is and he still runs and hides the minute that the lid to his tank is opened. now he is pushing 4 inches and would easily kill anything put in that tank.

I am going to close this thread because well I can.