75g JD, texan, Jag, ??? tank

[chuby]

So last time I posted here I was gonna get a 130g well...that didn't hapen so I am settling with a 75g.

To get to the point. I am planning on trying to aquire a JD pair to put in this new tank but I got some questions first.

1. If I were to buy several male and felame JDs from the store while still 3" or less how long would it take, in general, to get a pair?

2. How long does it take JDs to get to say 6" or so?

3. could I keep a breeding pair of JDs with a Texas, or a Jag, (not sure about the Jag b ut I do wan't a tex)?

 

[Toby_H]

1. If I were to buy several male and felame JDs from the store while still 3" or less how long would it take, in general, to get a pair?

Females tend to reach sexual maturity at 3" or slightly smaller... males tend to reach sexual maturity at 3" or slightly larger...

If you are able to sex the fish at the store there really isn't much need to buy multiples of each. I often see people suggesting that allowing fish to choose their own partner from a group makes for a stronger pair long term but I have ample experience that shows selecting the dominant male and the dominant female from a group makes for a nice pair with plenty of long term potential...

2. How long does it take JDs to get to say 6" or so?

If you buy them at 2.5"...

The male will likely reach 6" in 5 months, give or take a lil depending on the fish... At around 6~7" males slow down in growth considerably... 10~12" is the commonly listed "max" but 8~9 is the more common "adult size"

The female will probably reach 4.5~5" in the same amount of time and then very slowly grow further... especially if she is breeding... females tend to 'top out' around 7~8". Larger is possible but rare.

3. could I keep a breeding pair of JDs with a Texas, or a Jag, (not sure about the Jag but I do want a tex)?

While it's not 'impossible' this is a combination I wouldn't try to force...

The pair of Dempseys will not want to share the tank and therefore when the fish are smaller/younger they will likely attack/kill the tankmates...

If they all survive, there will likely be constant competition between the Jag or Tex and the Dempsey pair. The winner will depend on the individual fish, but there will most likely be a clear winner and a clear looser...

If you go with the Jag and the Tex with the Dempseys... the liklihood of dissaster will noly be stronger and come sooner...

 

[electropunk]

a pair of JD's is probably all that would fit in a 75g...

 

[chuby]

Thanks guys that helps. I figured that a breeding pair would need their own tank.
That leads me to my next question, which will probobly need to be posted in another topic.
What sort of large C/A S/A cichlids could I keep in a 75g? i WAN'T TO TRY BREEDING THE LARGER FISH SO KEEP THAT IN MIND.....DAMN CAP LOCK KEY!

 

[Toby_H]

I kept an adult breeding pair of Dempseys in a 75 gal with an adult breeding pair of Convicts...

It took logical decor placement to create appropriate caves / spawning sites on each end with a completel break in sight from one to the other...

There was also a BGK which spent most of it's time in the large piece of driftwood that was the break in the light of sight. The BGK ate most of the fry but I'm sure everyone got their share.

All the fish were full adults and I kept this set up for about 9 months. Nothing 'went wrong' with it, but in the evolution of things fish were moved around...

 

[dent20]

Texas cichlids are pretty aggressive generally speaking. You could have a JD and a Texas in a 75, in my opinion, but I don't know about a breeding pair. And there is no guarantee the Tex and JD will get along. Probably a better chance if you start them out together while young. I have a Tex and a JD that do fine, but they're in a 125 with a few other large cichlids.

 

[chuby]

I think I'll probably decide to keep either a pair ofJDs or a pair of Texans.
Are Texans sexable at 2"-3", could I breed a green Tex with a white Tex?

 

[VRWC]

well, there is the common name "texas cichlid" that is used to describe 2 fish. The 2 fish being: herichthys cyanoguttatus (the true texas) and herichthys carpintis (the green texas, blue texas etc). Ive never heard of a white texas.

For future knowledge, youll be better understood using their latin names and not common names.

Carpintis and Cyanoguttatus interbreed all the time, which is a constant PITA to those trying to keep the species separate and ID-able...especially if you intend on selling the fry at a local LFS.

With most Carpintis and Cyanoguttatus, a black splotch in the dorsal fin denotes a female, although with my current stock, Im dealing with that not appearing to hold true.

Anyways, if you travel to Wilmington, I have a cyano 3 some and a carpintis 'vontehillo' pair I am thinking about selling if youre interested. PM me if youd like more info.

 

[chuby]

Sorry, by "white" I meant herichthys cyanoguttatus, (I was too lazy too look up the real name).

I didn't know the green Tex and the True Tex were diferent sp.
Thanks for seting me straight!

 

[deano7104]

i've got a group of carpinti from rio salto la marina, which are believed to be a 'missing link' between the two 'texans'... the cyno's are generally riverine, and the carpinti are lacustrian... therefore finding a carpinti in a river is unusual. they are a little paler than regular carpinti, and the pre-orbital spangling is different.. cracking fish... sorry to go off topic!