African cichlids with my EBJD

[TheFishNerd]

After some research, I decided to add some African cichlids in with my brand new EBJD. I'm certain he is some hybrid and not a true EBJD but he is beautiful so I don't mind. He is currently being quarantined in my 10 gallon along with a Demasoni cichlid, firemouth, and another mixed Mumba but I am planning on returning him. My EBJD is very chill except when it comes to the firemouth and already starting to warm up to me. I am setting up their permanent aquarium right now and was told it was a 75 but recently measured it and it's only a 55 gallon. I need more ideas to stock the aquarium because three cichlids in a 55 is a recipe for disaster. I am planning on adding some small but more aggressive cichlids like the Demasoni, some electric yellow cichlids, and some bigger more passive peacocks but am worried the EBJD will turn more aggressive one day and be too aggressive for the peacocks and electric yellows. Being some form a hybrid (Looks like a regular jack Dempsey with bright blue spots) I am not sure what to expect but returning him and the Demasoni are not possible as I had to drive over an hour to get them. They are all about an inch long at the moment.

 

[tlindsey]

After some research, I decided to add some African cichlids in with my brand new EBJD. I'm certain he is some hybrid and not a true EBJD but he is beautiful so I don't mind. He is currently being quarantined in my 10 gallon along with a Demasoni cichlid, firemouth, and another mixed Mumba but I am planning on returning him. My EBJD is very chill except when it comes to the firemouth and already starting to warm up to me. I am setting up their permanent aquarium right now and was told it was a 75 but recently measured it and it's only a 55 gallon. I need more ideas to stock the aquarium because three cichlids in a 55 is a recipe for disaster. I am planning on adding some small but more aggressive cichlids like the Demasoni, some electric yellow cichlids, and some bigger more passive peacocks but am worried the EBJD will turn more aggressive one day and be too aggressive for the peacocks and electric yellows. Being some form a hybrid (Looks like a regular jack Dempsey with bright blue spots) I am not sure what to expect but returning him and the Demasoni are not possible as I had to drive over an hour to get them. They are all about an inch long at the moment.

Welcome aboard
Tbh wouldn't do. If the EBJD was harrassed by the more aggressive African Cichlids probably won't survive for long.

 

[TheFishNerd]

Welcome aboard
Tbh wouldn't do. If the EBJD was harrassed by the more aggressive African Cichlids probably won't survive for long.

Thanks! He's holding his own right now and pretty much owns my 10 gallon but at the same time ignores all the others except the firemouth. They are also quite small and them getting along now doesn't guarantee success. Would small African cichlids or less aggressive peacocks still pose a threat? I was hoping he would get big enough to hold his own if he stays passive.

 

[ryang85]

I have a 11" JD in my african tank and he does great. Make sure you give him a proper cave to hide in. It may take him a while to pick out the right cave so you need tomove your rocks around until he seems satisfied. The key to cichlids in smaller tanks is to have as many perfect caves as possible so everyone has a place to hide when stressed. The JD needs to get away from the cichlid madness otherwise it will be stressed since they are a pretty mellow fish compared to africans. I also have to hand feed mine every day since the cichlids are far to fast to the food. My JD has never taken pellets so I feed shrimp and bloodworms with the occasional live food. I just wave the shrimp in front of the glass to get him to the surface then he takes it out of my hand and returns to his hole. The Africans steer clear of him pretty well due to his large size but it may be different with your smaller electric blue.

A 55 will be too small long term for that fish. Mines in a 180gal but you should have at least a year for that fish depending on growth rate. I would skip the mbuna all together. Go with peacocks since they wont harass your JD nearly as much. I dont recomend mixing peacock and mbuna in tank that small because your mbuna will stress and tear your peacocks fins.

Also my ph is right at 7.8. And as long as its stable It shouldnt be an issue for both species.

 

[TheFishNerd]

A 55 will be too small long term for that fish. Mines in a 180gal but you should have at least a year for that fish depending on growth rate.

Also my ph is right at 7.8. And as long as its stable It shouldnt be an issue for both species.

My ph is right at 7.6 and all the fish have gotten brighter and more healthy since I got them so I'm happy where it's at. My tank is 48" X 13" X 21" if I remember correctly so I am worried about the size. I got the EBJD before I was given the aquarium which I was told was 55" long and guessed was 75 to 90 gallons. Long story short it was the only chance to get to the pet store that had EBJD's for several more months. Huge mistake on my part but I will keep an eye out for a larger aquarium in the future.

 

[ryang85]

My ph is right at 7.6 and all the fish have gotten brighter and more healthy since I got them so I'm happy where it's at. My tank is 48" X 13" X 21" if I remember correctly so I am worried about the size. I got the EBJD before I was given the aquarium which I was told was 55" long and guessed was 75 to 90 gallons. Long story short it was the only chance to get to the pet store that had EBJD's for several more months. Huge mistake on my part but I will keep an eye out for a larger aquarium in the future.

Depending on your location you can get 100 to 120 gal aquariums for a decent price. Keep an eye on facebook marketplace and craigslist and be ready to purchase as soon as a good deal comes up. Often time people need to move and get rid of excellent tanks quickly for cheep. Constantly checking once per day is key to getting those good deals. Also always ask for dimensions before hand. Many people will unknowingly call a tanks way larger than it is. Any tank over 120 gals and your starting to look at cost rise quickly because the height increases and so does the glass thickness. 160 or larger would be ideal but with over 100 gallons you should be able to hold a JD and a few peacocks and maby a larger hap or two.

 

[TheFishNerd]

Depending on your location you can get 100 to 120 gal aquariums for a decent price. Keep an eye on facebook marketplace and craigslist and be ready to purchase as soon as a good deal comes up. Often time people need to move and get rid of excellent tanks quickly for cheep. Constantly checking once per day is key to getting those good deals. Also always ask for dimensions before hand. Many people will unknowingly call a tanks way larger than it is. Any tank over 120 gals and your starting to look at cost rise quickly because the height increases and so does the glass thickness. 160 or larger would be ideal but with over 100 gallons you should be able to hold a JD and a few peacocks and maby a larger hap or two.

I will definitely keep looking for a bigger tank in the future. In the meantime, I've been looking at a lot of pictures of EBJD and mine looks like a regular JD but just more blue so I'm guessing he will probably get just as big as a regular JD. Could he possible just be a really blue JD? I tried to get pictures but he is afraid of the camera plus I have terrible photo quality.

 

[Carter020108]

Could you get a better shot from that picture it looks like it might not be an EBJD

 

[TheFishNerd]

I hope I didn't stress him too much but I was able to scoop him into a bowl to get a better picture. Still very blurry but I don't have a better camera. His blue is very light but some spots are more like an electric blue and others are more blue-green.

 

[Carter020108]

To me kind of looks like a Texas cichlid or a flowerhorn notice the pattern of the pearling and the red tail fin