Can they live together??

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attackfish21

attackfish21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 13, 2009
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Seattle, Wa
Hello, I already own a Tiger Oscar, he's just a baby at only 4", but I recently have been debating on adding an Electric Blue Jack Dempsey. Can the Oscar and Jack get along? I have other fish in the tank that the oscar does not bother, but I have heard that Jacks are super aggressive and that I should stay away from them. Is this true?

The other fish I have include: a small Black Ghost knife(4"), two african brown knifes(4"& 6"), african feather fin catfish (3"), a medium sized Pleco (9") and a Polypterus that I am babysitting for a friend(10").

If it is a bad idea to add a jack, please let me know. I do not want to harm my other fish in any way.

Thanks!!
 
usually blue jacks are not that aggressive. the one i had was. i wouldnt see a problem with it, just make sure the ebjd is close in size to the oscar (it would be better for the ebjd to be bigger than the oscar). but i kept my aggressive blue jd with an oscar and had no problems. but each fish has its own personality too. you might get an ebjd that is too timid and might not hold up against the oscar.
 
ok, then that means I would just keep a close eye on the two. I hope it would work out, I think the EBJD are beautiful!!
 
I have kept a regular oscar and regular JD at that size. They still coexist happily about 4 inches later.
 
ebjds are great fish. i dont think you will have any problems, especially since you have other fish in the tank. update with a pic when you get the ebjd. where do you plan to get the ebjd?
 
The problem here is ebjd's grow extremely slow where oscars grow very fast. A combo for disaster(a meal for the oscar) if you ask me. Unless you buy the ebjd at an adult size 5+" I wouldn't risk it. Goodluck
 
thanks for all the help. I am going on a fish "field trip" i guess you can say this sunday to visit a few exotic fish stores that i haven't been to in my state. I am hoping to find a good sized EBJD on the trip. if not, maybe I will find some other fun discovery!! But I will take the advice and try to find a larger jack if possible.

My oscar is pretty docile with my other fish so I am hoping he will act the same towards the jack. I will post pics when I get him!! I appreciate the responses!
 
that so funny because everything iv heard about jacks from people was the exact opposite that they were shy and timid and the ebjd even more so, just recently got a small ebjd one thing to make sure of is that if you do get a smaller one and grow it out in a smaller tank like im doing make sure it doesnt have parasites as mine did and this is also one of their main causes for growing slower (not only one but main) so just make sure to keep an eye out for anything that would point to it having parasites so you can be sure to treat it before adding it to your larger tank, oh and mine so far is great he is only 1.5in but is not timid or shy at all (not aggressive other than asserting his dominance to the festae fry i have in with him but nothing more than a little chase) he comes right to the front when i go to feed and anytime im messing with the tank he is right there checking it out:)
 
attackfish21

Hey good to see another person from Washington! And your a newbie, so welcome.

Are all those fish on your list still in the 40g? If so sooner or later that Oscar will want some room and start pushing around the others in a major way. A timid fish like the EBJD will probably suffer. Hard to say because each fish is different.

But you are on the right track starting the fish together while they are all small. There is a better chance of them all getting along later in a bigger tank.

I just got back into the hobby after 20 years and am relearning where all the good places are.

You might try:
Tropical Fish World and Pets - Sumner
Aquarium Paradise - Lakewood
Midway Tropical Fish-Kent

These all have a great selection of fish and are pretty knowledgeable.
 
oh no, I moved up to a larger tank. I am up to a 60 gal and will most likely be up to a 100+ gal within the next year. but I am well aware of the oscars potential to become a real butthead. lol. I have a lot of tanks that I can move him to incase of a disaster.

Thanks for the list of stores, I will have to check them out too, I have been to Midway a lot. I get my feeder mice from them, and I agree that they have a great selection of fish!!

They have a very large silver arowana there that is stunning. :)
 
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