chicken fish

[bluehighways]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for a short while, and this is my first post. My wife and I have several tanks, but this post is concerning our 90 gallon in the living room.

I recently moved out the school of community fish that lived there and put them into the tank I've set up for our newborn daughter's nursery. In their place I put in a 6 inch pleco (yes, I know how big they get and I'll deal with it when I have to)

The pleco needed a tankmate so I picked up a small Jack Dempsey - 5 inches long or so and still has juvenile coloring (kind of tan colored, with some blue and green, but the purple background has yet to set in).

Anyway, this fish is turning out to be the biggest chicken I have ever had in our tanks! All he does is hide. He's either in the big plastic skull, or in his big plastic hollow tree. This thing is acting like a big wimp. Please tell me this will change

I really want him to become like the pugilist that he is named for and not some hidey fish. I already have one of those. At least he leaves pleco alone. Pleco could care less that someone new is in the tank, he just eats and poops all night and day.

I'm wondering if Jack Dump-sweats needs a dither fish to chase around. I know that's playing god and all, but I kind of am their god, as I have control over their tanks, and therefore, their fate.

So anyway, could you folks give me some feedback on Jack and what I can expect from him in the future, and should he be alone or have a 'friend' to play with?

BTW: I keep the water in all our tanks pristine. Zero toxins, everything over-filtered and never crowded, a variety of healthy fresh foods, and plenty of cover. These fish have it so good and they don't even know it. All our fish are purchased from an independent LFS. He charges more than chain stores, and its always worth it. His fish are always healthy, strong, and disease free.

 

[bluehighways]

Oh, I forgot to mention this: Jack is such a wimp fish that today I tossed in a live red trout worm to see if he'd eat it. I know it may take a while to teach him new foods, but he saw that thing wriggling in the water and totally freaked out. Scared of a worm. Great. He's now hiding again in the skull, and I took the scary 1.5 inch long, 2mm diameter worm out of the tank.

What a chicken.

 

[Gruff Master]

You have a newly introduced 5" JD in a 90gal all by himself (minus the pleco), and these are exactlly the reasons why it is hiding. JD are not very outgoing as juveniles, some not as adults either. But at such a small size with so much space, it needs dithers to feel more confident about venturing out into its new tank. Try a school of Tetras or Barbs. They will stay out in the open. The Jd will see them swimming and feeding and will think that it is safe to come out of hiding. You can also add another medium-sized cichlid. You could try many things and your JD could still continue to hide. Some fish are like that. JDs are not hardly as tough as their names make them out to be.

 

[VRWC]

You have a newly introduced 5" JD in a 90gal all by himself (minus the pleco), and these are exactlly the reasons why it is hiding. JD are not very outgoing as juveniles, some not as adults either. But at such a small size with so much space, it needs dithers to feel more confident about venturing out into its new tank. Try a school of Tetras or Barbs. They will stay out in the open. The Jd will see them swimming and feeding and will think that it is safe to come out of hiding. You can also add another medium-sized cichlid. You could try many things and your JD could still continue to hide. Some fish are like that. JDs are not hardly as tough as their names make them out to be.

^ I agree...and personally, IME, Ive never had an outgoing JD.

If you want a greeter/interactive fish that will be good in the 90 alone, try a trimac, midas or red devil. That will solve all your hiding problems asap.

Good Luck and welcome to MFK!

 

[Gatorxxx420]

You have a newly introduced 5" JD in a 90gal all by himself (minus the pleco), and these are exactlly the reasons why it is hiding. JD are not very outgoing as juveniles, some not as adults either. But at such a small size with so much space, it needs dithers to feel more confident about venturing out into its new tank. Try a school of Tetras or Barbs. They will stay out in the open. The Jd will see them swimming and feeding and will think that it is safe to come out of hiding. You can also add another medium-sized cichlid. You could try many things and your JD could still continue to hide. Some fish are like that. JDs are not hardly as tough as their names make them out to be.

But some of them are no pushovers either. I've seen some glass banging Dempsey's. My BG male is a real tough SOB. But this is just in their nature, mines about 7"s and he still has moments where he wants to hide and he's got 7 tank mates. As mentioned, add a school of tiger barbs or some kind of tetra's and he it should come around. Try and get us a pic if you can. I love looking at pics of Dempsey's.

 

[bluehighways]

Thank you all. I will add at least one new tankmate for Jack the wimp after the thanksgiving holiday. Perhaps another cichlid or at the very least a few barbs to chase around. I've had those before, a school of green ones, and they were definitely active little fish.

They'd still be around except that when my wife and I had to leave town for two weeks I put my brother in charge of tank maintenance and when we got home, the water levels were down nearly 3 inches, there were a few dead fish floating in the big tank, and ammonia levels were through the roof. All the little barbs and some others were never the same after that, and shortly died.

I'll try to get a photo or two of JD. It is a male, BTW, so I should look forward to good colors when he grows up a bit.

 

[jerzyperson]

both my JD's don't get out often, but i can hand feed them when hand feeding my catfish and loiselli, but i would say get him a mate, if you know the difference try for a male female pair to reduce aggression, and you may get a breeding pair. but in my opinion, the for an outgoing fish, an oscar would fit your desires a little bit more.

 

[JDfishguy388]

i have 2 and it just depends on the fish. My female is almost always out and active while my male usually hides. its how they have been since i got them at 2inches no matter the tank size or other fish in it.