Dithers for EBJD?

[Jc1119]

I use silver dollars with my jack dempsey in a 300 and it works well, but.........

silver dollars get pretty big and are super skittish, Mine are about 4" now and they get spooked really easily. If mine were in a 55 I'd be worried about them breaking the glass without a doubt. I'm actually considering pulling the 6 of them out and adding some bottom dwellers because of the commotion they create. They spook the other fish in the process. They are total pigs too, so food competition is pretty high with them

small ones could be beneficial, but as they grow larger you may have problems unless you keep them in a larger system.

Livebearers might be your best bet. I had my jack dempsey in with a large school of 2"tiger barbs and he eventually ate them all. I would think any kind of tetra would fare a lot worse.

 

[ozzyoscar]

Also my 2 cents: I absolutely agree, a 1" EBJD should be by itself to increase chance of survival at such a young age. Once they start feeding regularly, they are not shy at all.....they are curious little buggers...so no need for "dithers" here to make more active. I've grown many baby EBJDs from .5" to adults,..... I would consider getting it a cycled 10gal tank with real or fake plants.... all by itself..... if you must have a tank mate, add an apple snail to the equation. Keep the water crystal clear, give good quality/balanced diet (hikari blood worms, mini pellets, etc), and you should be good to go. Due to an EBJDs weak immune system as juveniles, some treat for internal/external parasites (jungle tabs) and/or add salt to the water column (1 tablespoon for every 10 gallons).. as a preventative..... I personally did this with all my EBJDs and never had one die on me. Also keep in mind, if you add the 1" EBJD in the 55, the water quality will not be as clean due to other tank mates.....

I do have a 32 grow out that the JD and Sev are in right now, after I put those two in the 55 do you think I could keep him in the 32 by himself or would I need to change some of the water first? I would only keep like 1 or two decorations in there so all the waste can get to the filter and so water changes are easier. Will that be okay?

 

[framcosco]

I do have a 32 grow out that the JD and Sev are in right now, after I put those two in the 55 do you think I could keep him in the 32 by himself or would I need to change some of the water first? I would only keep like 1 or two decorations in there so all the waste can get to the filter and so water changes are easier. Will that be okay?

He will be a very happy camper in the 32!! Make sure to setup the 32 BEFORE you get the ebjd. I would change 90% of the water or all of it...... just make sure you use prime to dechlorinate.... use cold water from the tap....make sure the temp is about 82 degrees when you get the ebjd..... add some AQUARIUM SALT 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. Make sure to keep at least one of your cycled filters in the tank...this is were the beneficial bacteria reside and this will keep the tank cycled (so no need to worry about losing the beneficial bacteria by replacing all water)...remember the bio load will now be much less so no worries about "mini-cycling"....Also, do add at least some plastic plants....this will help the fish adjust....it is normal for it to hide in the beginning.....it will come out and swim when it gets comfortable... as the weeks pass, you can slowly take some of the decor out if that is the look you are going for.....don't worry about the waste.... some of it you will be able to net out (everyday) as you are going bare bottom...just do 35% to 40% weekly water changes.....PLEASE remember to acclimate...don't just dump the fish from bag to the tank... this will "shock" the fish. good luck.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Next week I will be purchasing an EBJD from my LFS. It will be going into a 55gal tank with a divider, the only things on his side of the divider will be 4 cory cats for clean-up and on the other side is a Female JD and a severum. I was wondering if I could keep 3 black skirt tetras as dithers for the EBJD to make sure he isn't hiding and stressed out all the time. The EBJD will be about 1''.

tiger barbs, or rainbows would be good for a EBJD but it sounds like the space will be funtionally to small for any dither fish. half a 55 is tight, I'd do zebra danios in that space see what happens. what size is your EBJD going to be, 1"?

 

[ozzyoscar]

He will be a very happy camper in the 32!! Make sure to setup the 32 BEFORE you get the ebjd. I would change 90% of the water or all of it...... just make sure you use prime to dechlorinate.... use cold water from the tap....make sure the temp is about 82 degrees when you get the ebjd..... add some AQUARIUM SALT 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. Make sure to keep at least one of your cycled filters in the tank...this is were the beneficial bacteria reside and this will keep the tank cycled (so no need to worry about losing the beneficial bacteria by replacing all water)...remember the bio load will now be much less so no worries about "mini-cycling"....Also, do add at least some plastic plants....this will help the fish adjust....it is normal for it to hide in the beginning.....it will come out and swim when it gets comfortable... as the weeks pass, you can slowly take some of the decor out if that is the look you are going for.....don't worry about the waste.... some of it you will be able to net out (everyday) as you are going bare bottom...just do 35% to 40% weekly water changes.....PLEASE remember to acclimate...don't just dump the fish from bag to the tank... this will "shock" the fish. good luck.

the tank is already set up and has gravel substrate, so I will be taking out some of the decor (for the 55) and doing a 90% water change, also how much and how often do I need to add the salt, I have some Aquarium salt that I didn't know how to use so I didn't mess with it. also can I keep the Corys in there because I already have them in another tank, and I have a full bottle of Prime.

 

[framcosco]

the tank is already set up and has gravel substrate, so I will be taking out some of the decor (for the 55) and doing a 90% water change, also how much and how often do I need to add the salt, I have some Aquarium salt that I didn't know how to use so I didn't mess with it. also can I keep the Corys in there because I already have them in another tank, and I have a full bottle of Prime.

By set up I also meant water temp...if you use cold water at 90% volume water change, it will take some time before temp raises to 82 degrees. Only replace salt you take out. There is a school of thought that believes the benefits of using salt outweighs its downfalls..... while the other school of thought says why add salt when in their natural habitat, there is no salt (very simplified).... In your case I would add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt to every five gallons, so for 32gallons...approx 6 spoonfuls.... just as a preventative....then replace the salt you take out during your weekly water changes (ie 10 gall water change, 2 tablespoons of salt). Do this during your water changes for one month then stop using the salt. I personally use aquarium salt for new fish or treating certain diseases/infestations only. I do not use salt on a regular basis.

Personally, no corys ....

 

[ozzyoscar]

By set up I also meant water temp...if you use cold water at 90% volume water change, it will take some time before temp raises to 82 degrees. Only replace salt you take out. There is a school of thought that believes the benefits of using salt outweighs its downfalls..... while the other school of thought says why add salt when in their natural habitat, there is no salt (very simplified).... In your case I would add 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt to every five gallons, so for 32gallons...approx 6 spoonfuls.... just as a preventative....then replace the salt you take out during your weekly water changes (ie 10 gall water change, 2 tablespoons of salt). Do this during your water changes for one month then stop using the salt. I personally use aquarium salt for new fish or treating certain diseases/infestations only. I do not use salt on a regular basis.

Personally, no corys ....

thanks for all the help

 

[Dispatch273]

With my EBJD I have tiger barbs and giant danios, granted my EBJD is 4" and in a well established tank. I have my EBJD fry(.5-1") in a 10 gal with some smaller pink con fry. My EBJD have absolutely no issues with shyness nor have any that Ive come across. You probably dont even need dithers.