Thinking about getting an Electric Blue Jack Dempsey, but it's going to be my first "Big" Fish, and i've heard alot of people saying how hard it is to keep them alive until they're fully grown, how much easier is a regular jack dempsey?
EBJD Questions
- Thread starter Jfitz
- Start date
Well, i've kept both. And i still have the EBJD and he's doing fine. In my experience they're not really that hard. However a few things i'd suggest:
-Keep it in a relatively small tank while it's still young. This will make it easier for you to observe it's actions and treat the tank for anything you may need to.
-Keep the tank at 82*-84* and well oxygenated.
-Use a UV sterilizer. In my experience, this is invaluable. Definately worth the $40 or so.
-Overfilter the tank, but don't have too much flow. This is much easier with a smaller tank. In my 10 gallon growout i had 1 AC mini, 1 90 gallon UV, 1 Hagen Stingray, 1 Red Sea Mini, and one sponge filter hooked up to an airpump.
-Use some plants. They keep the Nitrates lower between WC's and they make the fish more comfortable. Use some thing easy like Anubias or Java Fern.
-Use ditherfish to keep it active. I had 5 Harlequin Rasboras and 2 Bronze cories in with mine.
-Treat for intestinal parasites. While the tank is waiting for the EBJD use a preventative treatment of Aquarisol.
-Lots of small waterchanges. like 20% 2x a week. This is, once again, easier with a smaller tank.
-Feed a good diet. Mine has thrived on Frozen Bloodworms, Hikari Supercolor Pellets, and HBH Super Spirulina. Vegetable matter (the HBH) is important to prevent bloat.
Most of all, buy a healthy fish. Make sure that the LFS you buy it from has had it in their tanks for at least a month with no problems before you buy it.
I like the blues much more than the standards. They just look so much better. You can treat the standards just like any other small cichlid. They're easy, but not too much easier.
-Keep it in a relatively small tank while it's still young. This will make it easier for you to observe it's actions and treat the tank for anything you may need to.
-Keep the tank at 82*-84* and well oxygenated.
-Use a UV sterilizer. In my experience, this is invaluable. Definately worth the $40 or so.
-Overfilter the tank, but don't have too much flow. This is much easier with a smaller tank. In my 10 gallon growout i had 1 AC mini, 1 90 gallon UV, 1 Hagen Stingray, 1 Red Sea Mini, and one sponge filter hooked up to an airpump.
-Use some plants. They keep the Nitrates lower between WC's and they make the fish more comfortable. Use some thing easy like Anubias or Java Fern.
-Use ditherfish to keep it active. I had 5 Harlequin Rasboras and 2 Bronze cories in with mine.
-Treat for intestinal parasites. While the tank is waiting for the EBJD use a preventative treatment of Aquarisol.
-Lots of small waterchanges. like 20% 2x a week. This is, once again, easier with a smaller tank.
-Feed a good diet. Mine has thrived on Frozen Bloodworms, Hikari Supercolor Pellets, and HBH Super Spirulina. Vegetable matter (the HBH) is important to prevent bloat.
Most of all, buy a healthy fish. Make sure that the LFS you buy it from has had it in their tanks for at least a month with no problems before you buy it.
I like the blues much more than the standards. They just look so much better. You can treat the standards just like any other small cichlid. They're easy, but not too much easier.
sometimes u might get a ebjd that gets very very stressed...
so u need to becareful with the tankmate its being housed with... also keep in mind its a specifically breed fish... so there are some deformity, mine for example hasn't grown that much since i've gotten it.. about 3 months ago 2.5" its still 2.5" but fins are longer... color has changed somewhat.. from a light blue to dark black blue... and now back to a light blue again...
Could be due to stress or other things.. but just becareful of the fish.. and make sure to do good water changes...
so u need to becareful with the tankmate its being housed with... also keep in mind its a specifically breed fish... so there are some deformity, mine for example hasn't grown that much since i've gotten it.. about 3 months ago 2.5" its still 2.5" but fins are longer... color has changed somewhat.. from a light blue to dark black blue... and now back to a light blue again...
Could be due to stress or other things.. but just becareful of the fish.. and make sure to do good water changes...
Jfitz;3098220; said:
With a regular JD a 55 would be great. They don't really require a smaller tank to start out.
But with an EBJD i would get around a 20ish gallon for it until its around 4" and then go to a 55.
Ebjds have a tendency to have health issues. You need to keep the water VERY clean and vac the bottom regularly as they grow out. Most experienced growers favor uv filters for the water. From the standpoint of water conditions, a larger tank gives you a little more of a safety margin.