Help please, identify this cichlid

[Tronthehoodfishy]

Hey everyone

My 2nd 55 finished cycling so I started moving fish over. I saw what was labeled as a peacock cichlid for $20 at petco and I bought him.

Unfortunately he ate 4 neon tetras in about 5 minutes so I removed the last neon overto my other 55 and left him in the new one.

What type of fish is he?

 

[Texas321]

Jack Dempsey

 

[joe jaskot]

A hungry Jack Dempsey who now says thank you very much. LOL!

 

[fishfanatic80]

He's going to continue to eat your small fish. Generally any type of cichlid is a bad tankmate for smaller community fish unless it's a peaceful dwarf like ram, keyholes, discus and angelfish. Luckily it wasn't a peacock cichlid because those grow very large. Dempseys do as well but not to the extent of a peacock cichlid. If I were you I'd return him

 

[Texas321]

Return him and get you a few golden rams. Not sure if they are aggressive but they are smaller and look awesome.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

I would return him just to get your money back, that Jack Dempsey isn't worth $20. Unless it's bigger than I can tell? How big is it?

 

[Tronthehoodfishy]

I would return him just to get your money back, that Jack Dempsey isn't worth $20. Unless it's bigger than I can tell? How big is it?

He is 4 inches. Can't comprehend returning a live creature and it would really mess with me and stress me out what is the smallest tank I can buy to leave him in? 40?

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

Oh so he is a bit larger then. A 40 really is a bit on the small side for a Jack Dempsey long term. What else have you got in the 55?

 

[wild bill]

Even a peacock or angel fish will eat your neon tetras. A 78 gallon would last him and he could have a similar sized tank mate. By that I mean a cichlid that grows to the same size as a dempsey around 10 inches. An electric blue jd would go nice but they are usually not tough enough. A couple of firemouths might work and add some color too.

 

[duanes]

As an adult a properly cared for male JD will reach 10", and I consider a 55 gal way to small.
Here's a 10" JD chasing adult (3"-4") live bearers in Mexico, near Cancun

There are 2 kinds of peacock cichlids, the rift lake Africans (Aulonacara's),
which might be OK n a 55, but will still eat neons

and those from the genus Cichla which get 3ft long and need at least 1000 gallons