I wanna set up a jack tank... help?

[Jkoziatek]

hey, i'm kinda new to the whole cichlid thing... any one got any tips on what to do
right now i got:
30 gal tank
penguin 150 filter
air pump
heater

right now its running with some little goldfish in it... so the levels should be pretty good... but i need plants ( i been look at live plants)

any one got any tips on what plants to use, form what i understand they should be pretty hardy b.c. the jacks can be destructive.

and how many jacks can i put in, i'm looking at lil guys right now ( maybe 1 to 1.5")

also i heard a catfish for the bottom helps cause they pick up the scraps... what kinda cat would be compatible.

for shelter... i have a lil ornament... like pillars from greese... can i add a few peices of slate and make that a cave?... would it be alright for the jacks?

and just because i was thinking about having more then just jacks, are there any good tankmates for jacks?


i kno i have a lot of questions... i did my research toa degree just certain thigns people werent really clear about and its always good to learn a thing or two

 

[hle_81]

A 30g tank would be okay for a small jack dempsey alone for a while, but it will outgrow the tank in a few months. You need at least a 55g for a JD.

 

[Jkoziatek]

would i be able to have a few rams then?

 

[dragonfish]

Rams would be a better choice.

 

[PacKRaT]

Hey guys, I keep a breeding pair of Jacks in a 55 gal. One would probably do okay in a 30 gallon, but due to territory, It'll kill anything else in there. In my 55, I keep a school of 7 giant danios, sometimes the Jacks chase them, but they are too fast to catch. My buddy keeps one jack in a 30, he tried danios, but because the tank wasn't long enough for the danios to sprint, they became lunch.

 

[PacKRaT]

My Jacks and Jack babies. They're incredible parents.

 

[Jkoziatek]

is there any answers to my other questions?