Jack and Jill, my Jack Dempsey growth and development thread.

[YankeeJack]

Interesting that they haven't spawned yet. I'm starting to wonder if you might have a Jill and Jill. The fish look great! Healthy and wonderful colors! (Great pics too!!).

Are they the only JD's in the tank? If you have a larger, male JD, I wonder how they'd react if you put him in there. I suspect a pair will form and the third will be chased all around.

 

[Jexnell]

I am guesstimateing on thier age, if the breeders had them 2 months, then 6 month mark would be about a week from now. Now we know the normal JD is a female, cant mistake them markings. The EBJD tho are harder to sex, I am going off the reports that males have longer dorsal and anal fins.

Here we can see that the EBJDs fins are longer and not rounded. I will give them a few more weeks before I change anything up. Also I dont have any other JDs just these 2 so I cant try that out. Last I was at The Wetspot in Portland, there was a little bigger male near 6in there, I may have to try him if these 2 dont work out. Neither of them have made it to 4in yet.

In watching YouTube vids on JDs, they are doing all the stuff breeding pairs do save the lip locking fight, and cleaning off a rock and spawning. The vast color changes Jill does when Jack is around and not is neet to watch. You can see her change right in front of you. This is her no Jack around colors, then as soon as he gets close she goes dark as in the prevoius picture.

I may have a hand in the delay in their first breeding. I recently added a syn catfish, and orange sean pleco, These 2 ran the JDs out of the driftwood hide, so now they set up a new one under the rock hid, they sure are some sand movers.

 

[Jexnell]

Update

Tested the water pre water change today.


Looks like a smidge of ammonia, was seeing how long the packs in the 110s would work. 2.5 months now and first slight sign of ammonia.

Jack sure does like to pose for the camera.

 

[Jexnell]

Managed to catch Jack & Jill doing some courtship dancing. It was late at night with the light on full moon mode after a 75%water change that day and a blood worms for dinner.

 

[Jexnell]

Caught Jack yawning.

 

[YankeeJack]

Great pics and vids. Ya, the videos really do look compelling, suggesting that you have a pair. Hope they spawn!

 

[Jexnell]

This video was shot on June 28th. They were about 2inches long or there abouts, I had then about a month at this point. These two started doing this within 15 minutes of meeting each other. The actions of these 2 is what lead me to belive the EBJD is male, and we can see that the normal JD has female markings.

 

[Jexnell]

Been a bit since I did an update. Good news I moved into a basement now and can get any size tanks I want. So now saving up to get a 125 for the pair. I did take some stuff out of their tank after the move to give them more room in the meantime.

I had to move the Synadonis cat to my Oscar tank. It and the orange seam pleco were fighting a lot. The new pack of Bloodfin tetras are doing great. Two jumped out, have eight left, and it looks like 4 males and 4 females.


The Orange seam pleco is getting bigger.


Jack has jumped out in the lead for size for sure now. Jill really hadn't grown much in length, where as it looks like Jack has about an inch on her now, he is just over 4in now, Jill is about 3 and a 1/4 inches now.

Look ma I found an Electric Blue eel




Current full tank shot.

 

[robham777]

Great looking ebjd, glad he is doing well.

 

[Jexnell]

Got a couple pics last night while the blue lights were on.

Pleco rock....where all the suckers hang out....

So about a week ago now the heater in this tank died. Friend had a spare but it's only a 100 watt one so it just keeps the tank at 70degF. The fish seem to be ok so far but all my plants turned yellow and died off.