I have had my jack dempsey for almost 2 years now, but it has been in a small tank his whole life until now. I just got an 85 gallon long tank. My concern has been his growth. he is only like 7 inches long approximately. Will the bigger tank allow him to grow faster? What should I feed him that will make him grow big very quickly. Also what should I do to get him to show off his color more, he usually looks dull until there is food in the tank and he will get dark and his blue on his face will burst. I can also see his blue and gold scales coming in on his sides, which makes me very excited. I reall want him to grow fast because he is in the same tank as a red tail catfish that is right around the same length. I don't want him to eat my dempsey but I have nowhere else to put him and can't afford another tank. please help!
Jack Dempsey Advice please!
- Thread starter Wesley M
- Start date
A 7" catfish cannot eat a 7" JD. A RTC can eat something around 1/3 of its body length. He could kill your JD whenever he chooses to do so, since at 7" his head is something like a football helmet, but they are predatory, not aggressive. There are very few fish that a RTC cannot kill on a whim. Cichlids seem tough, but they won't hold up if that thing decides to go postal.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
LOL, your jack is already a good size fish, but trying to get him to out grow a RTC is just not going to happen no matter what, He is almost getting to his full size at this point, I agree with others, find different tanks for your fish or sell the RTC
I also am having a similar problem, my Oscar and jack dempsey look like they can be food for my Hybrid RTC/Shovelnose Cat, sadly i feel ill have to re-home my catfish soon enough, i remember when i bought him and he was no bigger than my thumb in length... boy do they grow fast, Best of luck
If you want the JD to grow fast, increase your water change frequency and amount, that usually spurs growth, but even in nature JDs only top out at 10" to a ft.
Your RT catfish will need a 1000 gal tank to be healthy and comfortable.
The catfish JDs share their natural waters with, seem to stay approximately the same size as the JDs.
This is a shot from Eden cenote in Mexico, you can see the catfish just below the 10" JD,
Your RT catfish will need a 1000 gal tank to be healthy and comfortable.
The catfish JDs share their natural waters with, seem to stay approximately the same size as the JDs.
This is a shot from Eden cenote in Mexico, you can see the catfish just below the 10" JD,
