Jack Dempsey Breeding

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

JackDempseyLove

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 20, 2011
96
1
0
Kansas
Hi, I posted a thread a few months ago about my pair of Jack Dempsey's. They bred last November and that is it. They have ate all of their fry and now are just back to normal. I have had the pair for 2 years now, they have been housed in the same tank together never once been seperated. Well to begin, last night I noticed the vertical stripes on both of them and what I believe was the egg tube on the female. I didn't experience the first breeding and am fairly new with Jack Dempsey breeding. The first time though the male seemed to be more aggressive than he is now and the female was skittish as usual. They both are being extra skittish though today, does that mean they had eggs? The egg tube(Or what I believed was the egg tube) is not there anymore but the female is still very dark and is hiding in the cave. Please anything will help me. I really want to see more babies out of this pair as they were my first ciclids and want to keep their legacy going. Any tips will be great.

Thanks;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: RevD
Well it sounds like they may be getting into it again, however it might be like me and my wife, sometimes hormones are pumpin and thing are looking good but in the end they just hate each other. JK :ROFL:
 
What is your tank set up like? If they have laid eggs, they would be visible. Generally, Dempseys lay eggs on a flat rock (if available) once they have create the proper nest. Usually they will move the the substrate around to create a pit around the rock they choose(or if none are available they may lay they're eggs on the glass). I breed Electric Blue Dempsey's and mine just finished laying eggs last night. I always remove the eggs and relocate them to a seperate tank with an airstone to insure a higher survival rate, but this is not neccessary. Jack Dempsey's are amazing parents for the most part(depending on the circumstance). Extremely entertaining to watch as they herd they're fry around, scooping them into they're mouths and spitting them back out where they want them. I even noticed that they seem to put them to bed right around the time that the light on my aquarium goes off, usually herding them down into the cave where they were hatched. Don't know if this small rant was at all helpful but feel free to ask more questions, but we need a bit more info about the tank setup and co-inhabitants to know whats really going on. But in general, its quite typical for this time dempsey parents to screw it up. Give them a couple more shots at it and they'll figure it out!
 
Resampled_2012-02-15_21-22-58_328.jpg
 
Bktgifridays said:
What is your tank set up like? If they have laid eggs, they would be visible. Generally, Dempseys lay eggs on a flat rock (if available) once they have create the proper nest. Usually they will move the the substrate around to create a pit around the rock they choose(or if none are available they may lay they're eggs on the glass). I breed Electric Blue Dempsey's and mine just finished laying eggs last night. I always remove the eggs and relocate them to a seperate tank with an airstone to insure a higher survival rate, but this is not neccessary. Jack Dempsey's are amazing parents for the most part(depending on the circumstance). Extremely entertaining to watch as they herd they're fry around, scooping them into they're mouths and spitting them back out where they want them. I even noticed that they seem to put them to bed right around the time that the light on my aquarium goes off, usually herding them down into the cave where they were hatched. Don't know if this small rant was at all helpful but feel free to ask more questions, but we need a bit more info about the tank setup and co-inhabitants to know whats really going on. But in general, its quite typical for this time dempsey parents to screw it up. Give them a couple more shots at it and they'll figure it out!
Click to expand...

They are in a 75 gallon right now with not very many decor since it was just a quick solution. Their 125g cracked again and so we moved them quickly. It has a large house in it and a bubler which is pretty much it. I do have a slate of rock I could put in there would that help? They seem to have calmed down a bit and back to their usual selves and no fry are visible. I have been feeding them 4 times a day with high quality cichlid pellets and pieces of a banana every other day. The stripes seem to have disappeared. I sat and watched them for a bit and the male seems to be doing the 'mating dance' with her but she just swims away like yeah whatever. The temp in the tank is 79/80 degrees. As I am typing this the male his puffing out his gills and rubbing up against her flashing his brillant colors but she is doing nothing.
 
A piece of slate is definitely a plus for Dempsey breeders! My main breeding
pair are in an over decorated 55g with a few different rock caves with slate underneath the gravel under the cave. Also clay planting pots work great! They will dig a nest around the slate or pot and when ready the female will stick the eggs to the cleaned flat surface!
Sent from my DROID X2 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom