Jack Dempsey -- Eating Java Moss and Snails?

[jackdaniel]

My Amazon and Radican Swords have been utterly destroyed.

I've been thinking of adding mosses and snails to the tank. Do Jack Dempseys eat ramshorm/trumpet snails and/or java moss? I need some green and more activity in the tank. They LOVE eating the Ghost Shrimp.

 

[kevbc03]

IME Jack Dempseys eat everything and anything that looks like food.

 

[Toby_H]

I don't think Dempseys "eat" plants, but they do play with them which ends up destroying them... I've had dempseys shred Java Moss which allows it to quickly clog up filter intakes.

My dempseys eat snails all of the time...

 

[kevbc03]

The reason I say this is because I used to drop a piece of lettuce in her tank and leave it there for like an hour. After that hour, there would be close to nothing left.

I've never had a planted tank with my JD's before, but judging from the lettuce I can see it happening (either ripping the plants apart or eating them)

 

[Mad About Cichlids]

The java moss would probably get eaten or move around alot, Java ferns and anubis plants do well with cichlids though.


As for snails, even my big male Midas' leave the trumpet aka live bearing snails alone, their shells are just too hard and the shape seem to make it hard to chew. They love eating the ramshorns though.

 

[bdevilcasey]

You could try snails. Worst case is the JDs get a little snack. I dont put plants in with JDs so I couldnt tell ya what would work. Sorry.

 

[Pinkerton]

Thanks to my JDs, their tank is the only one I own that does not have a thick MTS population.

 

[jackdaniel]

I've got a planted 20g in the works right now, so I'll be raising shrimp, snails, and guppies in it. Once the feeders become large enough they'll go in with the JDs. We'll have to wait and find out!

 

[convict man 122]

nice

 

[Rockbass6]

I never have had a problem with my ebjds messing with java moss, ferns, anubias, crypts, anything. I think it depends more on the individual fish though. Shrimp won't get along for obvious reasons, but I have never had any trouble keeping plants and jd in the same tank.