Jack Dempsey tank stocking.

[Vaskov]

Hello all.

I currently have a fluval roma 240l tank which is 120cm x 40cm x 55cm. I think it works out at 62 US gallons or nearby. It has 2 young female JDs and a BN pleco however I plan to rehome one due to it being the bottom of the JD chain and she gets alot of stick of the other JD. They are roughly 2 to 3 inches at the minute. I was wondering if my tank is at capacity or is there room for another fish?

Thanks!

 

[A201]

A lot depends on your filtration, hardscape, how much water is changed per week. You could stock a couple of medium sized, tough, NW cichlids like a Salvini or Firemouth. A school of big tetras, a smaller Synodontis Catfish.

 

[Toiletcar]

I wouldn’t add more cichlids. It’s going to be tight when the JDs are full grown.

 

[Vaskov]

A lot depends on your filtration, hardscape, how much water is changed per week. You could stock a couple of medium sized, tough, NW cichlids like a Salvini or Firemouth. A school of big tetras, a smaller Synodontis Catfish.

Thanks for the reply. At the minute the tank has a fluval 306 in and ive replaced the carbon with purigen and filterfloss. As for water changes at least 50 percent gets changed a week over 3 changes. The tank is pretty open at the minute ill attach a picture.

I wouldn’t add more cichlids. It’s going to be tight when the JDs are full grown.

Would the tank be too full for non cichlids?

Thanks for the reply!

 

[duanes]

In nature (if that suggests to you how they are best kept?), when JDs live with other species of cichlids, they seem to suffer the others presence.
When they are the only (or dominant) cichlid in the habitat, they do much better. To me, this is magnified in the confines of the aquarium.
If the JDs can dominate, they do well, if not, they tend to hide all the time, and their health often suffers.
Below are two videos of JDs in nature.
In Eden Cenote they dominate and do well.
In the other, where other cichlids are present, their population is low, and they are torn up.
!st, where other cichlids share habitat
027 zps4b102ffd
now a Cenote they share with live bearers and a small population of Rhamdia catfish
Eden2

 

[Gourami Swami]

I think some non-cichlids would fill the tank out nicely. Like some livebearers, swordtails or belonesox belizanus if you can find them. If you really wanted to try cichlids, Nanoluteus might work out in a pair, or perhaps a couple female HRP's. Hard to say if your JD will tolerate them or not, as the tank is already "her territory".

 

[Vaskov]

I think some non-cichlids would fill the tank out nicely. Like some livebearers, swordtails or belonesox belizanus if you can find them. If you really wanted to try cichlids, Nanoluteus might work out in a pair, or perhaps a couple female HRP's. Hard to say if your JD will tolerate them or not, as the tank is already "her territory".

Livebearers sound good ive been looking at some mollies or swordtails. I never realised they got that big! How many would I be looking at do you think in that tank with the current setup?

Thanks again.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Livebearers sound good ive been looking at some mollies or livebearers I never realised they got that big! How many would I be looking at do you think in that tank with the current setup?

Thanks again.

With one JD and a bristlenose pleco in a 60 gallon, I'd get a group of 6-8 or so. They will reproduce, and some babies will probably fall prey to the JD, but if you have some decent plant cover some will probably grow up. Before you know it you will have more than you started with, and can probably bring the smaller ones into a fish store for a few bucks credit towards fish food, etc.
Swordtails are my favorite of the commonly available ones. If you can find them, I've been keeping Ameca Splendens in my tank, and like them a lot.

 

[RocketGarStar]

A red tailed black shark works well. Well, at least the one I had would have for you. It beat up so many fish, I had to sell it. I second the mollies/swordtails motion. I'm thinking congo tetras? They get pretty big, right? Or are you going for a biotope with fish native to the area JDs are?