Jack Dempsey Trouble

[rmorse]

Hey all,

I have 2 Jack Dempsey's in a 55 gallon tank. They live with 5 giant danios and 2 bristlenosed plecos. The 2 JDs were paired, and have spawned 4 times. (None of the babies made it past free swimming) However, the male is currently chasing the female around relentlessly. Can they "break up"? I thought once I had a mated pair, I was good...

Bobby

 

[gilkm]

Unfortunately, that is not the case. I have experienced deaths in paired/breeding cichlids in the past. Sometimes you will have to remove the female and put here in a different tank if there is too much aggression.

 

[rmorse]

Bummer....I really didn't want to get rid of my girl

 

[michaelx]

Can you divide them for a while?

 

[rmorse]

I could divide them....It's annoying, as the tank doesn't stay as clean as it should when it is divided.

 

[rmorse]

Any other suggestions? I am trying to figure out do I get rid of her, or divide the tank...

 

[JBarlak]

my mated pair will go thru phases when the male will chase her around relentlessly and this is in a 75 gallon. I have multiple terracotta pots she can hide in... after his fury everything goes back to normal and they share the large pot.

 

[westle]

Use eggcrate to divide and you will find that if you give them 2 months of seperation they will get back at it again. I had to do this with my JD pair after a year he beat the sh#@ out of her now they are spawning again

 

[crisper]

Try dividing them for a week. Then remove divider. This may take a few attempts, but they will probably hook it back up again. It worked when I kept a pair.

 

[rmorse]

WTF, they are fine again, and now they are horny. They are vented, plus colors are bright again.

I swear, this couple is giving me more headaches than any other fish.