JD variations?

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Acura_RSX

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 30, 2008
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Newfoundland, Canada
So I know close to nothing about cichlids .. only the general things I would know about from knowing other fish so I'd really appreciate some help.

I'm currently planning on picking up 1 or 2 jack dempsy from one of my LFS in the next week or so. 3 different locations were carrying "Jack Dempsy" while I was browsing earlier this week.

Over the past couple of years on this site I've noticed lots of talk about BGJD and EBJD but never really payed much attention to it. I get that these are just a genetic mutation of Jack Dempsy and many people consider them nicer. I'm not sure at all how to tell the difference by looking at the fish as a 2.5" - 3" baby.

What are the odds I can find one of these in the batch of Jack Dempsy at my local store? If it is actually possible to find them in these batches then can someone help an untrained "id'ing" eye as to what to look for in these fish to tell if any are in fact these type?

Thanks in advance!
 
JD - Jack Dempsey
EBJD - Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
BGJD - Blue Gene Jack Dempsey
GJD - Gold Jack Dempsey

A JD/BGJD will be hard to tell apart, BGJDs can show more blue when adults but when younger I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The Electric Blues and the Gold JDs you can tell apart very easily at any age.
 
I am pretty sure you wont. EBJD's sell for like 10x the price of a jd. They have to be genetically isolated into groups to produce different variations. (If not mistaken)The first variation produce was the gold gene. Chances are if u search around the net u can find them pretty cheap from breeders/hobbyists.
 
EBJD are not that hard to come by. I've seen juveniles at common chain stores for $10 and other places for $40+. Finding quality fish will be your only issue. Some breeders have inferior strains that will grow to be unhealthy and have distorted physical features. While some breeders focus on creating high quality offspring and not just quantity. Many people experience problems growing EBJDs out. From what I've read they seem to be quite fragile until they reach about 4-5". Then they seem to be a bit more hardy. There are a few people that have experienced no problems growing out EBJDs. I don't know if this has more to do with luck or with just purchasing quality stock. There are some vendors and members here that have or can get EBJDs if you want them. Best of luck in your research and future purchases.
 
so most likely I will not find and EBJD or GJD in these tanks but I will visit all 3 stores again and look junst incase before I actually purchase my JD/JDs .. and the only difference I take it is simply the body color?
 
Gruff Master said:
EBJD are not that hard to come by. I've seen juveniles at common chain stores for $10 and other places for $40+. Finding quality fish will be your only issue. Some breeders have inferior strains that will grow to be unhealthy and have distorted physical features. While some breeders focus on creating high quality offspring and not just quantity. Many people experience problems growing EBJDs out. From what I've read they seem to be quite fragile until they reach about 4-5". Then they seem to be a bit more hardy. There are a few people that have experienced no problems growing out EBJDs. I don't know if this has more to do with luck or with just purchasing quality stock. There are some vendors and members here that have or can get EBJDs if you want them. Best of luck in your research and future purchases.
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Thank you for the quote. I'm not too picky about getting an EBJD and most likely would not be willing to pay extra for one however if I found one in the batch of JD's at one of these stores for the same price as the JD's I would probably take him over the JD's .. just the fact that they are more rare intrigues me.
 
Acura_RSX said:
Thank you for the quote. I'm not too picky about getting an EBJD and most likely would not be willing to pay extra for one however if I found one in the batch of JD's at one of these stores for the same price as the JD's I would probably take him over the JD's .. just the fact that they are more rare intrigues me.
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You'll probably find it very helpful to look at as many pictures of juvenile EBJDs as possible to get a good idea of what to look for. There are plenty of threads of them with pictures on this site as well as other sites. Once you know what you're looking for, they are pretty easy to spot. Ask your LFS if they can get some in for you too.
 
My only advise is to read up on the health issues associated with EBJD's before getting fry or juvies especially.

A lot of the people that have had success raising them without many deaths seem to be using UV sterilizers.

And not enough can be said about getting a "good strain" if you decide to go this route. So you may want to order from a reputable breeder.
 
Aqualoon said:
JD - Jack Dempsey
EBJD - Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
BGJD - Blue Gene Jack Dempsey
GJD - Gold Jack Dempsey

A JD/BGJD will be hard to tell apart, BGJDs can show more blue when adults but when younger I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The Electric Blues and the Gold JDs you can tell apart very easily at any age.
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This is simply not true. Phenotypically (physically) a regular JD and a BGJD are identical; The BGJD just carries the recessive allele for the EBJD.
 
Petsmart sometimes will have the EBJD for $10. These are beautiful fish if you can find one that is not a deformed freak.
 
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