JD water temperature

[bertrannnd]

Hi!

I have a single JD in my 55 gal. tank but my JD is not very active. I was thinking maybe the temperature is too low (77 F). Would a higher temp make my fish more active/ increase its metabolism??

 

[Gruff Master]

I would at least keep the temp at 80. All of my tanks are between 80 and 85. The topic of the activity of Jack Dempseys has come a lot on this site. Most people, including myself, have found them to be skittish and reclusive fish. That's why I don't keep them anymore. You could try adding some schooling fish like Barbs or Tetras to encourage him to swim openly. But even this is not guaranteed to help. And the warmer temp will increase his metabolism and can also increase aggression.

 

[JohnnyBear]

if i drop my temp below 80 my JD's are pretty boring as well. but if you do put another fish in there and increase the temp, expect for the aggression to increase as well.

 

[bertrannnd]

Thanks, so I'm going to crank the heat up and see...

 

[JohnnyBear]

let us know how that goes...

 

[llK2ll]

agreed on raising temp. i have a 55 gallon with 2 jds, keep my temp around 82. They were alot more active then

 

[blauaugigengel]

Keeping the tanks at 80 doesnt make my JD anymore or less active. however, I've been told that it will amek their life shorter, bc of faster metabolism and whatnot.

 

[cacichlids]

I think it has more to do with its skittish nature and the fact that it is alone rather than the temperature of the water. You would need to go all the way down to <72 F to notice a decrease in the activity of your fish. In its natural habitat 77-82F is perfectly normal and I don't think it would cause any drastic change in behavior.

 

[smitty03281964]

It might increase the matabolism but it will probably not make him more active. They are generally fine in temp 72 and up.

 

[cichlidfish]

It might increase the matabolism but it will probably not make him more active. They are generally fine in temp 72 and up.

I agree. Also cooler water holds more oxygen, so they should be more active. JD's and other Mexican cichlids are from cooler waters then most other cichlids. This means it is in their biology to thrive in those temps. I would think they would live longer too. I keep mine 75-77 degrees most of the year, but summer jumps up to 80. I don't seen any difference.