my jack dempsey is acting weird

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
you tank is not properly cycled...a common mistake most new fishkeepers make...
If you want to save your JD,
go to petSmart and get some SeaChem "STABILITY"...
Do a 50% water change,
make sure you de-chlorinate your water
Then follow the directions on the bottle of "STABILITY" to the "T".
(be sure to shake well, it should look like a frothy white solution)

While you're there pick up a water test kit for freshwater and learn how to use it...
I also suggest that you study the nitrogen cycle and how the biological filtration fits in with your system...

What type and size of filter do you have on this tank?
 
my JD did the same thing when we first got him. we were a little worried because he always hid in the corner and would also consume the pellets then spit them right out. we did a water change and let started feeding him blood worms instead. he was fine within a couple of days. now he eats anything you put in there.
i'm sure yours will be fine.
just do the water change and keep a good eye on her.
jack dempseys are tough ones.
let us know what happens.
 
zennzzo;4284353; said:
you tank is not properly cycled...a common mistake most new fishkeepers make...
If you want to save your JD,
go to petSmart and get some SeaChem "STABILITY"...
Do a 50% water change,
make sure you de-chlorinate your water
Then follow the directions on the bottle of "STABILITY" to the "T".
(be sure to shake well, it should look like a frothy white solution)

While you're there pick up a water test kit for freshwater and learn how to use it...
I also suggest that you study the nitrogen cycle and how the biological filtration fits in with your system...
Click to expand...

do this ^^^

and don't get just any de-chlorinator, get PRIME . . . use as directed
 
Sab_Fan;4284735; said:
do this ^^^

and don't get just any de-chlorinator, get PRIME . . . use as directed
Click to expand...
Thank You...

zenyoungkoh;4284741; said:
all the above and maybe add some company?
Click to expand...
Oh GOD no!!...do not add more bioload.

You are in the process of a filtration fix,
think stability...
stabilize the system you have now, get it fundamentally sound first.
 
My male JD did this when I first got him. He wouldn't eat anything at all, and he would shake his head a lot.

My tank was cycled, and I hadn't seen him eat the pellets that he supposedly "loved" for almost a month. So I added feeders (BAD idea) but he did eat some. Then after finding out that feeders are bad because of thiamine blockers, I started feeding him dried krill/shrimp that's soaked before adding. He now eats everything, except pellets.. haha

As far as the shaking-- my JD was kept in a turtle tank before I got him, and he was suffering from HITH. Once I got him on a healthy diet, and he got used to being in water conditions with water changes on a daily basis, his HITH has cleared, and he's no longer shaking.

Let your tank cycle, feed him a healthy diet, and keep up on water quality, and he should be fine.

He will eat when he is hungry. Just because you don't see him eat it, doesn't mean he doesn't eat it.
 
mshill90 said:
My tank was cycled, and I hadn't seen him eat the pellets that he supposedly "loved" for almost a month. So I added feeders (BAD idea) but he did eat some. Then after finding out that feeders are bad because of thiamine blockers, I started feeding him dried krill/shrimp that's soaked before adding. He now eats everything, except pellets.. haha
Click to expand...
I was just reading your reply to this thread and I was wondering if you could maybe offer me a little bit of guidance with my JD? I have a male JD that's about 6 or 7 inches now, I've had him for like 8 years. I too have him in a well cycled and est. tank and all other tank mates (only 2 others) act normal. My JD does a significant head shake maybe once every couple of hours? and more frequently when I feed the tank. Now this JD, unfortunately, has been with me throughout my learning curve of learning to keep fish. So I never 'broke' him into flakes or pellet diets....He won't touch any pellets or flakes. He will eat the thawed blood worms, mysis shrimp and even beef heart, but I rarely if ever feed the beef heart in particular. I think it's unhealthy overall for the fish. At any rate I just can't figure out his odd behavior, it shakes it's head, sometimes violently and knocks it on a piece of drift wood. Parasites? I've never fed it feeder fish, only earth worms and meal worms previously. It also does from time to time do a bit of side rubbing on the gravel bottom of the tank, but this very rare and something I've thought to be associated with doing water changes maybe? though i've never observed a strong connection myself. At any rate, I've currently got the tanks levels as follows:
Chlorine: 0
Nitrates: 10 ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
pH: 7.6
Alkalinity: Low like below 40
Hardness: 75 ppm
These generally all stay the same week to week except for the nitrates which usually fall to 5 ppm right after I do the weekly-10 day water change. Any thoughts or advice on my situation would be much appreciated, here's a current picture just for kicks. If I've left any information out that could help in figuring this out I'd be happy to elaborate. Thanks in advance!

IMG_20170121_081553790 1.jpg

IMG_20170121_081522345.jpg
 
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