picked up 2 1" EBJDs, questions

[BPags52]

I didn't want to derail Squishy's thread so I started this one.

I posted this in her thread:

Very nice

I'm hoping to pick up a couple (they only have 2) 1" EBJDs tonight from the LFS. They are $50 each though...which seems a bit pricey to me. They've been there for a few weeks now.

I went in last night and offered $70 for both, the owner thought about it for a minute but said he couldn't go that low. He was busy with other customers so I didn't haggle with him.

I'm going back tonight to offer $80. If he still says no I'll probably just fork out the $100

Well I couldn't wait till tonight so I went there on my lunch break and got both for $85...still more than I'd like to pay...but you all know how that goes.

Now I'm just curious if I should keep my powerhead turned off for awhile. I hear EBJDs stress easy and with their high mortality rate I want it as comfortable as possible. I didn't have much time to observe them after adding to the tank. I did notice that the one that wasn't hidden from view was trying fairly hard to stay in place, but it didn't seem to have a problem darting forward to peck at a bit of food.. So I left the powerhead off until I can observe them more tonight.

The tank is a 6ft 125g with 2 Emperor 400s for filtration, and the powerhead is a Hydor Koralia #4 (1200 gph). My silver dollars and plecos seem to love the current, but I'm not sure if its too much for a 1" EBJD.

So, are EBJDs strong swimmers? Do they like a fairly strong current? Should I leave the powerhead off until they get a little bigger? Should I rotate keeping it on/off on alternating days?

I'll post pics tonight sometime. I'll also take a video of the EBJDs with the powerhead on so you guys can get a better idea if its too strong or not.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Toby_H]

I respect that you started a new thread as opposed to derailing the existing one… ^5

I have a 125 gal tank... and I have Emp 400 filters... and I have a Koralia 4... so although I don't have all these things together in one set up, I can imagine what it would be like... Oh, and I've also raised a bunch of young Blue Dempseys...

I would have to imagine that your 125 gal has areas with very little water movement... and areas with tons of water movement... which, in my opinion, is the ideal situation to grow out baby Blues. This way if they are nervous and want to chill... they can go to a slow spot and chill... but if they are feeling good and want to play… they have a place to do that too. Diversity is truly the spice of life...

They key to raising baby Blue Dempseys is to prevent any chance of parasite. Personally, I do this with UV lights. The next best approach is to keep everything as clean as possible, which would include not allowing waste to settle in the tank. The powerhead helps prevent this, thus contributes to the health of the Blue Dempseys.

I would leave it on for sure...

 

[dirtyblacksocks]

Dempsey's die from inbreeding, not due to stress. There are only a handful of wild caught specimins in existence and as a result the fish have been interbred to the point of being genetically weak. Outside of keeping clean water conditions and feeding sparingly to prevent blockages/bloat there is not a whole lot you can do to prevent this fact.

EDIT: Electric blue dempsey's*

 

[BPags52]

Ok thanks for the input. I'll turn the powerhead back on when I get home and keep a close eye on them tonight. I hadn't really planned to get a UV sterilizer, are they necessary? I won't be feeding any live foods in this tank so I would think parasite risk is minimal. How else can parasites be introduced to the tank?

Yeah there are a couple areas with lower flow, but the EBJD I was watching was under a rock tunnel on the faster flowing half of the tank, it hadn't explored yet so I turned off the powerhead to play it safe...didn't want to risk coming home to $85 stuck to the side of the powerhead

I'll keep yall updated.

edit: I wasn't meaning to imply their high mortality rate was due to stress...just that I didn't want to risk stressing a fish that already has a reputation for being sensitive. Is bloat common in EBJDs? What causes bloat? just overfeeding? I know some plecos are susceptible to bloat if they get too much protein, but how would a cichlid get it? Same way?

 

[dirtyblacksocks]

Bloat is just a random occurence but the closest link is to over feeding - it can also just happen from stress for no apparent reason, african cichlids seem to be more prone but certain SA and CA cichlids get it too.

I wouldn't personally bother with a UV sterilizer, just keep water conditions pristine - try to keep your nitrates under 20 ppm and don't introduce any new fish to the tank, or any live foods.

The most common way parasites get into your tank is a poor maintenance routine and feeding live foods from an unconfirmed source.

 

[BPags52]

Ok. Thanks again for the info, really does help!

 

[Toby_H]

It’s inaccurate to say “Blue Dempseys die from inbreeding”… But it is completely true to say “Blue Dempseys are genetically weaker due to excessive inbreeding”…

If you look up some of the common results of excessive inbreeding you will see a list of problems common to Blue Dempseys… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbreeding#Results_of_inbreeding

The main result of inbreeding, or trait common to Blue Dempseys, we are discussing here is their lowered immune system… primarily their resistance to parasitic infection…

Using a UV light is by no means “necessary”, but is your best insurance at keeping parasites out of your system. As to where they come from… they are everywhere. As described, they thrive in areas most of us would consider “dirty” and very much so in a dirty fish tank. The cleaner the fish tank is the fewer parasites there will be in the tank to attack the Blue Dempsey thus the higher the chance of it’s immune system being able to combat the attack.

Also, as mentioned, not introducing feeder fish, or any new fish for that matter, will decrease the likelihood of transferring parasites in from another tank/system.

DirtyBlackSocks, I’m not suggesting you are “wrong” by what you said, only that in my opinion you oversimplified a true fact to a point it could easily be misunderstood…

 

[thesquishy]

You bought them! SSWWWEEEETTTT teehee

 

[wingate2581]

You bought them! SSWWWEEEETTTT teehee

+1
congrats on the new additions.

 

[BPags52]

You bought them! SSWWWEEEETTTT teehee

Sure did

Thanks Wingate.

Thanks for the info nutcase, I'll stay on top of the weekly water changes/gravel vacs.

They seem to be adjusting well. When I got home 1 of them was going to town on the zuchini (stuffed with massivore and shrimp pellets) that I had attached to a fork the night before for the plecos. You'll notice a fair amount of particles drifting by in the current...most of that are lil bits of zuchini, haha. Filters will take care of that soon enough though...

Heres a pic of them still in bag:

and heres a couple quick videos of 1 of them. Not the best videos (it hiding mostly in the shadows) so poor lighting...but you get the idea.
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hangin' out w/ the L-14
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