shy Dempseys

[Corona]

Well i gotta couple of dempseys each in a diferant tank, they are around 3" fish and im getting kinda fed up with them becouse they are so damn shy, nowhere did i read that these fish are shy, I think they just dont like me, I can be sitting accross the room watching tv and they come out and do there thing, but as soon as i turn my head to look at them they see me looking at them and go hide, I do everything i can to make them comfy but nothing seems to help, water is good, i do weekly water changes and feed them 3 times a day and im the only one who feeds them.I donno, are these fish shy when there small and grow out of it? if not im thinking im gonna trade them in for somthing a bit more outgoing.

[tediumsdream]

corona, how long have you had them? most fish take a little while to warm up to new environments. dempseys are pretty territorial to so they might be a little more on the nervous side when it comes to new environments like festae are. Do you keep the aquarium light on a lot? If so they might take a while to get used to that too. When you bought them were they in a crowded species tank?

[surfdude660]

Jack dempseys are an extremely shy fish. Do you have adequate hiding places for them? If you are looking for a fish that will always be out, i would trade them in, they are extremely shy. They are also very very agressive!!!! :wink:

[Corona]

Iv had them for a couple of months now, my newest one is the most skitish, i have him in a 29 G, just yesurday he bounced of the glass a few times he was so freaked out, hes bin skitish ever since i got him home, the one in my 55G wich im glad to say is doing well in a smal community with other non cichlids. they have lots of hiding spaces in all my tanks so thats not realy an issue, I just think that this one is mental lol and was just born that way.Im going to keep the one in my 55G and trade the one in my 29G in and get a pair of medium sized SA cichlids, somthing that isnt so damn shy..



gotta do the bannana.........:dance: :dance: :dance:

[Rex Karr]

I'd say that if you were to add some water sprite to cut down on the light, and add some small dither fish to make the Jack feel more comfortable he should be out a lot more.

[Noelemac]

I've had two Jacks for a year now and they are still very shy. They have their one gallon strawberry planter pot in a ten gallon tank and they hide in it when ever I get close. Very rarely they might come out for a bit while I stay close there for 5 minutes or so. When I had them with my Ele. Blues they were more outgoing to beat the others up.

[Corona]

May i ask how big they are at 1 year? a 10G tank seems kinda small if ya ask me , at 1 year old even if they only grew 1/2" a month they would be 6" to 7 " big :confused: :confused:

[surfdude660]

Two jack dempseys at a year old should be at about 5"+. Eventually, you should have a 55 gallon to keep two, and way more if they are both males.

[Noelemac]

Yeah well water changing 2 to 3 times a week is a hassle and I was going to get rid of them but my little brother likes them and I wanted to move them out of my 29 for 4 hap. Fryeri, also a cobalt blue and a large pleco. I think they are male and female but they haven't mated. One is about 5" the other is about 7". I only have one 55 gallon and I've put 5 blue dolphins at 2-3" in there. I'll be trading some of them in also as soon as I prove their sex. The Jacks will also be traded as soon as he looses interest. And I'm not the poster boy of size of tank to fish and have read all about it.

[Corona]

Well i got rid of the really bad jack to a friend of mine and i went out and got 2 green severums for my 29G they are really small right now, quarter size or so, not as shy as my jack, Anyone know much about these fishies?

[Overawed]

yeah, i got a Serveum. Very tough and regal cichlid. He lives with a bunch of AFricans and none of them mess with him.

[ttman]

having kept 2 JDs for 2 years (& observing many others), I totally agree w/this. JDs will hide ALL DAY, EVERYDAY. only coming up for food, then immediately hiding again. the only time they would venture out is IF another fish is protruding on their spot, then they will defend their spot. other than dat, they will hide ALL DAY, EVERYDAY.


Originally posted by surfdude660
Jack dempseys are an extremely shy fish. Do you have adequate hiding places for them? If you are looking for a fish that will always be out, i would trade them in, they are extremely shy. They are also very very agressive!!!! :wink:

[Corona]

Ya they one in my 55g isnt to bad, thats the one i kept, he is showing some really nice color and does come out alot more then my other one did, i have him with non cichlids andn he is doing fine no aggression at all , the only aggression im getting is from the rainbow shark to my pictus and balas. I like the serverums i got , they are both out nd swimming and i fed them 2 hours after i got them home and they munched it down "good sign" anyways, thanks for all the replys guys/gals....:dance: :dance:

[surfdude660]

Jack dempseys get more agressive aas they age. Eventually, they will eat any non agressive fish that will fit into their mouth, and some that wont, lol. Severums get very large, sometimes bigger than dempseys, and like more room to swim, when full grown, you will have to keep them in a 55 gallon+. If they are two males, forget abotu keeping them together. Yes, jack dempseys are very beautiful fish, when you see them, that is why i have kept mine so long. Besides their looks, i really do not like the personality of this fish. Severums are great though!!!!!

[Corona]

do you think that a full grown severum would be ok with a jack dempsey? Iv read not, but maybe somone has done it with some success. Also there are some mixed info on severums, like as far as how big they get and how aggressive they are, so i may have made a bad choice on getting them, i accualy thought maybe they would be ok in a 29 G but from a litle more reading its not sounding like that is a good idea, i figured they would only get the size of a JD and would be ok. Im thinking cichlids should be left for the big tank owners but i cant stand non cichlid fish for the most part, so i guess im doomed, also im not very hip on the dwarf cichlids either.thanks for the info.