Jack Dempsey & Tank Mates!

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Hello everyone!

I have a young Jack Dempsey in a 53 gallon tank.

Here are the dimensions:

39.4 X 15.8 x 19.7 INCHES

I know he is going to grow to 8 - 10", and I think he'll be ok.

I also have a Clown Pleco in there.

I'm well aware that a Jack is very aggresive, and that he is an
unpredictable sort.

Given my tank size, what can I get away with without stunting my fish
or making them miserable?

I'd estimate my Jack Dempsy is maybe two to three inches at most.

I was thinking of a young pair of convicts - but I'm open to all
reasonable ideas.

Are there dither fish I can get that won't end up as lunch?


Thanks in advance,
NSP

[Anon]

My father had success with Tinfoil barbs & Silver dollars. His tank is
65 gallons and the Jack Dempseys never got to be more than 5 inches.


wrote:
> Hello everyone!
>
> I have a young Jack Dempsey in a 53 gallon tank.
>
> Here are the dimensions:
>
> 39.4 X 15.8 x 19.7 INCHES
>
> I know he is going to grow to 8 - 10", and I think he'll be ok.
>
> I also have a Clown Pleco in there.
>
> I'm well aware that a Jack is very aggresive, and that he is an
> unpredictable sort.
>
> Given my tank size, what can I get away with without stunting my fish
> or making them miserable?
>
> I'd estimate my Jack Dempsy is maybe two to three inches at most.
>
> I was thinking of a young pair of convicts - but I'm open to all
> reasonable ideas.
>
> Are there dither fish I can get that won't end up as lunch?
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
> NSP
>

[Edward]

Jack Dempsey's are memebers of the south american cichlid family,
convicts will do fine with them however if they mate,(convicts breed
quite easily) they will become aggresive with your jack dempsey. Other
fish you may consider would be oscars, texas cichlids, pacus, or just
about any other large aggresive fish, in a tank the size of yours you
could have 5 or 6 fish

[[email protected]]

Hi Guys,

I completely forgot about this thread.

This is what I have done since.

In my 53 gallon (about 40" across), I have:

1 Male Jack Dempsey
1 Male Salvini
1 Bristlenose Pleco
1 Clown Pleco
4 Giant Danios

I have a rock cave, a hollow log, and plants here and there. Lots of
hiding places.

Do I have room for a female Salvini, or would I be pushing it?

Regards,
NSP