I know several of you keep Jack Dempseys. I'm quite interested in learning more about this fish and possibly keeping one.

I went to my LFS and they have some very tiny EBJD babies - about 1 inch - my are they cute! I had to control myself from buying one.

I have some questions about their needs to see if I'm equipped to "dive in" and get one.

1) I have a 50 gallon (US) tank. Would this be sufficient room for one JD? the JD would be the only occupant in the tank - no tank mates. I know they are territorial and can be aggressive - can they live happily alone or would they be lonely?
2) Are electric blue JDs the same thing (just different color variant) as the "regular" JD?
3) How big do they get? The LFS had what the employee said was a "very old" EBJD and she was only about 8 inches total length (I'm guessing) - it didn't seem to be a huge fish; thus making me think 50 gallons would be ok.
4) are they as personable as oscars?

any thoughts or considerations are much appreciated.

I have lots of planing and consideration to do - my 50 gallon is currently tore down - so I'd need to get a filter and cycle it first. I'm in the 'daydreaming' mode of what to put in the tank! I'm torn between getting a single specimen fish (like the texas or EBJD) or maybe multiple rams or a pair of breeding convicts or........ daydreaming is fun!

Aren't the BEAUTIFUL?

I will tell you, the electric Blues are bred for color, so like 90% don't live to see 3 inches.

Yes a JD would be fine in your 50 alone.. And 8 inches are about max.

I have a regular JD, and she hides ALL the time. I know several others that have JD's as well, and they HIDE... They, in the personality department, are nothing like Oscars.

Hope this helps

as always, thanks for the info. how old was your girl when you got her?

the lil' ones at the LFS swam right to the front (they were probably hungry!) I wonder if with frequent interaction they get used to people and don't hide so much?

the adult "old girl" they had was pretty lazy looking - didn't swim around much

I'm so torn on what to get! thanks for confirming tank size requirement - that was my thought, but wanted to confirm. Figured if a 55 was minimum for a single O, a 50 would be fine for the much smaller JD housed alone.

My girl was an adult when I rescued her, but I know Necro got his when they were small, and they hide all the time too. All you can do is give it a shot.

I for one am not good at learning from others experiences, If I want it, I want it. LOL

Hi Meghanr, I currently have a Jack Dempsey that is about 9 inches. But he is not "real" old; about 3 years old. I have had JDs a few times over the years and I have not seen one get this big and have this much blue/green color. So I think this one might not always be the norm. I did see 2 large ones at a LFS years ago, so I knew it could be done. As far as temperment they are not like an oscar at all. They prefer to hide much of the time, they will come out to see you when you get close to the tank and occasionally to venture around the tank. But, like many large Cichlids, as you spend more time around your fish...the fish gets more comfortable with you. For me, what seperates the JD from many other cichlids is their unique colors and ability to change color depending on mood and aggresion level; so it's worth it to deal with a little frustration over your fish hiding when you want to show off your beautiful specimen.

And for your 50 gallon, a JD would be a good edition definitely. I love my Dempsey. But if you want more personality and human interaction in a 1 fish tank(besides an Oscar ofcourse)... might want to try a Red Devil Cichlid. That was one of my favs for the solo tank, and with good filtration and waterchanges 50 gallons would work fine.

(below) My old Red Devil Cichlid in a 60gallon solo...

Oh, and one more thing. A few days ago I was at a Fish Store and they had a Electric Blue JD for sale for $50us. It was only 3 inches long, and when I asked the kid that was working there about it, He told me that they have had it for 3-4 months and it hasn't grown much at all. That left me a little concerned about what the process is for "special" Jack Dempseys. fyi. Good luck with your tank set up.

thanks so much for the advice!

the lil' guys (1") were $40. They had some customer return adults for $20. I'd rather get the baby and watch him/her grow.

The red devil sure is pretty - are they similar to a midas? a bit bigger than a JD?? maybe too big for my 50? your JD is gorgeous too.

so many choices!!!

I am quite drawn by the looks of the EBJD - quite amazing. And yes, Nicki - I have the same trait - "if I want it..."

I traded that Red Devil in when I moved across states 3 years ago. Yup Similar to Midas; I have read that many are interbred with each other making them almost the same fish. Midas can have a larger hump, smaller lips,and some different colorations. That RD was bigger than the JD, but not so much in length but more in overall gurth.

I know how that is when you want a fish. I get like that too, and sometimes there is just no turnin' back. Can't wait to see what you choose.

MeghanR, did you ever end up getting the E.Blue Dempseys?

update on my JD...u can see some color change based on mood (darkness):

Meghan I have an EBJD. My lfs had them on sale for $50 but they weren't selling. So once they dropped to $25 a fish, I bought one.

Yes they take a loooong time to grow, and do prefer to hide out amongst the plants and things, but my little guy has a ton of personality. (Not as much as an Oscar no, but he's definitely his own fish. lol) I bought him and my Lemon Oscar at the same time, and they were almost the same size. The O is now a good 6" long and the EBJD is pushing 3.5". That was in September of last year. (They're friends though.) The only thing that he picks on is a 5" Pictus Cat, but I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual in that department.

The "electric blue" aspect of them is a natural color variant, but I think that the fish are bred and inbred so much, that they've become a tad "dainty" if you would. I've heard stories of the magic 3" mark, and how once they reach that size a lot of them die. I was worried that mine wasn't getting enough food, so I bought him sinking pellets. He eats like a horse now!

I'm on my way to take my kid to the Dr., but I'll try and get an updated pic of Sheridan when I get back.