Yesterday i went to LFS near my home there are 2 shops to buy JD, they have a lot of cichlids but when i asked him he said search for yourself, he also did not know about the kinds of chichlids, now if you guys here tell me how do i identify JD ? I see many pictures of JD but when i go there saw a lot of fishes they my mind goes off. There are about 200+ chichlids each 2 inches in size.

Please help

That's not cool that the rep at the petstore couldn't give you good info or atleast find someone that could.

If there are many similar looking cichlids it can be a little difficult to tell; especially when they are juveniles. JD's don't have as much color when they are very small and young. I recommend just google Jack Dempsey and look at photos, mainly look at juvi JDs. This should give you a good idea.

also, maybe you can ask someone at your petstore if there is someone else that works there that is more knowledgable about cichlids so that you can make a time to go in and see that person.

Honestly though, you should find a different fish store. That is terrible customer service.

This is what baby's look like:




This is what an adult looks like:

id go somewhere else as well, if they dont know about the fish, they probably dont know how to look after them either.

How to identify JD

Large bottle black and white label with liquid inside

Gaz

I was thinking the same thing, but i do not have any other choice, other shops are very far from my home i have to travel at least 1 hour from my home.i searched a lot saw many pictures of JD but when i saw lots of cichlids i found myself sleepy and i wanted to kick that shop person

Gazza wrote:


ha ha ha ha ...

so they are always light as babies will get there darker colours as the grow older? I seen a really pale JD in the LFS today and was wondering if he would darken up? does the colour of the substrate really affect the colour? whats the growth rate of a JD?

bigtdotcom wrote:

JD's color does fluctuate quite a bit, especially as juvi's. When you get them home and give them good hiding places, water quality, etc... they will darken up nicely. Then the colors will develop.

Keep in mind that not all JD's are created equal. Some strands have more colors than others. Unless you see the parents, or get a larger one, ... it's kind of luck of the draw though.