# Blue Jack Depmsy wont eat :(



## 20GallonPirate (Nov 1, 2010)

Hey guys, im fairly new to fishkeeping, ive had my tank running for almost a month now, all cichlids.

2 days ago my friend got me a really nice blue jack dempsey, i put it in, and since then it hasnt eaten anything. My other chiclids go crazy when i put food in, they practically jump out of the water for it, while the dempsy just sits there hiding behind the rocks. Is it still adjusting to the new tank? or is there something wrong? Im using the spectrum chiclid pellets. 


thanks


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## blackninja (Dec 3, 2009)

20GallonPirate said:


> Hey guys, im fairly new to fishkeeping, ive had my tank running for almost a month now, all cichlids.
> 
> 2 days ago my friend got me a really nice blue jack dempsey, i put it in, and since then it hasnt eaten anything. My other chiclids go crazy when i put food in, they practically jump out of the water for it, while the dempsy just sits there hiding behind the rocks. Is it still adjusting to the new tank? or is there something wrong? Im using the spectrum chiclid pellets.
> 
> thanks


The electric blue jack dempseys are very fragile fish and easily spooked. It is not recommended to mix them with other aggressive fish. They might do well in a community tank but will hide and turn dark with stress. Keep it in a separate tank and maybe when it has fully recovered and big enough move it back.


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## 20GallonPirate (Nov 1, 2010)

hmm, well the fish i have are low in aggression and this Dempsey is much bigger then they are. but its just been sitting inside the log for about 1 day and hasnt really moved much. should i bring it back to the store? because i really dont want to loose a fish this way. 

I have a 2.5 gallon tank, would that work for just keeping it separated?


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## blackninja (Dec 3, 2009)

20GallonPirate said:


> hmm, well the fish i have are low in aggression and this Dempsey is much bigger then they are. but its just been sitting inside the log for about 1 day and hasnt really moved much. should i bring it back to the store? because i really dont want to loose a fish this way.
> 
> I have a 2.5 gallon tank, would that work for just keeping it separated?


You will need at least a 10g tank. If the other fish are smaller and not attacking the EBJD then taking away any hiding spots will force it to swim about. If you provide it a place to hide it will hide because they are shy fish. If you got a few of them they might fare better as they compete with each other for dominance.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

What size is he they are very sensitive under the 3 in mark. It might just take him time to settle in if you see him constantly sitting on the bottom of the tank I would say something is wrong. They are know for carrying parisites.


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## 20GallonPirate (Nov 1, 2010)

he is about 2 inches, but much larger then the other fish i have. 

He has been sitting inside the log since sunday, i tried putting food infront of him, but the other fish saw it and when they come around him he scared them away by poking out and trying to bite them. He is being more aggressive than the others, but he will not eat or swim around. maybe i will take away the log and see if that forces him to move.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

20GallonPirate said:


> he is about 2 inches, but much larger then the other fish i have.
> 
> He has been sitting inside the log since sunday, i tried putting food infront of him, but the other fish saw it and when they come around him he scared them away by poking out and trying to bite them. He is being more aggressive than the others, but he will not eat or swim around. maybe i will take away the log and see if that forces him to move.


Don't take away the hiding place -- it will just make the stress much worse.

It's not a good idea to mix Central American cichlids like the JD with rift lake cichlids. They have different social signals and social behaviour, and the confusion is stressful. Imagine if everyone around you was speaking what sounds just like English but half the words had completely different meanings, and they smiled when they were angry with you and tried to punch you when you were doing the right thing.

JDs grow very large and he'll need a 50 gallon tank minimum, a 75 for a pair, perhaps. Under good conditions, these fish can grow fairly fast. They present a large bioload and in addition to good filtration need a lot of water changes to keep the nitrates down.

Your fish is probably under substantial stress, so it's not surprising that it isn't eating. Check the water quality, especially nitrates. Since the fish will soon need a large tank, you may want to reconsider whether you can keep him or not.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

bae said:


> Imagine if everyone around you was speaking what sounds just like English but half the words had completely different meanings, and they smiled when they were angry with you and tried to punch you when you were doing the right thing.


Sometimes I get this same feeling from other people


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## blackninja (Dec 3, 2009)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bae View Post
Imagine if everyone around you was speaking what sounds just like English but half the words had completely different meanings, and they smiled when they were angry with you and tried to punch you when you were doing the right thing.
Sometimes I get this same feeling from other people

There is one way to cut through all the chatter Chris and that is listen to those who actually keep and have also successfully bred Electric Blue Jack Dempsey.
Here are some pics to sock the message home.


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## ChuckRum (Sep 11, 2010)

any idea on how much a full grown electric blue JD sells for?.. also would you happen to have any juvies for sale?


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

bae said:


> Don't take away the hiding place -- it will just make the stress much worse.
> 
> JDs grow very large and he'll need a 50 gallon tank minimum, Under good conditions, these fish can grow fairly fast. They present a large bioload and in addition to good filtration need a lot of water changes to keep the nitrates down. Since the fish will soon need a large tank, you may want to reconsider whether you can keep him or not.


I second this, Larger tank required.


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## Techie (Nov 5, 2011)

Newbie question is 38 gallon tank enough for a pair of JD?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

while they are sub 3" maybe....but they will soon outgrow that.


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