DevonCichlid Posted September 24, 2013 Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 I just picked up 5 juvie Jack Dempseys for my empty 90g. I'm curious if I should add a few more to increase the odds of getting a pair out of them and maybe mitigate the casualties by overstocking. The tank is overfiltered and will get weekly 20% water changes so water quality shouldn't be an issue. Obviously they are too young for sexing so right now it's a roll of a dice to see how many males and females I get. The goal is to get a pair out of the ones I purchase and then trade in the others before any casualties pile up. On a side note, the JD are about the same length as the danios I used to cycle the tank. They are much thicker but they are hanging out like buddies at feeding time right now. I just find it interesting how thngs in tanks can be like that and then in a month or so the danios would be at the bottom of the food chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremoose Posted September 24, 2013 Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 (edited) I just picked up 5 juvie Jack Dempseys for my empty 90g. I'm curious if I should add a few more to increase the odds of getting a pair out of them and maybe mitigate the casualties by overstocking. The tank is overfiltered and will get weekly 20% water changes so water quality shouldn't be an issue. Obviously they are too young for sexing so right now it's a roll of a dice to see how many males and females I get. The goal is to get a pair out of the ones I purchase and then trade in the others before any casualties pile up. On a side note, the JD are about the same length as the danios I used to cycle the tank. They are much thicker but they are hanging out like buddies at feeding time right now. I just find it interesting how thngs in tanks can be like that and then in a month or so the danios would be at the bottom of the food chain. To be honest with you, you probably won't have casualties for a VERY long time from aggression. I overstocked my 140g like crazy with juvenile cichlids I like, thinking that I was going to have to thin out the herd as aggression got bad when the fish got larger... That was over a year ago now and I have several 6" plus fish (Midas, Dempseys, Fenestratus) that get alone happily so far *knock on wood*. That tank has over 15X turn-over rate for filtration. Assuming a good water change regimen and appropriate filtration (which you have), you may be able to keep all 5 together even if you get a breeding pair, permanently. I find Dempsey's get an undeserved bad reputation. EDIT: if they're cheap, I'd pick up one more Dempsey to ensure a pair. Typically 6 is the number of juvies people buy to mathematically guarantee the chance (like 99%+) of at least one male and one female. Edited September 24, 2013 by jeremoose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahsfish Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I had luck by getting a pair out of 4 jacks. So 5 should be good. Make sure once you see any getting pick one remove them immediately. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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