Electric blue jack dempsey

[bertie 83]

Has anyone kept them? I have heard they are not especially aggressive unless spawning is this true? Saw one today and fell in love. Do they keep their colour when full grown? I have run down my tanks massively but feel a little empty now. So onto of a dp or f8 tank I was thinking about one of these and a couple of well chosen tankmates or a pair not sure.

[RTR]

I have no recent experience with the Electric Blues, but I did keep them back when they were new to the market. Then they were significantly smaller than the species type and for me significantly less aggressive - which could be no more than the size difference. Back then they were demanding on water quality - the regular JDs are not at all - I don't know if that is still the case, but should not be an issue for you in any case. A lot of culling was required if you are interested in breeding them. I did not keep them long-term. They were dramatic, but I still like the species type better. Fully mature JD males are still among the best looking Cichlids IMHO. They are best kept for me with end-end tanks with a second pair (to preserve the feamale's life), or as a singleton if don't want to breed.

[GSPicthus]

I currently have a 4" EBJD. They are very passive! something about the blue gene mutation makes them passive.

Tank mates- I had mine with cherry barbs and cardinals for a long time they did very well. Now he is in with a small 2" Frontosa. They will not do well with african cichlids like most LFS seem to suggest. Most people have a problem with them stressing out and dying within a few months if they are kept with larger more aggressive fish. I recently tried introducing some small labido chromis and a white zebra cichlid thinking because they where so much smaller they would do alright (they are about a 3rd the size of the EBJD). The yellow labido chromis are doing ok but the white zebra beat the crap out of my EBJD so the white cichlid went away. The EBJD hides more now that the labido chromis are in there so I am watching carefully. I think a species tank might be the way to go with EBJD's.

Coloring - EBJD's coloring changes as they mature. The loose the ice blue they have when they are juveniles and go through this sort of ugly teenage phase. I still think they look cool during this phase they get a lot of black blotches and there fins and much of there bodies are shades of blues and greens. As they grow the black fades away and is replaced by more blues and greens.

I really enjoy mine but they are very sensitive fish and stress out easily.

[bertie 83]

Thanks guys. I will think about this, I really like them

[RTR]

I would never co-house them with any Africans - they do not speak the same language. That is asking for trouble.

[bertie 83]

I was thinking a couple of my dwarf cichlids which are semi aggressive, they spent a lot of time with dp's. They never got nipped and ruled the roost. There is always a backup plan if I see any aggro either way. Might just get a pair tho and go species

[GSPicthus]

Dwarf cichlids may do ok. I would make sure the EBJD is bigger and he is in the tank first.

[bertie 83]

Hmm species only is safest I suppose. They are £80 for a pair

[GSPicthus]

That sounds like the best idea. Like I said before I didn't have very good look with the more aggressive tank mates. Smaller community fish worked fine. Keep me updated on how it turns out.

[bertie 83]

Will do, thanks again

[RTR]

Invest in a mirror to place at one end of a long tank. Males need an outlet for aggression. A similarly-sized Cichlid would be best, but mirror is netter than nothing.