Are Jack Dempseys As Aggressive As Their Reputation?

[MrNiceGuy]

I've heard recently that jack dempseys aren't as aggressive as people make them out to be. how do they rate on the aggressive scale?

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

They are a very shy fish....not very owner responsive....tend to hide alot....but they do tend to act as a convict...but bigger! with other fish.

 

[snowflake311]

They are cichlids. Everyone seems to be differant. They don't read the book on what they should be like. The first I cared for Was 7" and lived with 2 oscars 8" and the oscars picked on her big time she was shy but only because of them. Then again some of them can be nasty mainly when they want to spawn.

I have a 3" EBjd he is out going but will back down to the larger blue acara that is 4". But he will chase the 2" severum nothing bad.
The ebjd is more aggressive when the temp is over 76f 80f is when he really gets ballsy and trys to start stuff. But when I have the temp at 75 he is a good boy.

So I would say they are like pit bulls misunderstod but when they are mean they can do some damage. Ps I'm a pitbull owner as well he is the best family dog but in his day he would go after bears. Kind of like a jd in a way if you think about it.

The reason people say they are aggressive is because they will kill smaller fish. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate them as 7. But when kept with right tank mates they dont seem as agressive.

 

[Zhoo]

Not to say this can be generalized to every JD out there...but mine is actually quite peaceful. He is in a temporary home with two cichlids who are considerably smaller than him (6" vs 2") and he does not pay attention to them at all. Maybe if they they are being way too cheeky, he'll lazily chase them away from his corner of the tank. He is more aggressive towards the pleco who is almost as big as the JD himself - perhaps of the perceived threat that is size related? I'm not sure. He has not hurt anyone. I have noticed however that he was happier by himself.

But then again, I don't know much about my JD. He was adopted not too long ago and seems to be a fully grown adult. Maybe he's an old gent who doesn't care to chase the #41#### kids off his lawn anymore...

 

[holidayinn]

Jack Demsey's were named after a boxer so I wouldnt class them as a 'peaceful' cichlid. If I remember rightly they were one of the earlier cichlids to be made available in the hobby and since then we now have access to a ton more CA cichlids. In comaprison with other central american cichlids JDs aren't as aggressive but every cichlid has indiv temperament, some play nice, some don't

 

[snowflake311]

Yes they were named after a boxer true.

"Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. "

Yes they were one of the first Cichlids to be sold So since no one had ever met a truly aggressive fish like the Red devil they saw the JD to be much more aggressive then the Gold fish or others that were in the hobby at the time. Giving them the rep at Aggressive. They should be called Semi Aggressive.

 

[Zhoo]

this is slightly off topic...sometimes when I watch my JD I can't help thinking 'mmmm, what a nice big juicy fish' No, don't get me wrong

But I do wonder if they are a food source in the area of their natural habitat...

 

[snowflake311]

this is slightly off topic...sometimes when I watch my JD I can't help thinking 'mmmm, what a nice big juicy fish' No, don't get me wrong

But I do wonder if they are a food source in the area of their natural habitat...

haha. They are a stocky fish. Not realy big enough to be a good catch for a game fish. I'm sure someone has ate them before.

 

[Verminator89]

In my experience they arent as aggressive as they are made out to be. I have a 4" male EBJD that is very owner responsive, regularly coming to the front of the tank when i enter the room and follows me side to side. He swims happily amongst 4 Boesemani Rainbows, 5 clown loach and a rain sucker loach. He happily lives amongst them. He also currently has a female he spawned with yesterday (first time, hopefully they rear the fry). I have 3 females, the dominant one is fine, also very friendly. The other two are separated in a second tank (my male picked his 'partner' out of the 3, so the remaining two are removed. These however are extremely timid, prefering to hide at the back of the tank.

In terms of aggression i am yet to see anything of any concern in my 2 years keeping these fish. When they were first made available in the hobby they were indeed named after a famous boxer from years ago because at the time they were parralled with his aggression. In more recent times far more aggressive species of Cichlid have been made available within the trade.

 

[jurme]

I find them to be the classic bully, if they are larger, stronger, or have more numbers, then they can be extremely violent, although I've also seen them beaten up and killed when they dont have those advantages.

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Just so people know they were named after the Boxer Jack Dempsey because the face resembles 'jack Dempsey' this is well documented and nothing to do with personality.

 

[snowflake311]

Just so people know they were named after the Boxer Jack Dempsey because the face resembles 'jack Dempsey' this is well documented and nothing to do with personality.

That is not what I read. On a few sites they said it was due to them being agressive.

" Its common name refers to its aggressive nature and strong facial features, likened to that of the famous 1920s boxer Jack Dempsey"
http/en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Dempsey_(fish)?wasRedirected=true

 

[[email protected]]

I've heard recently that jack dempseys aren't as aggressive as people make them out to be. how do they rate on the aggressive scale?

i have had 2 pairs of jd's in the past and yes they do seem to hide abit but i must of been lucky as mine have not been aggressive.

 

[england]

Ive never heard they look like him, just named after him because of there aggression, but as said there not that aggressive,mine never hurt a fly,but was named a long time ago when alot of cichlids were not known about then, beautiful cichlid if kept in right conditions

 

[~T~]

Mine have always been pretty passive but reasonably shy. Of the 2 I have just now both as passive but my special one(hes kinda deformed)is super interactive and rushes to the front of the tank and will take food from my fingers. However if they take a disliking to a particular fish they can be pretty violent.