Hello!

[Melaniser]

I live in south east England, our local water is very hard. I have just started my new 77 gallon tank and I'm soooo excited about it. I've been running a 24 gallon tank for just over a year now but still consider myself a newbie - I don't fully understand all the science yet but I'm learning. Last year when I was a complete newbie I made the mistake of putting a young Jack Dempsey into my 24 gallon tank, I followed the advice of the LFS at the time who said it would be fine. Fast forward a year, the Jack Dempsey is now bigger than my iphone and way to big for the existing tank. Hence my new 77 gallon. I've posted a question over on the cycling forum about cycling my new tank.

I really want to get it right this time, I'd be interested in what people advise would be good tank mates for my Jack Dempsey once I can transfer him to the new tank. There is also a small bristlenose catfish in the old tank who does a good job keeping the algae at bay, although he's still the same size as when I got him a year ago, and there's a yellow lab too who is the same age as the Jack Dempsey, they seem to get along fine.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

That’s great you now have two tanks up and running!

@Wills or @HoldenOn may be able to offer some advice on suitable tank mates for Dempseys.

Hope to see you around the forum.

 

[Wills]

I live in south east England, our local water is very hard. I have just started my new 77 gallon tank and I'm soooo excited about it. I've been running a 24 gallon tank for just over a year now but still consider myself a newbie - I don't fully understand all the science yet but I'm learning. Last year when I was a complete newbie I made the mistake of putting a young Jack Dempsey into my 24 gallon tank, I followed the advice of the LFS at the time who said it would be fine. Fast forward a year, the Jack Dempsey is now bigger than my iphone and way to big for the existing tank. Hence my new 77 gallon. I've posted a question over on the cycling forum about cycling my new tank.

I really want to get it right this time, I'd be interested in what people advise would be good tank mates for my Jack Dempsey once I can transfer him to the new tank. There is also a small bristlenose catfish in the old tank who does a good job keeping the algae at bay, although he's still the same size as when I got him a year ago, and there's a yellow lab too who is the same age as the Jack Dempsey, they seem to get along fine.

Hi welcome to the forum

The 77 gallon sounds like a much better home for the Jack The Bristlenose should be fine to keep in there. The Yellow Lab is not the best choice but sometimes Central Americans and Africans can work but the Lab will limit your choice of fish to go with them both as you need to go more on the harder side of things.

I'd be tempted to say no more cichlids - unless this is specifically what you want to do?

Good candidates for tank mates would be Rainbow Fish - any of the larger species like Turquoise, Bosemani, Parkinsons would be great. And Synodontis Catfish, again any of the mid sized ones would work great like Eupterus, Cuckoo, Angelicus.

Both groups of fish like the harder water and both are tough or fast enough to live with the JD and the lab.

Wills

 

[nik_n]

American cichlids would be suitable tank mates for Jack Dempsey, both north and south. So oscars, blood parrots, angelfish etc. Giant danios (zebra danios but just much much bigger) Would also be a good match, they are big and swim very fast and you could get a whole school of them and have Jack be the centrepiece fish. Or get 1 or 2 more Jacks and make it a spices only tank.

 

[Melaniser]

I'd be tempted to say no more cichlids - unless this is specifically what you want to do?

So oscars, blood parrots, angelfish etc.

Thank you both. I am not wedded to it being a species only tank. I shall research all of these recommendations. I like the idea of a school of giant danios with Jack being the centrepiece. I'm not familiar Rainbow fish but shall research those too.

I feel confused now though because i'd read previously that Angelfish would make good companions too - that was my original choice - but the fish shop said no.

 

[nik_n]

Which fish shop did you go to? If the store isn't specialized in selling fish they can often get some things wrong. Even if it is they are, usually they can still be mistaken. Just talk to more than one person. I'm no expert I haven't kept Jack before but if you get bigger angels I don't see a problem.

Rainbow fish is another schooling fish. Similar to giant danios but more colorful. They can also be more expensive, but it depends on the type you get.

Regardless I still urge you to do your own research.

 

[Wills]

With hard water I'd go for Centrals not Souths. Souths generally need soft water where as Centrals are a much better match for you.

Angels of any size and JDs are a no go, makes me wince! The long flowing fins of the Angel will just get destroyed.

Wills

 

[SAChichlidLover]

I live in south east England, our local water is very hard. I have just started my new 77 gallon tank and I'm soooo excited about it. I've been running a 24 gallon tank for just over a year now but still consider myself a newbie - I don't fully understand all the science yet but I'm learning. Last year when I was a complete newbie I made the mistake of putting a young Jack Dempsey into my 24 gallon tank, I followed the advice of the LFS at the time who said it would be fine. Fast forward a year, the Jack Dempsey is now bigger than my iphone and way to big for the existing tank. Hence my new 77 gallon. I've posted a question over on the cycling forum about cycling my new tank.

I really want to get it right this time, I'd be interested in what people advise would be good tank mates for my Jack Dempsey once I can transfer him to the new tank. There is also a small bristlenose catfish in the old tank who does a good job keeping the algae at bay, although he's still the same size as when I got him a year ago, and there's a yellow lab too who is the same age as the Jack Dempsey, they seem to get along fine.

Hello welcome to the forums! I hope you're having a great day! Anyways I've never owned one so I'm going off of the advice I was given when I wanted one, because of the dempseys nature I'd reccomend something similar size possibly bigger and from around the same native environment (I make mistakes of buying fish from different environments all the time and from my experience it doesn't go the best way it could especially with more aggressive fish) a friend of mine in the past once had a jack dempsey in with a green terror and some silver dollars and that seemed to work out fine unfortunatly I'm not in contact with him anymore but hopefully that gives you some nice ideas? Please correct me if anything I have mentioned is either wrong or not reccomended as I am going off other peoples experiences not my own.

 

[Melaniser]

Hello, that’s helpful, thank you for the advice

 

[Melaniser]

Thought I’d share a pic of the setup so far.

My fish shop tested the water today and said I could move my bristlenose into it now to help mature it but to wait a few more weeks before adding the other fish.

 

[ClownLurch]

Wecome to this place.
Im SE England too. (Herts). Water is insanely hard as my sig shows. I can’t give you any advice though I’d have Rainbow fish personally if my tank was big enough.
A combination of this place and checking out all your fish choices on seriously fish.com should see you ok choice wise.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.
Stay safe.

 

[Wills]

Thought I’d share a pic of the setup so far.

My fish shop tested the water today and said I could move my bristlenose into it now to help mature it but to wait a few more weeks before adding the other fish.

Tank is looking awesome! Love the 3D background, I really want to get these in one of my tanks one day.

The advice from the shop is a bit unusual... have you put the bristlenose in there? Did you transfer any filter media in from your other filter to the new one?

When I upgrade tanks and filters, I just put all the sponges and media into the new filter and move all the fish at the same time. The majority of your beneficial bacteria is in your filter, there will be some in your substrate but not enough to cause major issues. Eg I went from a 3 foot to a 4 foot and the 3 foot stood empty as soon as the 4 foot was full, and again the same process when I went from a 4 foot to a 6 foot and did exactly the same.

I'd personally recommend moving all your filter media and fish into the new tank and filter now rather than wait there is no real need to wait, I'm acutally worried you've put the BN into an uncycled tank which will be exposing them to the ammonia they are producing. I'd also recommend getting your own liquid test kit rather than relying on a shop, the API kits are usually about £25 and last for years.

Wills

 

[Melaniser]

Thank you Wills, no I haven’t moved the BN over yet - I wanted to see what the advice was here first. The two filter media compartments are completely different sizes so I don’t think moving would work - I’ve gone from a 110litre to a 350 litre. I was planning on a fish less cycle but they said today you could introduce one or two hardy fish early on to help mature it and suggested the BN. Although my BN is called Houdini for a reason - if I want to move him now I’d have a hard job finding him - he’s still very small.

I’ll tale your advise on the liquid test kits - I only have the test strips but by all accounts they’re not hugely accurate.

the only thing I want to do now is add a few plants to my tank.

oh I also had to tie the wood down to the rock with plastic cable ties - that will be ok won’t it? I saw lots of posts where other people have done that so hope that will work.