Help With my Dempsey

[jkun17]

I recently bought a Jack Dempsey and it's living in my 10 gallon tank by itself. I noticed that it will always shy away from the light when I turn the lamp on and only swims around when I have my lamp off. Needless to say, watching my fish behind a rock is not the reason why I bought it. I also noticed that it would only eat its flakes (if at all) when I turn off the lamp and leave my room. I am extremely worried that I might be doing something wrong or that it may be sick, I don't quite know what I can do to provoke it to come out once in a while without aggrivating it.

The pH is slightly lighter than 7.0 and I have been feeding it 2 times a day and 3 times every other day. Assuming that it does not like the lamp, I keep the light off except when I check to make sure it isn't infected.

 

[BlueIce]

how big is the fish?
Jacks can be very shy..especially if they are alone. I suggest a large tank with some other fish .

 

[jkun17]

It's about 4 to 5 inches.

I'm also wonder how I can make sure it's eating.

I only assume that it's eating while I walk away.

What can I put in there to make it more open?

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

are you planning on moving this fish to a bigger tank?
my 3 JD's were in a 30 gal tall, and were VERY nervous. whenever something would move outside of the tank, they would dart back into a hiding spot. then when i moved them into a bigger tank, they seemed to be more active, moving around alot and swimming. still after a while the would always hide again. i think it may be because the tank was to small but im still not sure. it doesnt sound like hes sick, just sounds like hes very nervous.

 

[mwm]

ur tank is way to tiny man my jd's are 9" and 6" and they are both pansy

 

[jkun17]

Is a 10 gallon really that small?

I got him at Petco and the "Fish Expert" there suggested that I could even put two in the same tank.

I guess I'll have to start looking for a bigger tank if that's the case.

My greatest concern is that I can never monitor its eating because it's never around when I am. Is there anything I can do, maybe a special kind of feeding box I can buy, that would allow me to monitor how much it's eating?

All I've ever kept in the past are bettas and gold fish. This is the first larger fish that I've ever delt with so I guess I'm a bit of a newbie again then.

--

edit:

Ok, I've just been re-arranging things in my tank and used some paper to block some of the light from my lamp. My Dempsy is now up and about, but whenever I come near my tank, it retreats behind a flowerpot and doesn't come back until I'm about 6 feet away.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[juanveldez]

yes a 10 really is that small ideally for a single JD you are going to need at least a 30 gallon but bigger is often better. secondly try to get the JD on a good pellet made for cichlids, I personally use Bio blend pellets by marineland labs or omega one pellets, the marine land pellets have a higer amount of protein in them than the omega one pellets but both are excellent.

now to the other part about your JD being shy, I guess mine is the exception as he even takes food from my hand, but I have heard from many JD owners that their fish are shy, it is a common trait I suppose. then on the other hand it took 2 years for my JD to really get to like me, give it time and alot of work and your JD will reward you for it.

 

[jkun17]

Oh wow... I think I'll just return him.

This is getting much much more complicated than I had expected. Particularly with the 30 gallon tank. I neither have the space nor the money for something that large.

I'm just feeling so confused right now. The Fish Expert at Petco told me that a 10 gallon would be more than enough, but I suppose she must have been wrong. I'd really like to keep it, but seeing as it's becoming more trouble than I'm capable of handling, I guess I don't have much of a choice.

Seeing as I'll have an empty 10 gallon tank in a few days, what could I put in its place?

I'm looking for something that's particularly colorful and interesting to watch as they dart around. My first thought for my 10 gallon was some kind of school fish. I was thinking of using Mollies, as watching a live birth might have been fun to watch, or something like that. Something different.

Thanks for all of your help, but I guess I wasn't prepared to move onto large fish just yet

 

[drunkenmonkey]

The "fish expert" probably doesn't really know what she is talking about. she's only concerned about one thing: getting your money. members on this board are MUCH more knowledgable than the average pet store employee (there are some good ones...) good job on deciding to take the jack dempsey back though, 10gal is way too small.

a lot of people like putting one betta and a school of small cories in 10gal tanks. they are both peaceful, and won't bother each other because they live in different sections of the tank (top/bottom respectively). livebearers are also popular for smaller tanks. ask on the general section for more suggestions

 

[David]

A nice pair of dwarf gouramis would be my suggestion, or a pair of rams. You could offset their brilliant coloration with a small school of neon tetras, and 2-3 cories for a cleanup crew.

A word of advice... don't listen to fish store employees before testing their knowledge with a series of obscure questions that only a true fish person would know the answer to, and always research a fish before you buy it.

 

[mwm]

I would say a pair of rams would be cool