The Jack Dempsey cichlid fish is named after a former heavyweight boxing champion, since it is a strong and energetic fish. It is a sturdy fish that is easy to care for, but due to its aggressive temperament it is not recommended for novice aquarists. In Spanish speaking regions, this fish is called Mojarra castarrica or Riquiraqui. In Poland, it is known as Pielegnica niebieskoluska, Germans call it Achtbindenbuntbarsch, and finish speaking aquarists know it as Helmikirjoahven. The scientific name for the Jack Dempsey is Archocentrus octofasciatum. The species forms a part of the genus Cichlasoma in the Cichlidae family.
Wild Jack Dempsey cichlids can be found in North and Central America where they inhabit a region that stretches from the Papaloap¡n River in southern Mexico to the Hondurian Ulua River in Central America. The Jack Dempsey cichlid is often found in muddy canals, drainage ditches and swamps since it appreciates murky and slow flowing waters. In the coastal plains of Central America you will find warm and slow moving streams that are ideal for this cichlid. Since the wild Jack Dempsey cichlid lives in waters with a muddy or sandy bottom, it is naturally a good idea to use such substrates in the aquarium.
Today, the Jack Dempsey cichlid has been introduced to waters outside its natural region by man. You can therefore find breeding populations of Jack Dempsey cichlids in the United States, Australia and Thailand. In Thailand, Jack Dempsey cichlids are produced in aquacultures for the aquarium trade. From these aquacultures, Jack Dempsey cichlids have frequently escaped into the wild since the first Jack Dempsey aquacultures were established in Thailand during the 1950s. In the United States and Australia, the Jack Dempsey cichlid populations most likely originate from specimens released by aquarists. The warm waters of Florida are today home to a wide range of tropical aquarium species from all over the world, including the Jack Dempsey cichlid. In Australia, the most notable Jack Dempsey populations are found in out-flow creeks in the state of Victoria and in cooling ponds used by a power plant. The Australian Jack Dempsey cichlid populations are however showing signs of decline.
The Jack Dempsey cichlid is not included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and you can find thriving populations of Jack Dempsey cichlids in its native region. Since its minimum population doubling time is less than 15 months, it is resilient towards over fishing. In the aquarium trade, the commercially bred Jack Dempsey cichlids are common.
As mentioned above, the Jack Dempsey cichlid is easy to care for in the aquarium but considered unsuitable for inexperienced aquarists since they might find it difficult to handle its aggressive temperament and counteract violent behaviors. Jack Dempsey cichlids are often kept their own aquariums instead of community aquariums or habitat aquariums, but you can keep this cichlid with other species if you select tank mates carefully. Avoid standard community aquarium species, since they tend to be peaceful and will become bullied by the Jack Dempsey cichlid. Aggressive species of similar size that can fend for them selves is a much better choice. Avoid keeping more than one Jack Dempsey cichlid in the aquarium, and avoid species that look similar to the Jack Dempsey cichlid since they may be perceived as enemies by the Jack Dempsey cichlid. It is also very important that the aquarium is large enough for the Jack Dempsey cichlid, and decorated in a way that makes it possible for the cichlid to claim a limited region as territory.
Arranging a suitable home for a Jack Dempsey cichlid will require some dedication from the aquarists, but it is well worth it since the Jack Dempsey cichlid is an energetic and extremely beautiful fish that will add action as well as color to the aquarium. It will also adapt to most water conditions, so it is really not difficult to keep once you have learned how to master its aggressive temperament. In a well kept tropical aquarium your Jack Dempsey can live for 8-10 years.
One way of calming down a quarrelsome Jack Dempsey cichlid is to keep the water temperature down. The recommended temperature range for a Jack Dempsey cichlid is 72-86° F (22-30° C), but many aquarists make sure that the temperature never goes above 78° F (25.5 degrees C) since warm water can increase the aggressiveness in some Jack Dempsey cichlids. Regardless of temperature, the Jack Dempsey cichlid will always claim its own territory and defend this part of the aquarium. As mentioned above, the Jack Dempsey cichlid can adapt to a wide range of different water conditions. The preferred pH range is however 7.0-8.0, and the dGH should be kept between 9 and 20.
An adult Jack Dempsey cichlid can grow up to 10 inches (25 centimetres) long and must be provided with plenty of space. Do not house it in an aquarium smaller than 45 gallons (170 litres). If you plan to keep it with other fish, the recommended aquarium size will naturally depend on these species as well.
In the wild, the Jack Dempsey cichlid inhabits densely grown waters. Plants are however often avoided in Jack Dempsey aquariums, since the Jack Dempsey likes to eat live plants and can destroy them. You can instead use flowerpots, caves, rocks and wood to form natural borders in the aquarium and make it possible for the Jack Dempsey cichlid to claim a limited territory. Since the Jack Dempsey cichlid is fond of digging, you should avoid substrate with sharp edges. A barren bottom, or a very thin substrate layer, is also inadvisable. Heavy objects that can injure fish if they fall should be placed directly on the glass, since they might fall when the Jack Dempsey cichlid digs around.
jack dempsey digging holes (4) raising jack dempsey eggs away from the parents (2) Why are my Jack Dempseys digging a hole (2) how do jack dempsey cichlids act when ready to breed (1) jack dempsey fish kissing (1) My breeding pair of Jack dempsey cichlids fighting (1) Why are My breeding pair of Jack dempsey cichlids fighting chasing (1) Why has My breeding pair of Jack dempsey cichlids started fighting chasing (1)
Are Jack Dempseys only found natively in North and Central America?
How can you tell a male j.d. from a female?
the top fin ( dorsal ) is pointed for the male and female is more rounded. But its hard to tell until they are a little older
the male is more colorful and bigger and has more color on his face.the female is smaller and less colorful.
My female jd has lost her colour and I dont understand why
because shes stressed out or the gravel isnt dark enough.try putting in some stress coat.
Jack Dempsey fish do vary in colors and change often depending on stress, mating and light changes.
I’ve found that when my female turns a lighter color she is stresses or angry. It’s usually cause I’ve introduced a new fish into the tank or me playing my music too loud and too long near the tank.
I am starting my first community tank tommorrow (1-12-08) I have a 72 gallon bowfront aquarium and plan on stocking it with 1 tiger oscar and 2 Jacks. (preferrablly of the same sex) Is this sufficient enough space and what advice would you give me? Thanks
Hey guys, that sounds fun. Sure that’s a huge tank for only 3 fish. How big are they now?
You might find that at first the dempseys will have a problem getting used to the oscar. Being that they’re both aggressive fish.
I put an oscar in with my jack and within 24-48 hours the oscar was dead.
Just a question i have 2 jacks one is a male due to his major colorfulness and the pet store got me a female so we believe because our male was being to aggresive!! The are great together and now i have harmony in the tank! However now my female seems to be digging holes in the rocks.. She has 3 different pit like holes i dont know if she is trying to nest or what she is doing?? any help if she is trying to have babys with the male should i put a certian rock down to help her??
Becca, they don’t typically lay eggs in rocks or gravel. Usually jack dempseys clean off a spot on something smooth like slate or the smooth side of a rock. It typically has minimal water turbulance and something they can defend if there are other fish int he tank. You can see a similar setup here when breeding jack dempsey fish.
my jacks just bred in my 55. the female is a unique color she is almost all black and the male is coverd in speckles. they are only 3 inches is that rare? i thought they had to be atleast 4 to breed.
Nice Zack, did you happen to take any pics of the babies or eggs?
Yes that is rather small for them to be breeding. Any pics of the parents?
I want to start a pair of JD’s (male and female) in a 55g tank. Is 55g’s big enough to house them for the next year or so and is sex easy enough to determine with certainty when purchasing in the 1.5″ to 2″ range?
Thanks,
Joe
JOe, yes 55g tank is good to start for 2 jack Dempsey fish. The big question is, Do you know that those 2 are already a breeding pair?
No it it very difficult to tell a male from a female when they’re that small. What I would say is to go over to this site and ask the question. He knows much than I ever will about Jack Dempseys.
Breeding Jack Dempsey
Thanks Ken. I’ll check out the site you’ve recommended and report back whatever I learn. Thanks again.
Joe
Hey how long does it take for eggs to hatch. I just noticed that on the back side of the log in my tank that the female has laid her eggs. She is being very protective of them and runs all the other fish off.
I have a 75-gallon aquarium with 4 juvenile JD’s. Two of them seem to have paired up. The male is only about 4 inches and the female is only about 3. They are simming together side-by-side, bumping sides, chasing around the other two JD’s, cleaning off the pot and piece of slate that is right next to it, and picking up rocks in the pot and spitting them back outside of the pot. Isn’t this unusual for them to be doing this at this size? Please send me any ideas you have.
Hi John, I’ve seen this with smaller juveniles before. They go through all the motions but the “parts” don’t work just yet. Not a bad thing but atleast you know you got a mating pair. Expect a long of eggs from them.
Hi, I have a Jack Dempsey fish with 2 Tiger Oscars, 1 Large Mouth Bass and a Plecostomus in a 55 gallon tank. I have had them for 5-6 years. I got them when they were about 2″ in size and now they are 12 -12 1/2″. The Jack Dempsey has gotten a bubble between his eyes. Does anyone know what this might be and what I should do?
I inherited a 55 -gallon tank from a friend (She knew I already had a 55-gallon tank, 2 ten gallon tanks, and 2 ponds). Along with it came an 8-9 in pleco. The tank was finished cycling so now that it’s ready a “reputable” store sold me a Jack Dempsey, Auratus, and Albino Tiger Oscar. They’re all the roughly the same size (for now). Unfortunately my Albino did not survive the transfer. Did one of the others torment this fish to death? Is it okay for me to keep these fish together? I have plenty of hiding places (one for each of them, with 2 spares) many plants (plastic of course). Please advise.
I last talked on July 28. Today I was looking for my female in the tank, and couldn’t see her in the open. Then I looked inside of the flowerpot that she and the male have been taking turns alternating out of, and sough a lot of little black dots moving. They are babies. I don’t know when they hatched. How do I know when to start feeding them, and if I take water out of the tank, put it in a glass, drop some frozen baby brine shrimp in there, and wait until it unfreezes, will that work for food?
I HAVE A QUESTION……..I HAVE 4 AFRICAN CICHLIDS ( 2 ELECTRIC BLUE, 1 ELETRIC YELLOW, AND 1 ALBINO) AND I HAVE 4 NORTH AMERICAN JACK DEMPSEYS BUT 1 OF THE JACK DEMPSEYS IS ALREADY 2-3 INCHES BECAUSE I HAD HIM/HER LONGER THAN THE OTHERS IS IT GOOD TO KEEP THEM ALL IN THE SAME TANK?
I have some jacks that just mated they are kinda big but not very big are any of the fry gonna make in my 55 gal tank i aslo have 3 other jacks and a oscar and a african cichlid in there to
@b-live: if the parents protect the new fry they should last a while. You’ll probably know within a few hours to a day if the parent will protect them or eat them.
Oscar will probably have a field day on those new guys. Maybe separating them would help. Good luck.
@BJ: Sure you can keep them all together if they get along. When they start to bump and kiss each other then you’ll know they don’t get along.
@John: I wouldn’t worry about feeding them. The parents will fan small food toward them constantly. Or else they’ll just eat them up themselves.
I have two male dempsis that have been together for a few months today we got a female and now they are locking lips I don’t know what to think they are at each otherI cannot figure out whether they are mating or fighting since both males and female are fighting together at the same time
I have 1 JD in a 20 gal tank and he has become very aggressive. He/she attacks the glass of the aquarium when you walk by and stays at the top by the light. He/she splashes water out and attacks the top of the water when you get close. I have had this fish for 2 years and it has never acted this way. I did feed it a baby gecko lizard I found in my house. Is there anyway this could have changed its behavior? Thanks
hey i have a 30 gallon tank (tall) and it houses 2 Black Convicts ( female and male) and 2 JD’s .. THe Black Convicts i had for about 6 months now and there finally starting to grow. the smal is about 3″ and the female is about 2.5″ but not as powerful looking as the male. i’m trying to get them to breed. but i find my female bullies all the JD’s around(there still babies) . i ust noticed a kinda belly on her but i ust moved all the stuff around in the tank before i noticed.
can u give me tips on how to sex my JD’s ones really light in color . has speckles the other has more black and striped with lots of color.. but they both have a lil red egde to there top fin..
the male will be bigger and have more color also his top dorsil fin will be pointed at the end where as the female will be rounded
i had 2 ocars and i put them together. it took them a long time to get along but it will happen don’t worry. mine took chunks out of eachother. if yours do that just keep them medicated with thr right stuff and they will get over it.
@Lisa -
hey i just got a baby jd is about 1inch and A texas chiclid but the texas is a bit bigger then my jd they get along ok but the texas somtimes the jd and i have hiden spot there in a 20 gallon and i feed them blood worms and broken in pieces chiclid pellets
I have been having a problem with my JD’s. They had been breeding about every mouth. When I would go to feed them they were always ready to eat, and would wait at the top of the tank while I was feeding them. Now they have been really skittish. Every time I go twords the tank they quickly swim away into one of the flower pots, behind some plants, or they cram under the overflow from the filter. The other day they rearranged all of the plants on one side of the tank. I have read multiple accounts and been told it is very common for them to rearrange the plants, which is the reason I sealed the tank gravel in the bottom of the plants. However, this is the first time they have done it and they did this after they started being real skittish. They also haven’t breed since they started being skittish. I have tried both raising and lowering the water temperature, and I have a digital thermometer, so I know that the temp is being raised or lowered by an exact amount. They are both not as dark as they are when they are breeding, but are still pretty dark, and I haven’t noticed them bleach out at all. Do you have any idea on why this might be happening?
that is common dont worry they mY HAVE ALREADY HAD THE EGGS AND ARE PROTECTING THEM THEY MIGHT BE WORRIED ITS OK
hey – so we’ve had a jd for a long time now in a 55 gal tank. there was a second one, but it bullied this one all the time and so this one just hid and stayed small and the bigger one was just mean all the time. then the big one got sick and died and now the littler one is alone. it seems so sad to be in there all alone all the time (and a bit boring on the outside too). is there any kind of small fish i could try to add to the tank now?
i have had my jd’s for 5 or 6 years now i have never had them lay eggs before. now i have about 75 – 100 eggs how long before they hatch. will they become mean with my sharks that i have in the tank.
i was just wondering how long it takes for a jack dempsey to grow to full size. ive had mine for about a year and a half, and when i got hom he was maybe 2 inches and he has already doubles in size. I just want to know when i should get a bigger tank. right now he seems fine in my 25 gallon, but i dont want him to get too cramped before i have the money to buy the 55 gallon one.
they may lol
I have had my jd’s for about a month and a half. Just last week I seen over 200 babies in a nest they made. I was very shocked because i didnt even see the eggs! I have them in a 44 gallon tank and they are very happy in there. They are hard workers when they have their babies and very protective. If I get close to the glass they will attack! Hahahaha! They babies after a week are now swimming all over the tank with the parents at close watch! Amazing to watch!! Anyone have any idea of when i should remove them from the tank? Its gonna get crowded quick!!
I have a 20 gallon tank and would like to get 2-3 jack dempsy fish. Is my tank big enough, and if so are there any other fish that could live with the fish?
No, 20 gallons is to small for one jack dempsey. I would have at least 45 gallons for one JD. I personaly have 6 JD in a 120 gallon tank and that is still not enough. I will be seperating the 3 couples to their own tanks to avoid conflict.
I have two JDS that i have aquired from a friend who moved to Hawaii (lucky punk). Im not sure if the are male or female? How do you tell? One is about 5 1/2 inches long and has blue and green spots. The other is about 3 inches long with black stripes and blue spots. They have lived together in a 45g tank for what Im guessing 3 years. I would like to get another fish for the tank but not sure what? Any help would be much apreciated. Thanks… I tried to take pics but they like to hide.
What can I do after my young pair of DJs hatched about 150 eggs (50% good ones, 50% white ones)and all of them disappeared into the gravel, not to be seen again?
How often do they lay eggs?
I have 2 Dempseys, an 8.5 in male and a 6.5 in female, they have lived together in a community tank(90gal) for 2 years and decided today to finally lay eggs. As she was laying the eggs he seemed to be fertilizing them, then when she was done i noticed them lip-locked and fighting. While the Dempseys were fighting, the convict and the terror slipped in and started eating eggs so i quickly transferred the eggs in water to another tank. I am not sure why they started fighting. Any ideas?
@George Shand typically its because they are all worked up and wither before or after they engage in that type of behavior. Kind of exciting to watch. BTW moving the eggs away from the parents typically doesn’t give them the best chance to survive. The parents usually protect the eggs if they care about them. Otherwise they eat them themselves or lets others.
Have you ever seen this video?
Hey guys I just have a few questions. I have a 55 gal tank with 2 Oscars(1 Tiger and 1 Albino tiger) and 2 Jd’s a female and a male and they just laid eggs in there pot that my hubby put in there and I am a lil worried about my Oscars possible eating the babies when they finally hatch. What do you suggest I do? My husband is addicted to these fish and wants to give them the best and is willing to buy whatever the Jd’s and there babies need. Please help?
elisha and tim, I would say if any Cichlid is having eggs then they need to be separated if you want to keep them. Otherwise they would probably be eaten. Either take the eggs and the parents into another tank or just take out the Oscars for now.
elisha and tim your tank is way to small to house a pair of JDs and too oscars. My pair of JDs are in a 75gal, and to get the pair I originally put 4 in there. After the pair I have now paired up, they almost beat the crap out of both of the other females. Oscars are a lot more peaceful than JDs, and alot easier to beat up. Also, even in my 75, if the female doesn’t want to breed every month to month and a half the male terrorizes the female. In a 55 you might even have to get some dither fish so the male has something else to pick on.
Thanks for the info. I told my husband and he said that he will work this whole fish tank situation out. My husband is planning on getting another tank and in a little bit get a larger tank for the fish. What color are the eggs if they are fertilized and good? I know that the ones with the white fuzzy stuff on them are bad but I don’t see any with white on them.. yeah very happy about that. Thanks again for all the help and info.
The eggs are probably decomposing because the parents aren’t keeping the eggs clean. You can see a pic of that here of jack dempsey cleaning eggs.
They should turn black. The white fuzzy stuff sounds like some kind of fungus. How often do you change the water in your tank?
Our JD is totally black and yes he has a fungus hanging from him. We have tried everything. We’ve tried:
Stress Coat
Top Fin-Water Conditioner
Mardel-Maracyn Plus Anitbacteria
PimaFix -which is what we are using now. We change the water, the water is at 74. He is not eating like he normally does.
Anyone have any suggestions?? I don’t want to loose him
Thanks
Hey guys just wanted to let you all know that my husband had a wild caught pleco in his tank that he bought at our local pet store and we found out that he ate all of the jd’s eggs. So we took him back to the store and they gladly took him back. I guess he is very rare. But to answer the question about how often the JD tank gets cleaned, my husband changes 25% water with the gravel vac about 2 times per week. This is not my tank it is his so I might be wrong.
im getting a jd tomorrow and need some advice if i keep it in a small tank will it stay small
I have 4 new 2 month old JD’s in a 10 gallon tank right now. Sure it’s big enough for them now but in 6 months they’re going to need a bigger tank.
should i feed it goldfish or what and how can i tell if its healthy
You could feed it gold fish but, gold fish do not have enough nutritriance to be a single sorce of food. I personaly avoid gold fish for that reason and use a variety of pelets, blood worms, and other small feeder fish. Good coloration is a sign of good health as well as how active your JD is. My advise is to read as much as possible on your fish and watch them daily to get to know each ones personality. If a fish begins to act out of character you might want to keep a close eye on it.
Hey guys just wanted to let you know that my paid have spawned again. No luck with the first batch of eggs but there isn’t a pleco or anything that can bug the fish or the eggs in the new tank. I just wanted to let you guys know what is going on with my pair and thank you for all of your info. I will keep you informed.
Hey newkid93 just to let you know my husband has a pair of JD’s and he feeds them Omega One Cichlid pellets and Omega One freeze dried Krill but the Krill is just a treat maybe 2-3 times a week.
If you want to feed your JDs feeders don’t feed them goldfish. They carry additional diseases that other feeders don’t. Also, it is best if you raise them yourself because petstores ussually have them in over crowded tanks that are not real well taken care of. This is a good enviroment for fish to get diseases.
Hey guys I was just wondering if it is ok if I post some pics of my JD’s? I want to know if you think they look healthy and if they are of good quality? Well I hope to post some of my pics to get your guys opinions.
Whoo hoo I just had to let you guys know that as of 3:29 P.M. today I noticed some wrigglers in my JD tank. I am so excited I wish my JD’s would let me try an get some pics of them but mommy and daddy are very protective of them. Now lets see how good of parents they really are!!!!
Cool! Elisha and Tim, it’s always great to see them in their breeding colors. It is so fun to watch them take care of their fry. The fry my pair just had make excellent food for the fry that are still in the tank. Don’t get discouraged if they don’t get it right the first time. Sometimes it takes them a couple of times to figure things out. When you start feeding your fry, make sure you do lots of small frequent water changes. The fry’s gills are very fragile, and even a little rise in the levels in your tank, that wouldn’t kill your other fish, will kill them. Also, if you change to much water at one time it can stress them out to much. Hope you have good luck, and when they start getting big, start asking around for places that will take them. Isn’t life as a fish parent great!