what do i do???

[krystalsohun]

well guys i have found out who the king of my tank is it's the dempsey he killed the terror yesterday:scry: so now he is two inches big all alone in a 100g tank. knowing that he already killed my oscar and gt. i was wondering if there was anything out there that could live with him? I know it's probaly a no but i was just wondering.

[Demjor19]

A 2" Dempsey killed an Oscar and a Green Terror in a 100gal tank? That doesnt even sound right. Is the tank aquascaped? You need to keep the tank decorated as to break territories up.

[krystalsohun]

yeah its right i had them in a 40 gallon the dempsey started to get aggressive, so i got a 100 gallon. they were all about 2in. as soon as i put the dempsey in the 100g he killed the oscar. then i finished setting it up and well my gt was killed. I have amozon swords about 6 inches high and anubius nana in the tank right now. also put some flowerpots in and a pvc pipe bend there is lots of wood and rocks that make caves and i even put a bubbler right down the middle to kind of give a bubble wall to break site and well all i have left is my mr. unruly.

[iZinedane]

i agree,
put lots and lots of hiding places, driftwood, plants etc.
to break up territories as already said.

[krystalsohun]

I already did that and he still killed the terror with in two days of being in a 100g.

[Demjor19]

Maybe try a more aggressive species as a tankmate? Although then you may be looking at the opposite problem occuring.

Something else that may work is a larger less aggressive cichlid. Maybe a 4+ inch severum. That way he would possibly appear more intimidating to the Dempsey, yet not want to kill it. Just a thought.

[krystalsohun]

that is a thought however the dempsey attacks my hand during tank cleaning he's really not afraid of anything. my husband tried to stick his hand in and the dempsey flipped out. so my husband tried to see if chasing him with his hand would get him to back down and well the dempsey bit him lol

[krystalsohun]

In all honesty this fish makes me so mad i want a fish that will give him a run for his money but not really kill him. any suggestions.

[Demjor19]

In all honesty this fish makes me so mad i want a fish that will give him a run for his money but not really kill him. any suggestions.

I have some that will make him lunch. :hmm3grin2orange: j/k!

Dovii, Jaguar, Red Devil...these will all for sure give him a run for his money, but will also possibly kill him in the long run (they also get pretty big). This is always a touchy situation. I guess you could try some things, but be ready to remove & separate them if it gets too ugly. Part of being a good fishkeeper is knowing when to intervene.

[robflanker]

put the fish back in the 40g for now

[Lab_Rat]

Why not just give him the tank to himself?

[Honey Badger 1]

since the JD is so aggressive i would put him back into the 40g by himself, and have fun restocking the 100g.

[Northernguy]

Rehome the fish or give it its own tank.
Restock the 100gal with freindlier fish.You now know what to avoid!
Sorry to hear about your fish!

[thatcichlidguy]

Jeebus, where are you guys finding all these aggressive juvie JDs?

The obvious is that this little fellow wont be tollerating any tankmates, so he's going to have to be kept solo. I'd just stock the 100g with new fish and leave the JD in the 40g for now . The upside is that you get new fish! I love getting new fish.

[Demjor19]

Jeebus, where are you guys finding all these aggressive juvie JDs?

The obvious is that this little fellow wont be tollerating any tankmates, so he's going to have to be kept solo. I'd just stock the 100g with new fish and leave the JD in the 40g for now . The upside is that you get new fish! I love getting new fish.

I second that! I have never seen a Dempsey that acted like this...I mean they can be a little agro, but not to the point of killing/biting things...especially when in a more than big enough tank. Putting him in the 40 by himself and restocking the 100 is probably the best option.

[krystalsohun]

how long can he stay in the 40 gallon?? i read at least a 75 for him once he is full grown. and if that is the case i think i'll save myself some money in the long run and keep him in the 100 and put maybe some africans in the 40 gallon?? only problem with that is that my ph pretty much stays at 6.4 for out the tap and in the tanks. what do you guys suggest for the 40. I also might rehome him to someone who wants a looney fish. and get more ca/sa for the 100gallon. to me he's just not pretty enough to be by himself in a tank. he is still growing though so i might just wait until he comes into his colors.

P.S. could he maybe be wild caught and no one told me?? that might explain his aggressiveness?? I dont know he's just so bad. and the gt did get a chance to fight back apparently cuz the jd has a cut on his head.

[thatcichlidguy]

He can stay in there for a while , they start to slow down on the growing a bit around 6" or so. You'll just have to play it by ear . I think he'll be fine in there for a good bit though. I don't think he's wild except in personallity. Wild dempseys are pretty rare, though there are a few folks selling them. It's possible the GT fought back some , but if he did it sure wasn't near enough. Oscars and GTs are pretty wimpy untill they get some size on them normally.

[sandypants]

Wow! Um- your fish is a jerk! I agree with the 40g on his own and stock the 100 with something NICE.

[krystalsohun]

I dont want something Nice i dont mind aggression but its like everything else only in moderation. my husband wants to put in a crawfish so he can try to catch the dempsey. i told him crawfish cold water and plus the dempsey would have him dead in minutes. I even turned the temp down in the 100g to 74 and he's just crazy. ant ideas on how to avoid getting bitten when he gets bigger? also any ideas on what to put in the 40gallon? i'm gonna keep him in the 100g so that he's happier. he likes to swim from one side through the bubbles to the other side lol. I do want an aggressive spieces for the 40 gallon just not a serial killer lol

[krystalsohun]

Wow! Um- your fish is a jerk! I agree with the 40g on his own and stock the 100 with something NICE.
he is a jerk you want him lol.

[Crispy]

I doubt your dempsey is wild caught. They are so easily bred in the aquarium trade that there's no need for WCs.

[krystalsohun]

well maybe his father was his bother and he's inbreed with stupidness and meanness lol. what should i put in my 40g thats aggressive but not serial killer status?? also whatever i put in there i want it to be able to stay in there. as i live on the second floor of an apartment and already got 100g and a 40g (lots of weight)

[Demjor19]

I dont want something Nice i dont mind aggression but its like everything else only in moderation. my husband wants to put in a crawfish so he can try to catch the dempsey. i told him crawfish cold water and plus the dempsey would have him dead in minutes. I even turned the temp down in the 100g to 74 and he's just crazy. ant ideas on how to avoid getting bitten when he gets bigger? also any ideas on what to put in the 40gallon? i'm gonna keep him in the 100g so that he's happier. he likes to swim from one side through the bubbles to the other side lol. I do want an aggressive spieces for the 40 gallon just not a serial killer lol

Can I see a picture of this fish? It does not sound like a Dempsey to me. I'm not saying I dont believe you, but i would like to see this fish just to remove any doubt. Pics please?

[thatcichlidguy]

I dont want something Nice i dont mind aggression but its like everything else only in moderation. my husband wants to put in a crawfish so he can try to catch the dempsey. i told him crawfish cold water and plus the dempsey would have him dead in minutes. I even turned the temp down in the 100g to 74 and he's just crazy. ant ideas on how to avoid getting bitten when he gets bigger? also any ideas on what to put in the 40gallon? i'm gonna keep him in the 100g so that he's happier. he likes to swim from one side through the bubbles to the other side lol. I do want an aggressive spieces for the 40 gallon just not a serial killer lol
If you want something aggressive that would be fine in a 40g, Firemouths and Cons certainly fit the bill. Most anything else with attitude/aggressive will get too big. You could do rams or apistos, plenty of attitude and aren't psyco killers like a lot of CAs tend to be.

I'd like to see some pics of this guy too, the aggression level seems so far out of step with a JD.

[Demjor19]

I'd like to see some pics of this guy too, the aggression level seems so far out of step with a JD.

The aggression seems more like that of one of the Guapotes. My male Dovii when young was actually sold to me as a "Dempsey"...although I did know it was a Dovii. This definitely has my curiosity going.

[bushwhacker]

a 2" jd serial killer seems way out of line to me too... get a pic of him

[krystalsohun]

I had the same thought in another thread i saw a pic of mrchkiller's salvini and i thought i saw my "dempsey" but everyone pretty much agreed that is a dempsey. but here's a pic tell me if you think different. sorry they are cell phone pics.

[Demjor19]

That's certainly a Dempsey...just a mean one I guess.

[krystalsohun]

I didnt think he'd be this mean either i figured i had a good trio the jd gt and oscar all the same size. all moderatley aggressive usually start aggression around 4-6 inches. but i had to get the pycho dempsey i guess.

[thatcichlidguy]

Really goes to show that each fish is its own individual when you deal with cichlids. Even so , this one is just nuts. I can only imagine what he'll be like when grow up. Looks like you have yourself a wet pet.

[Cristoff]

I'm thinking a "shock Collar" if you can get it on him...:hmm3grin2orange:



In all seriousness, I have absolutely nothing of value to add to this thread, but for some reason the image of a fish with a shock collar just gave me a chuckle. Sorry for the derail...

[red eyes]

craw fish are not cold water they can live in 95 degree water.
let your hubby have his fun ;)

[krystalsohun]

they arent cold water i seemed to have thought they were. cool looks like my hubby gets to get a crayfish. we'll have to see what happens. if the dempsey goes after him then we will just move him in the other tank.
find me a website with shock collars small enough and they might have a sale lol.:hmm3grin2orange: