Jack dempsey coloration

[c_paan]

Hi I just bought a jack last nite, its markings are similar to wat i see all over the place, but it isnt a dark grey or greenish color ive seen, its a very light color with a slight greenish tint.

I was wondering do they change color as they grow? The jack is only 3/4 of an inch still. Do the females and males coloration differ?

Also I have a firemouth too, its gills are a bright red and flare when being teritorial, very cool! But Ive also seen them with more red under there neck area, will it get more vibrant red as it grows too?

 

[420Loach]

im not sure about the firemouth, i still havent found one that would be a suitable size to go with my JD. ive had my JD for about 2 months now, and the colors are slowly changing. when i first got him he was a dark black with a black spot on his tail and back. now he is more of an olive color with dark stripes and blueish-gold spots, slowly coming in as he grows(not covered yet) and the convict i have has a red and blue tinge in the bottom of the body and on the dorsal fin, and is white with black stripes overall.

 

[SoulFish]

some get more vibrant some dont, as far as the firemouths go, how large is it, if it is still small it will probably get redder

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Cichlids get their coloration as they grow.....your jack is still young and small and its coloration will come with time.

All Cichlids.....Well MOST are VERY hard to sex at young immature stages because of lack of color and other reasons. They will gain more vibrant colors as their life progresses.

 

[c_paan]

thanks everyone.

 

[420Loach]

hey c_paan, hows your jack doing? mine is growing like a weed now! he went from 31/2 to four inches in a week and a half

 

[c_paan]

all three of my cichilds ar gettin bigger and bigger, another week and ill have the 55gallon set up and ready to go, and not a moment to soon. Th e jack dempsey, is getting bigger, you can see it alot in its front profile, he is much wider then the others in the tank. Hes still only about 1 1/2 to 2 inches though.

 

[420Loach]

well thats some good growth! i feed mine mostly flake, but he also gets cichlid pellets(medium) and tubifex worms, and brine/ghost shrimp when i can get em. what do you feed yours?

ive noticed that his color spots are all in but very dull at the moment, theyve filled in around his eyes and head and all his fins minus his tail are filled in. what other cichlids do you have in your tank?

 

[c_paan]

i feed them the same as you, except, not the shrimp, I have gotten them small guppies a few times. Hes still a dull grey but his spots are very bright and vibrant. I have a electric blue ahli, a very bright blue color, looks great! And a firemouth. He started off as the small pushed around fish of the tank, but he is now larger then the other two and is definetly the bully, for now.

I have alot of rocks set up and ready to be put in the tank, will creat alot of edges and caves, I also have bought a few peices of driftwood. This should definetly give each fish a territory and stop fighting. Im just waiting to pick up the 55 aquarium and away i go!

 

[DarthV]

A dempsey should have a very dark body color if it is not stressed and happy in the tank. Mine almost has a black body right after a water change...looks awesome with the blue/green scales. Definitely the fastest growing cichlid I've had... bought him at about 1 1/4" in the 3rd week of July and now he is pushing 3.5" ! Eats like a horse and is always at the glass waiting for food.

 

[c_paan]

It has gotten very dark, such a beautiful fish with the specs od gold and green. I have moved them all over to the 55g and they seem much more active now. Before they just all sat in the space and only came out to get food after i left. now they zip all overthe tank and seem to getalong better now too that they have more space.

I noticed yesterday, a big hole in the sand around a cave. They must have made this. Weird though they are only maybe 2 inches at the most this hole isquite large and the tank is over 20 inches high with the water level still below 2 inches from the top. but some how they dug this hole and splashed water all over the place!

 

[420Loach]

my jack loves to splash as far as the sand holes, both my convict and JD dig hole in the sand to sit in at night. when i turn on the lights in the morning i usually catch em sitting in the holes or near them. personal space markers i guess.

 

[c_paan]

crazy fishes