My Jack Dempsey's Nesting

[Moses]

I paid $50 for a breeding pair of JD a few weeks ago. They have had a few batches of fry together but had a fight and never made up They were seperated for several weeks and couldn't be sold. I took a chance and got them for the Mrs and they seem to behaving themselves after 3 weeks, and the male has setup a nest in his clay pot. The female is often spotted in there with him so fingers crossed they get back together and make some sweet lovin

[Gump]

Those are pics of the same fish right? Also how big are they? Im guessing around 4". What have you done to get them to breed? feedings?

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Gump

Those are pics of the same fish right? Also how big are they? Im guessing around 4". What have you done to get them to breed? feedings?

They are both pics of the male. I added a pic of the pair together. The female is around 3.5" and the male is around 4.5". I haven't done anything special or out of the ordinary I don't think. They are in a 55gal tank by themselves with 2 clay pots and some rocks for hiding places for the female. Actually there is a 1" BN in there that I can't get out. Will probably be dinner soon.
They get feed on New Life Spectrum Cichlid pellets, Hikari frozen brine, mysis and spirulina brine shrimp as well as some feeders occasionally.
He does attack her at feeding time as you can tell by the state of her tail

As for the breeding tip, I think its just a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder

[Gump]

They are both males Moses.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Gump

They are both males Moses.

A proven breeding pair of homo JD's hey. Good call

[Gump]

Did they spawn in your tank?

breeding pairs is something a lot of fish stores say to up the price on fish and sell them to people that might not know. 50 bucks is a very high price for those fish breeding or not. and 3.5 is a very small size for a jack to breed in the first place.

I stand by my call that both are males unless you post a pick that says other wise. these fish are very easy to sex.

[rywill]

im gonna have to agree...they both look like males to me. both females ive had had a lot of blue on their face, in big blotches, where yours have jus a few spots.

[Moses]

$50 Australian dollars for starters and the female is in crap condition as I've already stated.
I've found this forum to be quite strange. There seems to be alot of fighting and I'm right you're wrong attitude. Instead of encouraging each other and providing useful information, there is just constant badgering and bickering.
Gump you say my fish are overpriced and undersized and both males, and for me to convince you otherwise I would have to provide pics of eggs or fry. My question is why would I bother? If I happened to buy 2 males or a female and male then it will either be a mistake from which i will learn from, or I will have some fry to either sell or use as food for some other fish. Providing you with an explanation or proof is hardly a priority in my life. If I made a mistake I will gladly live with it and move on.
As I said in my original post, I took a chance.

Thanks for your concern though

[Gump]

After a post like this "A proven breeding pair of homo JD's hey. Good call" you opened yourself up for me to be blunt with you. I've spent a lot of time breeding numerous types of centrals and done a lot of research on the subject so it was a good call. but the begining of the comment is why there is bickering on this site. There are a lot of inexperenced people here which is a good thing because that is what sites like these are for, but takeing what people tell you and disregarding it as bs or a lie for what you were told by a person who makes money off of you and your hobby is something you need to take into account and change your prospective. Just like anything else in this world being a good consumer can save you a lot of time and money in the long run and when your talking about live animals Id hope you at least look up some info on them before you deside to care for them.

So if i were you id try to sell back the smaller jack because they will continue to fight and eventually the larger one will grow even larger compared to the smaller one by bulling the food away from it and it will eventually be killed. (This is my personal recomendation. soak it in and see what others have to say and make up your mind off of more than one point of view.)

[Moses]

I think you have confused this thread for me asking for advice. Nowhere in my original post or any following have I reached out for the wisdom of others. It was a statement. As in look what I have not, what do I have. Do you see the difference?
You also missed out on the icon in my homo JD line. Which generally indicates I was mucking around. Either way it doesn't matter.
Talking about being blunt...

They are both males Moses.

that is pretty much as blunt as you can be.
I certainly do read as much info and talk to as many people I can to get varying opinions and experiences on fish before I buy them.

I think good ol Ron hit the nail on the head...

Originally Posted by ron v

Dempseys are very prolific. May start spawning at 2.5-3".... If you can get a mated pair. Verrrry aggressive.

Originally Posted by Gump

So if i were you id try to sell back the smaller jack because they will continue to fight and eventually the larger one will grow even larger compared to the smaller one by bulling the food away from it and it will eventually be killed. (This is my personal recomendation. soak it in and see what others have to say and make up your mind off of more than one point of view.)

Not quite sure what this sentence means. Females will be smaller then males regardless of health and food consumption. Nature is funny like that. If you mean the other way, that my male will continue to grow and "female" will stay small because of not eating, she has a much bigger appetite then him and eats more. You have assumed way too much from 3 pictures and a handful of lines. Assumption is the mother of all f#*k-ups.
Thank you for your concern and recommendation and I guarantee I have soaked it up and spat it out.

[Phonemonkey]

Once you realize they were right and you have 2 males, do check back in and let us know.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Phonemonkey

Once you realize they were right and you have 2 males, do check back in and let us know.

No worries mate. I might even sell you some fry if your lucky

[Gump]

female jacks actually usally get bigger if left as the only jack. the reason females in breeding pairs dont grow as fast is because they use a lot of there energy producing eggs which are very high in protien. but i think that is what you ment.

phonemonkey, i doubt we will hear anything about it after the light is shined on him.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Gump

female jacks actually usally get bigger if left as the only jack. the reason females in breeding pairs dont grow as fast is because they use a lot of there energy producing eggs which are very high in protien. but i think that is what you ment.

phonemonkey, i doubt we will hear anything about it after the light is shined on him.

I tried a few times to read this sentence, but the spelling and grammar is terrible. No offence. I just can't understand what you are trying to say.

And phonemonkey I have no idea why you even threw your opinion in anyway...

[aaa]

they are just trying to tell you that your "pair" maybe just 2 males. they are telling you to be careful. there is a reason why they name the fish after a heavyweight boxer.

[Zoe]

Originally Posted by Moses

I tried a few times to read this sentence, but the spelling and grammar is terrible. No offence. I just can't understand what you are trying to say.

And phonemonkey I have no idea why you even threw your opinion in anyway...

I understand what he meant. I'm pretty sure you did too, but in case you didn't: Jack Dempsey females can be bigger than males, but only if they are the sole jack dempsey in a tank. Producing eggs takes up a lot of protein; females put a lot of energy into egg production that they cannot use to grow. So, breeding females stay smaller.

Anything said on a forum is fair game for opinion / commentary. These people are just trying to help. In my experience, they know their stuff! I hope for your sake that you do have a breeding pair. But in case you don't, it might be worth taking a second look at your maybe-female, no? Post some better pictures of her, perhaps? You don't have to, naturally, but what harm could it do to know for sure, I mean, 3 people just said that you have a pair of males. They could be wrong, but most probably they are right.

[Moses]