# Jack Dempsey and Salvini



## wpk22 (Jan 17, 2010)

Can a jack dempsey and a salvini work together in a 55 gallon? Well i should say are the odds good they will work.

I have a standard 55 gallon with a 4.5in jack dempsey, 4 in pictus catfish, and a 5 inch birchir.
it is pretty peaceful and was just wondering if i could add a salvini or some other type of fish to fill out the tank.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I've kept a lot of Dempseys and kept them with a lot of other fish...

But both times I tried to keep a Dempsey with a Salvini it didn't go well at all. I believe the fish resemble each other to closely in body shape therefore they have what is generally seen in "intraspecies aggression"...

You also run the risk of hybridization if they are male & female...


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## JCsicklidnewbie (Mar 8, 2010)

Disclaimer: I'm a Newbie"

Jacks have individual attitudes...I have one right now that is being bullied by a smaller fish but the Jack will chase other fish that are smaller than itself but it's nothing more than harrassment. And I have a Jack that has ran two Oscars "to ground" so you can see the dichotomy. So I think you just have to make the call based on the common knowledge. The size of the Jack, and the size of the Salvini and other fish plus the amount space the fish will have 6-12 months from now. Salivini's seem to hold there own but once the Jack surppasses the fish in size it might lead to trouble. If the Jack is larger there is no doubt it will pick on the other fish and even at equal size it may agitate the tank so I think it's your call.


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## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

I would say this _could work_. You will find plenty of people out there that have kept the two together with both good and poor out comes. I like thought that you want to know the odds of it working. I would say that the odds are not real good but at the same time it is not the worst idea I have seen on this forum. Lets call it 50:50 for arguments sake.

Mostly this will come down to the two individual fish's personality. I had a tank with both and it worked out for some time (never a problem with the two). But there were other cichlids in the tank also and it didn't work out more than a few years because there with problems with the JD and another cichlid that was in the tank. So I can't really say from personal experience if it would work or not.

I will finish by saying your odds go up with a bigger tank.


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## wpk22 (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks all for the info. I dont think I am going to try it. I figured they may have looked too similar but I was reading on other internet sites that they go well together but I am a bit cautious. My JD has the attitude of a three year old girl. It is a male and it is a big baby. It got bossed around by a convict that was smaller than him and by a pictus cat for a bit. He now is the dominant one in the tank because I gave away the convict to a friend. I am thinking of another tank mate for him.

Do you think I am overstocked with a pictus, jd, and a p. senegallus birchir? I am not sure if I could put another cichlid in or get some type of other fish or school of fish? Thanks again for answering my newbie questions


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## wpk22 (Jan 17, 2010)

I am thinking of getting a 75 gallon tank on craigs list and am going to move the jd into the 75 gallon for sure. I would like to keep all of the fish and I will have an open 55 gallon. What do you think I could do with both tanks. Do you think I could do a pair of convicts or firemouths and a pair of salvinis for the 55 gallon? For cleanup I would get one more pictus catfish and maybe put the p. senegallus in the 55. Would this be enough or too much?

For the 75 I would like to put the JD in it with a rainbow shark, peacock eel and some other type of cichlid. What do any of you suggest that would work out peacefully in this tank?


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## thor meeki (Sep 12, 2008)

I would change salvini to a firemouth, add alot of hiding places, keep the bichir, keep the pictus cat, & add like 6 small dithers. 
That's darn close to what I have now. lol


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## Blademan (Sep 20, 2008)

I would try it, just with a female Sal. I have a female sal with a JD, with no issues in 9 months together.


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