# Jack Dempsey?



## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

I bought this with other juvenile JDs, but as they get older, the rest of the JDs have colored up. This one hasn't, yet he is a dominant fish in the tank. I'm thinking he's not a JD, what do you think?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Nope, it's definitely a Dempsey. Looks a little obese, and the coloration is that of a male. The white substrate seems to be washing out the color. Not sure why he would be different from the others.


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

Mr Chromedome said:


> Nope, it's definitely a Dempsey. Looks a little obese, and the coloration is that of a male. The white substrate seems to be washing out the color. Not sure why he would be different from the others.


All of the other JDs in the tank have developed an almost black coloration. At first, I thought that he didn't color up because he wasn't a dominant male, but he is. And you're right, his belly shows that he's an aggressive eater that's first in line for chow. :lol:

Could it just be that he's from a different breeder than most of the others? He was purchased along with one other juvenile JD, which has deepened in color, BTW. Interestingly, even though he isn't the Alpha JD, he controls an entire half of the tank while the Alpha JD barely has a sliver on the other side. The tank boss does, however, travel anywhere he wants to go in the tank, unmolested by the Mbunas or other JD, protecting the other half of the tank. 
I'm planning on leveling the sand and rearranging the rocks yet again to limit territorial conflicts. So far, no aggression other than constant chasing is occurring, but some of the other fish are getting stressed a bit.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

They do have light color phases and dark color phases. That said, I'm not all that sure what is going on here.


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## greenterror66 (Jan 26, 2014)

My Dempseys color changes with it's mood. It's very common to see them like this. I have a male and female about 7" long. The color is never constant. Yours is definitely a male.


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

noki said:


> They do have light color phases and dark color phases. That said, I'm not all that sure what is going on here.


All of my other 5 JDs go through color changes from time to time. This one doesn't. It is always the same. That's what made me question that it was a JD. And it controls 1/2 of a 6' long tank, so it isn't submissive to another dominant male by any means.
This is what the other JDs typically look like.


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## dmannn g (Jun 16, 2014)

No questioning it's a jd but the color phasing is just that is a phase the shift from the color of the environment the temp the ph the the maturity of the individual and overall it just happens to be lightly colored it happens try darker substrate of introducing a female maybe he realizes it's all dudes so there's no need to put on a show either way it looks healthy so good luck hope it helps


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

dmannn g said:


> No questioning it's a jd but the color phasing is just that is a phase the shift from the color of the environment the temp the ph the the maturity of the individual and overall it just happens to be lightly colored it happens try darker substrate of introducing a female maybe he realizes it's all dudes so there's no need to put on a show either way it looks healthy so good luck hope it helps


LOL. Thanks


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