# JD pair, and FM



## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Hey Guys,

Do you think a pair of JD's would be ok in a 55UK gallon tank (66US Gallon or 250 Litres) with a FM, Tiger Pleco and Bristlenose Pleco?

Just wondered if the aggression of JD's would be too much for a FM to handle? My FM is an aggressive little bugger anyway but doesn't really do anything any damage like a JD can do. The FM is only 3 inches in size though at the moment

Thanks,
Chris


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## Belial (Dec 28, 2013)

if the jacks are a breeding pair they will eventually destroy the firemouth


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Would my FM be able to handle the JD's when the JD's are at a smaller size (they are currently like 2.5 inches in size)? I guess ultimately I will need to remove the FM. I currently have 5 JD's in the tank as I am trying to pair them up. When (if) I eventually get a pair, i will remove the FM. Would love to keep him so hope I can persuade the misses to allow me a new smaller tank for him, but it is pushing it as I already have 3 lol


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Once your pair forms, you'll have to yank the 3 remaining JDs and the firemouth. What are the tank dimensions?


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

120L x 45W x 55H cm If memory serves correctly. Will need to measure it myself for exact measurements

I was expecting to rehome then anyway. I have always wanted to keep a pair of JD's, but they seem to be kinda hard to come by around by me! So I came across them, and just had to get them.

Would they be ok with the plec's whilst breeding? What about adding something like YoYo Loaches? I imgaine yoyo's would get a beating as they are active and bottom dwellers right?


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Hey guys, at what size can I expect JD's to develop their colourations? Currently all 5 of mine are about the same size 2 inches roughly, and all have little blue spots on them, but none look female right now. Is it still far too early to tell? At what size should I expect females to start developing their blue "smudge" as it were?


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

chris-gashead said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Do you think a pair of JD's would be ok in a 55UK gallon tank (66US Gallon or 250 Litres) with a FM, Tiger Pleco and Bristlenose Pleco?
> 
> ...


I have a 110 gallon tank with 6 JDs, 4 FMs and now 5 Mbunas along with a Chinese Algae Eater and Albino Bristlenose Pleco. The JDs and FMs are about the same size and there is no aggression towards each other. The biggest FM has claimed a corner of the tank for his own, but he doesn't aggressively attack interlopers.
The biggest JDs are ~3" and the biggest FMs are about the same. The Mbunas are a little smaller. I can say with some confidence that I have at least 2 male JDs and 2 male FMs. They have noticeably elongated and pointy dorsal fins and are more colorful.


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Got rid of the FM, so now only have 5 JD's at about 3 inches in size, and 2 small plecs.

Anyone able to set these two for me?


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

My questions have been answered, got home from work today to find this!








very pleased! 

Is it time to remove the 3 others, or should I hold back as to not disturb the female??


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Has the aggression ramped up? Are there 2 fish guarding the eggs?


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Hey, yes the aggression ramped up a couple days ago, and the other 3 fish are hanging around te top of the tank when not being chased. Currently it would seem only the female is guarding the eggs whilst the male chases everything around the tank. Haven't seen him guard the eggs as of yet really. He sometimes goes near the eggs but losses interest and goes to chase the others again


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## MizOre (Sep 20, 2013)

Pretty common that the female cichlid tends the eggs and the male (generally larger) defends the territory. You might want to either partition the tank or move the spare fish to another tank.


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Thanks MizOre. I only intend to keep the two JD's long term anyway. I wanted a breeding pair to keep in my 55 uk gallon tank on their own (currently with a bristle nose and tiger plec) So i will most likely remove the other 3 permenantly. Will these two JD's continuously pair together now, or is there a possibility they will not bother with each other again?


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## MizOre (Sep 20, 2013)

Cichlids, hard to figure. Have a tank partition handy. Dither fish help keep the pair working together better -- can be other cichlids, can be something that swims fast and lives on the top level of the tank like Astyanax aeneus or large danios. Try not pulling the fry until the parents start snacking on them since JDs aren't rare. Guarding fry tends to give them something to do other than breed again. I've got five guppies in my tank who the cichlids chase when they get frustrated with each other (I've got three breeding pairs of Convict Cichlids in an 80 inch long tank, two with fry a month old).

Bi-parental care giving Cichlids are pair-bonding for the duration of laying eggs and tending fry. After that, if they're both ready to breed again, they probably will, but in the wild or in a large tank with more mate selection and room, they might pair off differently the next spawning.


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

All 3 JD's have now been removed so just the two breeding and the 2 plecs. The pair just suddenly went mental and kick **** out of everything so had to remove them.... Plecs are not bothered at all though. Hopefully they don't turn on each other now that other fish are gone. I guess some dither fish now. Any suggestions for best dither fish for JD pair??


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

MizOre had good suggestions above. Maybe some Buenos Aires or Congo tetras.


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Sorry about that, didn't mean to undermine MizOre advice, just wondered if there is anything else I could try . I fear for the life of anything with the jds to be honest, the male is a brute and is really nasty with other JD's. If he is like it with smaller fish, they wouldn't last 5 minutes. Is it possible that the male will beat on the female if they were the only two fish?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

They could turn on one another. You have 4' tank, but they are a big fish. A fast dither fish in a large school will confuse them and be difficult to zero in on one target. It will give the pair something to focus on instead of each other, and strengthen their bond.


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## chris-gashead (Dec 16, 2013)

Cool, then I will try as get something fast and in a school of some kind. Would tiger barbs work?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Tiger barbs are notorious fin nippers.


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## MizOre (Sep 20, 2013)

The rule with dithers -- fast, expendable, and too large to swallow. You'd want about a dozen. Astynax aeneus is a common local tetra in Nicaragua. If you can find them in the UK, they're attractive enough and grow to about three inches and take care of themselves with cichlids and would be a tetra from the same region that the JDs come from. Otherwise, Silver Dollars, rainbow fish, anything that schools and is fast and not too expensive.

A couple of things will break up pairs. Major one is lost of all the fry, because loss of the fry in nature would be one being a less than competent defender of the fry or eating them, so the better parent will take exception to that. Second is getting out of sync with each other on breeding -- a male ready to spawn can be impatient with the female, or vice versa if the two are evenly sized.


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