# Help with TankMates!



## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

First Time Post!!

Hello All,

I need help with some tank mate ideas, at this point I feel like I'm playing Tetris and I really don't know where to go from here!

Here is a quick backstory on how I got here... 4 months ago 0 tanks, now 4 tanks(10g hospital,2 40gal tanks, 30gal tank). I was given one of the 40gals and the 30gal along with a 4-5in "goldfish".... Well the goldfish actually is a Red BloodParrot....

Now I have 40gal with just the BP in it, the 30gal as community with guppies,tetra's,etc...) another 40gal with an EBJD & Blue Cray (both bought 2 months ago)..... And finally I got a 72x18x24 125Gal tank that isn't set up yet (should have it going by May)

Well story behind that is the LFS told me that if I got the EBJD and Blue cray both really young and let them grow up together they would be more likely to get a long and it should work. After getting them and researching it I thought he was nuts and was worried but low and behold.... The cray is now 4in and the EBJD is 1.5 to 2in and they play around each other and no issues at all! I've found that feeding 4 times a day 1 shrimp pellet seems to keep the blue cray full enough that he doesn't even try to go after the Jack and with 5 cave-like hiding places for him to Molt in the EBJD leaves him alone too....

So my question is I'm hoping I can get lucky and have lightning strike a couple more times and if I get a few more fish young enough to not immediately eat the cray that when they get bigger they will be used to him and I can stock my 125gal with more than just 2 things. The BP is so aggressive that I just don't think adding him to that tank is really an option.... Any suggestions on where I can go from here on tank mates to introduce and get everyone used to each other and then transfer them to the 125 tank in a few months.

I have pics, once I get to a webserver to host them on I can throw them up for viewing.... Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Welcome to the site. I will get an awnswer to your question shortly.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I'd probably wait until the new tank is setup.
As far as tankmates, try a forum search for 'JD tankmates' or 'jack dempsey tankmates'. As I'm not a CA aficionado you may have to wait for the experts to chime in regarding specific stocking for your tank size.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

I would suggest that you wait until you have the 125gal setup before purchasing anymore fish. Once you get the 125gal setup you will have a very wide range of stocking options. Any fish in particular your really wanting?

As for the crayfish, I have not kept one before so I can't really speak from experience. However, I would be weary of them around smaller fish as they can and will grab a hold of them and eat/kill them.

Good luck.


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

Wanted to reply back. There quite a few things that we are looking at and are kind of open to any of these. I haven't done any research on them yet myself (realizing quickly this hobby is a lot like my programming job you have to research like crazy to get things to work :thumb: )

If anyone has any info on any of these and if they would work in a 125Gal tank with a Electric Blue Jack Dempsey and are not prown to eating crustaceans please point them out.

Thanks,
Will

Pleco's
watermelon
Peppermint
Green Phantom
Royal

Cichlid's
hapochromis kyoga	flameback
cyathopharynx foai	moliro
caquetaia	myersi
neolamprologus nigraventris	
convict	pink
tropheus	moorii	moliro
tropheus	moorii	kambwimba
cyrtocara	moorii	
flowerhorn warrior
herichthys	pantostictus	
otopharynx lithobates	
pseudotropheus	
lethrinops	
terror	green
firemouth	
aulonocara stuartgranti mdoka
pseudotropheus socolofi pindani
lamprologus buescheri gombi
tramitichromis intermedius	
discus turquoise blue
cynotilapia afra white
discus cobalt blue
discus royal red
copadichromis azureus	
flower horn
paracyprichromis nigripinnis neon
tropheus duboisi	
Acara Blue
Scatt (brackish) Ruby or Green
Gymno_uruguay


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

That's quite the list as you have included species from pretty much every region. I would first suggest you narrow your down your stocking options by choosing a region to stick with and then choose cichlids only from that area (ie: African, Central American or South American). Your current cichlid, an EBJD, is a Central American cichlid.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

I kind of feel like saying, get rid of the Dempsey. Youll have so many options w/o it, same with green terror. That list is huge. Discus definately no. Like above said pick a specific region. Easier to suggest from there with a fish you like the most, then grow a list around it.


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

Cool, I can do more research to see what fish we like from each region then go from there. Litterly the above list is just everything we thought we liked based on looks. As I had stated I have done no research on any of the above mentioned fish, we were going on a store's list of fish we could get from a LFS within driving range of us. I had planned on researching things just wondering if anyone saw anything that was an immediate no. Like the Discuss was mentioned and with just a quick little research I now know why, they require exact opposite water conditions of a EBJD


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

As far as the discus yeah, but i see them as a expense risk without a ton of experience under your belt. Most will say they require such perfect water, but i've also seen in person they can be kept in not so perfect water. Big enough tank, awesome filtration it can be easily done. Just expensive fish. They are a fish i would keep in a tank by themselves. They are awesome fish. Amazing colors, unique personality. If i didnt move so much i'd start a planted discus tank myself.

PITA part of liking so many fish is, not being able to keep them all together. I'd just pick that one species you really want, then work around that one.


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

Revised List
Again I haven't done any research on these other than to narrow down the region. I decided to go with "New World"/Central American Cichlids as tank mates for the Blue CrayFish/Electric Blue Jack Dempsey. If you see anything that is an obvious no just shout it out, otherwise I will start doing reserach to figure out the temperment and/or ability to keep these in a 125Gal tank with the EBJD and Blue Cray.

BTW I did find out something neat the other day, the blue cray and EBJD actually sleep in the same hiding spot in the early morning right beside one another and no issues at all. Think I might have lucked out with them getting a long well!! :dancing:

Here's the new list until I can research and narrow it down.
Cichlasoma tetracanthus
APIST. BAENSCHI
GOLD RED SPOT SEVERUM 
APIST. BORELLI 
FLOWERHORN KAMFA 
FIREMOUTH
LONG FIN BLUE GERMAN RAMS
ELEC. BLUE BALLOON RAM
JEWEL CICHLID
SNOW WHITE PARROT CICHLID
SALVINI CICHLID
RED DRAGON FLOWERHORN
BLUE ACARA CICHLID
GOLDFLAME FLOWERHORN
TITANIUM FLOWERHORN
KEYHOLE CICHLID
KRIBENSIS CICHLID
BOLIVIAN RAM CICHLID
GREEN TERROR CICHLID
German Blue Balloon Belly Rams
Crenicichla saxatilis
POLLENI CICHLID
Geophagus brasiliensis
FLOWERHORN CICHLID
ELECTRIC BLUE RAM

Thanks for the help!


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

Ok, well didn't expect to do this tonight but got in the mood and didn't want to work on programming :roll: so I decided to do research and whittle the list down considerably on my own. Here is what I came up with of things that would potentially work with my EBJD and even my blue cray as long as plenty of "molting" places that these fish can't get into as they mature are in the 125gal tank.

Any advice on these is welcomed especially if you have experience keeping these! I feel my stock for my 125 is here somewhere in this list and any help moving forward is awesome!

Cichlasoma tetracanthus 
APIST. BAENSCHI potentially, found a little bit on this "inca cichlid" but not sure on this one!
GOLD RED SPOT SEVERUM 
APISTo. BORELLI 
FIREMOUTH
Blood PARROT CICHLID (especially if gotten as a juvi) 
SALVINI CICHLID
BLUE ACARA CICHLID
KRIBENSIS CICHLID
Geophagus brasiliensis

Still need help picking out a pleco as well. The choices are
watermelon
Peppermint
Green Phantom
Royal
Adonis
Rhino
or Clown Loach as a cleaner, especially since EBJD is an insanely MESSY eater! (should get large enough the cray won't bother it shouldn't it? especiall if I buy one larger than the cray to start with?)

FYI I don't want to breed nor do I plan on trying to keep a breeding pair of anything.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

You still kind of have a odd combination of fish on your list. You have a mix of both Central and South American cichlids, which is fine, you just need to keep in mind each species general demeanor. I would go ahead and cross off all of the Apisto's as well as the Kribs. Most Geos like to be in shoals (3+), so unless you plan on keeping a few of them, I'd cross them off your list as well.

That leaves you with the following...
Heros severus (Severum)
Thorichthys meeki (Firemouth)
Cichlasoma salvini (Salvini)
Aequidens pulcher (Blue Acara)

All of these have the POTENTIAL of working long term together however nothing is guaranteed when stocking a community of cichlids. If I was to pick a trouble maker out of that list, it would have to be the salvini. From my experience, they really pack a punch for their size.

As for the plecos, any would really do. I would just pick one or two you like (and can find) and go with them. I am rather fond of Bristle Nose plecos. They stay small and are great at keeping algae at bay.

As for adding a Clown Loach.. they too like to be in shoals. The the more the better, so I would advise at the very least getting 3 of them.

Hope this helps and good luck.


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

You've helped me a ton so far Chris!! After talking with the wife and researching things here is kind of where we're looking and of course wanted to get some more input to ensure that overstocking isn't an issue.

Here is the filtration I've heard a lot of people say great things about, again any advice here is welcomed!
2x SunSun HW-304B 5-Stage External Canister Filters
2x Lifegard Fluidized Bed Filter

Each SunSun will be flowing into the Lifegard then out and into the tank.
Substrate is AquaTerra Aquarium Sand

The list of stock we have agreed on is 
1x Blue Acara
1x Firemouth
1x Salvini
1x Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
1x Blue Crayfish
1x King Tiger Pleco
2x Blood Parrots (1 will be juvi so I don't know final adult size, the other final adult size is 6in he's 4yo now)

Is it possible to add a school or are we to dangerously close to overstocking as is?
if a school is possible which of the below would you suggest?
3x Clown Loach/Geophagus Brasiliensis


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## TnAWill (Feb 14, 2013)

It's been a while since I've posted any updates. Everything is coming along pretty well. Been buying stuff a little at a time getting everything we want/need for the set up of the 125g. Still haven't picked/bought the filtration system yet, kind of waiting to hear some advice one way or the other.

We have bought all the stuff to do custom decorations and some "ready" decorations as well. So here is the list and some pics of what we have:
1x 12in floating log (zoo med) pretty cool and will be big enough around that some of the fish should be able to take advantage of it.
6x what would call Zebra rock(looks a lot like the phantom tiger pleco we chose so I thought it would be cool camo for him)
6x lava rocks
1x red rock decoration
2x cans of Great Stuff Pond and Stone insulating foam (water/fish safe)
6x cans of Krylon Fusion paint (water/fish safe) colors are clay, black, brick red, dark green, stone wash, light brown
2x tubes G1 Waterproof clear silicone
2x Large Driftwood pieces
1x 4ft section of 12in PVC pipe
1x 4ft section 10in PVC pipe
1x 4ft section 8in PVC pipe
Goal is to cut the PVC pipe and make a custom built stacked cave/pyramid type structure for everyone and take part of the 12in PVC pipe and cut it in a half cresent shap prolly shaving 4in or so off so it gives the cray a nice lower level to craw through that the rest of the fish can't really get to.

Next buy will be the lighting. I've settled on 2 36in Nova Extreme Pro units each with Zoo Med Coral Sun/Ocean Sun lights.

Here's the pics of the some of the stuff (will get the pics of the driftwood tomorrow).


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