# 5 inch jack pair...need a target fish.



## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

I have a 75 gallon tank with;
-1 blue gene jack dempsey 5 inch (female)
-1 electric blue jack dempsey male 5.5 inch (male)
-1 golden Buenos Aieres tetras ~2 inch
-1 high fin spotted pleco 4 inch
My male jd will get pretty agressive with he female after eggs are laid sometimes so bad she doesnt take care of them, so i need a target fish that will allow me to successfully hatch jd eggs (tough but not too tough) and wont get too big as it is only 75 gallons. 
would a 5 inch male nic work?
Any suggestions welcome, thanks.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

I don't think a male Nic would be the best choice, as they get around 10" when fully mature.

Although more of a dither role than targets, you could try adding to your lone BA tetra. Unless of course the reason you only have one is because the JD's took out the rest... :?

In that case, a male Convict would probably fill the roll well: cheap - tough- and stays relatively small.


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

My mistake I have 5 tetras haha


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

i was thinking one con but i fear **** get too aggressive toward the pair.


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## Jake Levi (Mar 2, 2009)

You will never solve this.

Box them up and Fedex them to me.

Otoh, you can try any other CA cichlid and change them out if they get too big, or eaten.

I like the first solution better.


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

haha i would not be able to part with them


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

I feel a pair of JD's shouldn't have a problem fending off a lone male convict. Give it a try, if for someone reason it doesn't work out your only out like $3... :thumb:


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

I can try that but another thought I had is a con may work for awhile but if if turns bad in the future I feel id have a very difficult time re homing a big mean convict haha. Ill give it a shot or maybe put my male firemouth in there.


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## CjCichlid (Sep 14, 2005)

Well, if you already have a female meeki you could potentially use, I'd try that first as well before purchasing another fish. Good luck.


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

Hes a male but already part of another tank but it would probably work best.


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

So it will be my solution


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

so my male meeki was a bit rough on them but hes a bit bigger than the female and about the same as the male.
i can get a con for free and most ca cichlids in my area are cheapish but just dont know what would work for life. if i do a convict would a female be a better choice as far as my jacks potentialy being bullied? also still looking at the nic id mentioned earlier but i think he 75 is a bit small for the 3 to live for life.


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## dright21 (Nov 12, 2011)

I would purchase Male Con slightly a bit smaller than your Female Meeki put it in the tank with the Meeki and let the Meeki establish Dominance over it, it creates a more docile Con IMO and then introduce the Con to the tank with the JDs, he will realize they are big like the Meeki and won't bother them until he musters the courage after a yr or so of growing which he may never muster the courage ever, and they can still do their thing while having a firm dither when things get to rough


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## mrbeadheadful (Oct 24, 2012)

There is no female firemouth guys.. -_-


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

Im not sure how the female firemouth came about. I still have not found a fish of the right size.


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## CICHLID MASTER7 (Nov 17, 2012)

I have a EBJD!You probably want the target to be a little bit bigger than the JD.


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## bluejack23 (Jan 23, 2012)

i actually found a mild con that is currently working. and mine is a softy so smaller is a must.


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