# Jack Dempseys acting strange or normal?



## Hllmarcus (Nov 19, 2014)

Hey guys i bought 2 jack dempseys i believe they are paired. One is a lighter color and the other has beautiful colors.
Its very rare i catch them swimming out in the open and i have never seen them eat there is a lot of extra food on the bottom of the tank because of this. I dont think its a problem with the tank because i bought a small albino Oscar 1 day after them and she/he is doing amazing, is very friendly comes up to greet me when i walk in my room and loves chasing food but he swims very slow but imagine its because he is still very young. I have tons of hiding places in the tank he could go into but never does. on the other hand my jack dempseys hide every chance they can while a light is on. Im thinking of just returnin the jack dempseys and getting another oscar because they appeal to me more and i love active fish. any thoughts on this?


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

first question is what size tank is it (gallons and dimensions)? my thought is u probably have two males. two males will want nothing to do with eachother. most likely 1 will kill the other before too long


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## Hllmarcus (Nov 19, 2014)

I have a 55 Gallon tank. and they are always hiding or swimming together.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

ok. sry i misunderstood. i thought they were staying away from eachother. dempseys that i have had have always tended to be a bit skiddish, but i had them in with some nasty fish. long term this will not work either way. the oscar needs at least a 75 by itself when grown, so u will need to upgrade. if u keep all 3 then i would suggest a 72"x18" tank(125+ gallons).


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## Hllmarcus (Nov 19, 2014)

Yea i know im getting a 180 from my grandparents this upcoming summer for passing 11th grade. I just need to know why they wont eat i changed the tank around some and they seem to be exploring alot more now.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

how long has tank been running? water are your water parameters? how long have the fish been in the tank?


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## stalefish83 (May 22, 2014)

sumthinfishy said:


> water are your water parameters?


Haha, I like this question


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

am i missing the joke?


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## Hllmarcus (Nov 19, 2014)

I tried to test the water last night everything seemed normal but the ph was kinda low... will that effect eating? and i did about a 80% water change because i needed to take all of the sand out. They seem to be picking at the algae tabs i put in for the catfish and pelco. is this normal? i spent a lot of time around tank last night watching them moving slowly so i don't scare them and they seem to be popping out and checking me out. at least the smaller one is. the bigger one usually will haul ass if anything moves and he/she sees it.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

please list all readings. how long has tank been set up? and yes depending on your water quality eating and mood will be affected


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