dano569

i have one 6 inch dempsey,one 3 inch,and one 2 inch.they are in a 55 gallon and i was just wondering if anyone thought it was possible to keep 3 in a tank that size.the 2 bigger ones are males and i think the smallest is a female.that would be the one i would get rid of if i had too.there is also 3 convicts,2 firemouths,1 venestus,1 livingstoni,2 plecos,and a couple of catfish,and loaches.i don't want to give that one back but i don't want them to be overcrowded either.i got her before i got the biggest one and the only reason i got that one because a friend had it in another tank and it was getting beat up.

Butterfly

Dano I don't know much about JD's but Gunnie does. Maybe she'll be by soon
Carol

dano569

thanks,i know some about them i just didn't want the female to make the two males fight all the time.i had a similar situation when i first got my convicts,i had 2 males and a female and the dominant male was even meaner.

Gunnie

Dano,
I'm afraid your tank is way overstocked. I would not have more than 2 jack dempseys in a 55 just by themselves. The venustus can grow up to 10 inches long, and really needs to be in at least a 100 gal. tank. Also, it's usually disaster when you mix african and new world cichlids. Your variety sounds like a very beautiful selection, but I'm afraid you are going to have many casualties as the fish mature and grow. Your situation sounds like a perfect excuse to get more and bigger tanks!