Electric Blue Jack Dempsey Growth Rate?

My little 2 in. EBJD is in a 20 gallon long aquarium now. I have had him for around two months now with NO problems with internal parasites and such. I got him for a steal for $7.99 USD from petsmart. That is the part that scares me. People say they can die in the first couple months. I am thinking since I got him/her at Petsmart that makes the chances higher of him dying. Should I invest in a new tank now or wait some? Also what would be better a 46 gallon bow front, or a 55 gallon? Thanks.

 

I would upgrade the tank as soon as you can. I'd go with a 55g, since the bowfront tends to be tall rather than long.

I bought my EBJD at 3" 8 or so months ago and its only about 4" lol.

Also, keep an eye out for any lethargy, stringy poo. I also suggest feeding a staple that has garlic.

 

I bought an EBJD from a Petsmart and he passed away after one moth of having him, so it sounds like you might be safe. I was very confused, my tank had cycled and water quality was perfect. I then learned that in order for an EBJD to survive it has to be the offspring of an EBJD and a regular JD. When I confronted the store they informed me that they received their Electric Blues from a company rather than a breeder. Companies often time breed EBJD with EBJD. Best of luck to you and your new EBJD, they are beautiful fish.

 

Hello Jack Frost,

Hopefully you will receive some responses today!

As long as your tank is cycled, having water test readings of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and under 20 nitrates your fish has a great chance of surviving. Too, taking into consideration, tanks mates and the size of his home, if these are in tune even better chances.

Personally I would upgrade to at least the 55g. These fish need room to swim so I would go for the longest tank with the most surface area.

Hold on for more responses.

Ken

 

I'd get a larger tank as soon as you can. It's better for the fish in the long run if they are in the right size tank from the earliest possible age. I would also go for a 55gal as it has a larger footprint (more surface area) than a 46gal bow does. That means more space for the fish to get away from each other.

 

I think I already posted on a thread just like this but I'll post again. EBJDs are very touchy especially below the 3" mark. I have no idea who supplies petsmart but I wouldn't gamble on saying it is some great homegrown stock.

Just keep an eye out for parasites and hopefully it'll be fine. They grow really slowly, I got mine at around 3" early last year and its only around 4" to 4 1/2" now.

If its the same size as the ones I've seen at my local petsmart, then it was originally tiny, like around quarter to half dollar size, so if you've kept it going for a few months then hopefully everything will be ok.

I agree with above and definitely think you should get a bigger tank for it. Also, I don't know the compatibility issues you may have with your stock list. I tried to put corys with my EBJD and he kept trying to snack on them so I had to take them back out.

 

55 gl most definitely, good luck, EBJD's are a beautiful fish.

 

Wow 7.99! I paid 24.99 for mine at petsmart lol. Get a 55 or bigger for sure. I've had mine for 5 months now from a qtr size and it's growing fast I think. It's bout 2 in now. I feed em beefheart and bloodworms with flakes too. Good luck they are truly beautiful fish!

 

Interesting to read the findings of others.

For me, the EBJD is as hard as nails. Robust and reliable.

But, like all fish, it needs proper water quality as aquarist48 detailed above.

You must achieve these parameters to have success.

I would describe the growth of my fish as rapid, reaching 8" in a year and a half.

90 uk gallons is about the right size tank.

 

I was very confused. I then learned that in order for an EBJD to survive it has to be the offspring of an EBJD and a regular JD. When I confronted the store they informed me that they received their Electric Blues from a company rather than a breeder. Companies often time breed EBJD with EBJD. Best of luck to you and your new EBJD, they are beautiful fish.

The post by Rattliffc is incorrect:

EB = Electric Blue Jack Dempsey
BG = Blue Gene Jack Dempsey ( Looks like a normal JD)
Jd = Jack Dempsey

Spawning fish and result:

EB x JD = 100% BG
BG x BG = 25% EB , 50% BG and 25% JD
EB x BG = 50% EB
EB x EB = non viable 100% EB fry that do not live ( to my knowledge there has not been a spawn to live past a week)

 

Taylormade is correct. You get EBJDs by spawning EBJD + BGJD or BGJD + BGJD.

There's something in their genetics that when you spawn 2 EBJDs together, the fry are extremely weak and don't survive longer than a week.

Anyway, back to the original post, I have EBJD\BGJD pairs in 40 breeder tanks and have no issues. The 46 gallonis almost the same footprint soi think your EBJD would be fine. If you wanted to pair him with another JD to breed, it would still be doable but just a little bit tight.