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I have 200-300 Jack Dempsey fry. This is the first time any of my fish ever spawned. The dempsey's seem to be amazing parents, I'm blown away by how they both take care of thier young, but how long will they keep this up? They are in a 110 gallon. I put a devider to keep oscars and plecos away, so there is no threat from other fish. I can really use some advice on what to do or not do in order to have as many survivors as possible. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Last edited by Dave at 02-Jun-2005 19:14

Last edited by Dave at 02-Jun-2005 19:15

i'm no expert on these fish but i think the parents will guard the fry till they are a substancial size(say 2cm)
so i would leave the fry in there for a while but yu probably should seek advice from some more experienced members

keep a eye on the parents, when they start to clean there breeding spot again it will be time to get the fry out of there or mom and dad will eat them so there is no threat to the next batch of eggs that they are about to lay, about a month to two months after each spawn they will be getting ready for the next spawn

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an bacon and egg breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Freejoe, does that mean they are gonna do this every couple of months? And, will they most likely lay the eggs in the same spot? Thanks, Dave P.S. excellent birthday!!!

Last edited by Dave at 03-Jun-2005 17:25

Last edited by Dave at 03-Jun-2005 17:29

yes once they pair up they will reproduce like bunnies, and they often will continue to lay in the same place but sometimes they will seek out a new spot

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an bacon and egg breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Spawning location will depend on the other inhabitants in the tank by and large. If the pair has felt that the spot they have located is easily deffensible they will continue to lay eggs there. A sure sign that a change is coming for the next batch is if the pair begin to shuffle the fry around in the tank looking for a new home. As to how long you can leave them in the tank, typically you can leave them in the tank 4-6 weeks, which is avg turn around time on a spawn cycle. At this point your fry should be in the 3/4 to 1" range and swimming all over the tank driving mom and dad nuts! If you decide to press your luck by leaving them in longer than 6 weeks, do a daily spawn check. As soon as you see eggs its time to activate the emergency broadcast network and evacuate. While the jacks won't actively seek out and eat the old batch, they won't hesitate to eat them if they get to close to the nesting site.
An interesting side note here, the jacks will still continue to protect the first batch from other predators while trying to defend the new batch of eggs. A serious conflict of interest occurs here, "do I eat this lil guy, or chase that one off?", usually both, first the chase, then short term memory sets in and we have lunch.

Last edited by tanker at 06-Jun-2005 14:56

Last edited by tanker at 06-Jun-2005 14:57