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would a 4 inch or so jack dempsey, a 2-3 inch pleco and a 6.5 inch polupterous palmas work in a 20L. I also have a free 20 tall. Right now there all happy in a 40L.
Thanks -Dane-

that tank is not big enough for the dempsy by itself


chris

It might sound strange to you as they are small now but both will get too big for that small tank.

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Keith

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A Jack Dempsey grows to be 8 inches long. In addition to its physical size, there is the not inconsiderable matter of its very strongly developed territorial instinct. A Dempsey needs a 55 gallon on its own, and preferably something a bit bigger. Keep it with other fish, and a 125 is nearer the mark to reduce the chances of wholesale warfare breaking out in the tank. Which, once sexual maturity is reached, if an ever-present threat with any decent sized Cichlid. In the case of the Jack Dempsey, you know how it got its name? It was named after the last white World Heavyweight Champion boxer. Because when it decides to pick a fight with another fish, it adopts the same tactics as the aforementioned boxer. Go in hard. Which is how Jack Dempsey, the boxer, kept his title for so long - steamroller into the opposition and don't give them a chance to fight back. In the case of the fish, once the red mist descends over the eyes, it takes no prisoners. A big Dempsey in a bad mood is going to unleash a world of hurt upon anything that crosses its path.

In the case of your Polypterus palmas, again we're looking at a large fish. One that reaches 12 inches in length, and is therefore one of the smaller Bichirs. What does it need on its own? It would probably live in a 55, but a 75 would be better. With other fish, prefeably a 150 upwards.

The idea that those fish will be even remotely catered for adequately in a 20 long except as very young juveniles while waiting for MUCH larger quarters is a complete non starter. Both are big fishes, and in the case of the Dempsey, this fish will, if not given adequate space, turn into a hardcore criminal in the aquarium that will solve its overcrowding problem with brutal simplicity - kill off the opposition.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Cali,

My comment is a bit off topic but I must say it. I absolutely love the way you write. It's a pleasure to read your comments which are sound, logical and down to earth, mixed with a twist of humour that I find exquisit !

English is not my first language but that does not prevent me from appreciating the beauty of the texts you write.

Keep it up !!!

Sponge

Cali, correction Jack Dempseys can get up to 14" in the wild, but usually stay under 12" in captivity. I've personally owned a 10" male JD, an' he was psychotic/insanely agressive

I had him in a 29 gal ('twas the biggest tank my parents would let me get, I wanted to get him a bigger tank, but they said 'NO!!!' ). I think he was more agressive than normal because he was in a 10 gal 'till he was ~7-8" (until I could get the 29 )...methinks the small space agitated him in some way or another... I dunno. He'd attacked me on a number of occasions, once he even jumped out of the tank to bite my hand when I was doing something

Anyway...20 gal is WAY too small for a JD an' other fish... I vote AT LEAST a 75 gal for all of them

HTH

Dempseys can hit fourteen inches???

Wow.

I knew they were chunky and muscular, but 14 inches puts them into full-grown Oscar territory. And given how bad tempered Dempseys can get when they feel they're unduly crowded, that means a big adult needs ... a 125 gallon to itself?

I know I'd be looking at a 125 as a baseline for Oscars, and preferably something a good deal bigger (200 gallons plus), but basing my tank requirements on a Dempsey reaching 8 inches, I'd have thought a 75 for one on its own and a 150 for one with companions. Have to revise this upwards in a BIG way now ...

Given how solidly built a Dempsey is (you look at a good healthy specimen head on and its a chunky fish), at 14 inches it's practically a food fish in size.

Waffle, if you can get me some pics of these 'Arnold Schwarzeneggger' Dempseys, I'd appreciate it! Especially if there's something else in the photo that allows size to be gauged with reasonable precision.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

My dempsey died before I had a decent digital camera...so I don't have any decent pictures of him, but I do have a few that gauge his size decently, I think... I'll have to post them up when I get home (at school right now)...

[link=http://www.cichlids.com/wiki/index.php/Cichlasoma_octofasciatum]http://www.cichlids.com/wiki/index.php/Cichlasoma_octofasciatum" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

That site says they get 7-10"...


Will post back up tonite

Alright, I found 4 pictures of my JD an' his tank... mostly of his tank an' how he destroyed it, but yea...









Sorry I don't have any pictures of him next to anything that would show his size better... he was rather reclusive and it was difficult to get a decent picture of him at all... I never even really thought to take a picture that would show how big he was...

He was just over 10" when he died. I've been told by several cichlid people various websites that JD's can get 14" in the wild. Maybe some cichlid-literate people would have some decent links [/font][/font][/font][/font]