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no offense green monkey, but my jack dempsey is 9 inches now and he's still young. i have seen 10-11 inch jacks and 5 inch convicts. I repect your opinion, but I really feel that's a bad move.

I had a friend who had an Oscar and she wanted a tank mate for him. well, she brought a JD and now she just has a JD. The Oscar did put up a good fight but lost.

try taking the JD out then add a convict and leave him alone in the tank for a week or two then put the JD back in

by the way there is a very large cave, and some wood to create hiding spots, think it will make much of a difference?

It seems to me as if it would have to be a female dempsey or nothing, ive been looking for one for ages but the local stores only get them when people bring them in, otherwise its only the little 2 inchers and that would be a snack for my fish. Damn canada and its lack of good fish. Also i think wickermanim is right about the convicts, that was why i was asking, i was surprised when the fish store dude suggested them because im almost positive my jack would make a quick kill out of a convict. Thats why i was wondering about putting them in with numbers. any ideas? anyone know where i could get a female dempsey?

Jacks and cons arn't in different classes a full size male con can get 6" while a full size jack would get 9". Thats not a lot of difference for a fish intent on killing. That no comparison like a pit bull and a poodle.

If he's that bas DO NOT get a convict. My Dempsey would destroy a convict (and I have some mean convicts!) A girlfriend/boyfriend might work or a similiarly dispositioned fish OF SIMILIAR size. Fish like convicts migth be plenty mean, but a mean poodle isn;t going to beat a mean pitbull - that;s just common sense....

No offense to the Convict of course, but Jacks are in adifferent weight class...

Now you are going to get 100 people posting about how their convicts beatup/kil Dempseys - fine.... but I think it is safe to say mean and big beats mean and little most of the time...

Im thinking about a convict just becuase they are quick enough to evade his attacks, he is aggressive but very slow and clumsy. I'm only worried because he started in a 20 gallon tank with another dempsey but he killed it, i recently baught the 65. Hes been alone for his whole life and I just want to add to the tank because as it is he has much more psace than he needs, and i thought it would be nice to have some variety in the tank. Is it true i should add 3 or 4 smaller convicts or terrors? I juss dont wanna screw him or any new fish up you know? i hate to see a fish suffer.

Actually, funny thing, although the JD and Oscar fight alot, the JD loves his catfish....Hows this for Phsycology... The oscar used to hound the catfish, but the JD defended it and even helped it making a hidey hole with gravel, if Oscar harrassed the Catfish, Jack would fight him off...go figure ?? ~What a world, I'm melting etc !!

Say no to an Oscar, my friend "Had" a lovely Oscar, bought a JD, the Oscar starts on it frequently, but looses. It now has a cloudy eye and bitten fins, it is about 3 Inches bigger than the JD but now in quarantee and in bad shape, poor liitle sod has head rot now from stress to boot.

I would get a convict they will show it who's boss

a green terror would maybe be ok. other wise just let em be.

Don't put anything else in with him. If you know that he's agressive then don't even try. He will be fine alone. He will be more personable if alone.

it really all depends on how aggresive the dempsey really is, mine gets along fine w/ a jag and a terror in a 55 (yes i know it's overstocked, they're movin' to a 125 soon) and she leaves my pleco alone, as for a tankmate, u COULD try getting a 2nd dempsey of the opposite sex, or another larger fish that the dempsey would avoid such as raphel cats, just an idea

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