FishProfiles.com Message Forums

i have two jack dempsey's one male and one female in a 30 gallon aquarium with a firemouth. i bough the dempsey's hoping that they would pair up and breed. is there any way to encourage them to pair up and breed?

There really isn't any way to encourage them to pair up. It's kind of a game of chance. If you get lucky and they pair up they will surely kill the firemouth over territory. On another note a 30 gallon tank is not big enough for all three of those fish. In fact it's not even big enough for one Jack Dempsey. They can grow up to at least 9". In order to keep those fish you will have to at least get a 40 gallon breeder. Even better yet would be a 55. If you want to get a pair your best bet would be to get a 55 gallon tank and buy 6-8 young Jacks. The chances then of you getting a pair increase significantly.

i know that the tank is too small, but i have been really lucky. i once had two jewel cichlids, two firemouths, two clown loackes,two cherry barbs, and a pleco in it. no one killed each other. are there any kind of cichlids that would breed in a 30 gallon?

yeah convicts

a single breeding pair of any Cryptoheros or Thorichthys species would be fine in a 30 gallon. This includes:

Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus (convict0
C. nanoluteus
C. sp. 'Honduran Red Point'
C. sajica
C. spilurum

Thorichthys meeki (firemouth)
T. helleri
T. pasionis
T. aureum
T. maculipinnis
T. sp. 'Mixteco Blue/Gold/Green'

These are not full lists of each genus, rather these are species you're most likely to be able to find. Some of these, however, you'd have to special order.

Jason