American Cichlids

Jack Dempsey

This South American Cichlid was named after legendary heavyweight: Jack Dempsey, although usually smaller than the average adult Oscar (8 in - 20 cm) this beautiful cichlid is considered by almost everyone the perfect match for our bully pet: The Red Oscar. Do to its aggressive behavior Oscars soon will learn no to mess with "Jack".

It's not a good idea to have a couple of Dempseys unless you have a 6 feet long aquarium, the will become extremely territorial when breeding and will kill anything that does not stay outside their limits.

The female will choose a flat surface and clean it before laying her eggs, another favorite spot will be a large clay flowerpot .

The female will tend her babies while dad keeps intruders a safe distance from the developing eggs. The fry hatch in three days at 82 degrees Fahrenheit and are fully mobile four days later. Offer them newly hatched brine shrimp or finely powdered prepared foods for their initial meal. If fed several times daily and kept under a regime of frequent partial water changes, the hardy young grow rapidly.

Because Dempsey parents are as prolific as they are diligent, few aquarists have the space to rear an entire brood of fry to independence. To avoid overcrowding and all the problems that go with it, emulate natural predation by siphoning out 50 to 75 percent of the wrigglers for use as live food, and allow the parents to concentrate on caring for the remaining fry.

American Cichlids Related Articles:

Convict Cichlid Some times called Zebra Cichlid, 2 facts are certain about these South American cichlids when it comes to breeding: 1)They are prolific breeders. 2)They become absolute terrors controlling the entire aquarium and beating the heck out of fish even twice their size.

Silver Dollar Another compatible species for your Oscar aquarium, the silver dollar (Mylossoma pluriventre) is a peaceful, schooling fish that can be kept in groups of three to six with most other community tank species of similar size.

Bala Shark The Bala Shark - Balantiocheilus melanopterus. Is this fish a good tank mate for your Oscars? I did a search on the internet and found several people that have placed them together and claimed to have no problems.

Catfish There is nothing like an exotic catfish to add beauty to your aquarium. Below you will find a list of a few South American catfishes that will make a good match for your Oscars.