Baby Jack Dempsey cichlids hatching from eggs to 8 days old. 

How and What To Feed Jack Dempsey Fry

      Congratulations, you’re the proud aunt/uncle of tiny, baby Jack Dempsey cichlids. They are tiny and yet they will soon eat crushed up flake foods and even pulverized cichlid pellets. During the first 3 days of life, these little critters won’t be eating such foods but just absorbing their protein sack. But even then, they will be nibbling around at things and possibly getting some micro, micro organisms to munch on.

     It has always been my thinking that the best nursery tank for newborns of any egg laying fish is an established aquarium. The reason being is that a good food source for these tiny fry are the micro organisms and bacteria that are covering the gravel or even bare glass bottom. Many types of bacteria that you find in an established aquarium are full of beneficial vitamins and minerals (like kids vitamins). In a newly set up nursery tank, you won’t have these beneficial bacteria and certainly not any micro organisms such as those tiny white worms you see on the glass. Those make good food for young fry.

     Despite the age of your nursery tank, you still have to provide some normal food after a few days. Now if the parents are still with the babies then they will take care of most of the feeding for a few weeks. They will, very unselfishly, accept your cichlid foods and chomp it up in their mouth, spilling tiny crumbs out their gills and mouth just over their young. It’s such an amazing thing to watch and both the male and female participate. Who ever taught them to do this? The parents try to keep the young fry in a group so that at feeding time they will all get their share. Watch the parents as they rush around the tank, sucking up in their mouth the little runts that are roaming out beyond the safety of the group.

     If you had to remove the eggs to a nursery without the parents, then your job is a bit more difficult. You must be sure to crush the food up to a powdery state to feed them. The first 10 days are critical and many of the young will probably die during this period. After a week or so, the young should be large enough to feed them newly hatched artemiabrine shrimp. Micro worms are also an excellent food source for these apprentice Jack Dempsey fish. Always take care NOT TO OVERFEED. If you find food debris on the bottom of the nursery, remove it ASAP. Feed your babies 5 times a day if possible for the first 3 weeks. Any less then that and their growth will be stunted and some will weaken and perish. As a norm, a brood of 500 fry will be shrunk down to maybe 200 after 4 weeks, even with good care and feeding… it’s the natural course of nature. 

     A 5 or 10 gallon aquarium is best for your nursery for the first month. This is so that when you feed your fry, they won’t have to wonder very far to find the food. Water conditions are not critical but stability of those established conditions are important. Temperature 72 – 82 F — PH 6.5 to 7.2 is good for fry.  But whatever parameters you initially establish, try to maintain that constant.

 Filtering is not all that important for the initial fry tank. If you’re doing it right, you’re changing about 10% of the water every day (that’s only 1 gallon of water a day in a 10 gallon tank), and keeping the bottom of the tank clean.  It’s best not to have gravel on the bottom of your nursery so that uneaten food and debris can be easily seen and siponed off.  Sponge filters are an excellent choice for your nursery tanks. This will give some filtration while creating a mild current for the young. Remember, keep the temperature stable and make sure the water you add every day is chlorine free and temperature adjusted.

     As they mature, larger food chunks may be fed, some small pieces of frozen foods and a meal of live artemia brine shrimp hatchlings every day is a great way to increase their growth rates. Raising artemia shrimp to adult stage is quite easy and will give you a great food source for older juveniles as wel as the fry grow and continue on through their intense growth period those first few months.

     Moving the fry to a larger tank (20 gallon) is advisable after 5 or 6 weeks. They will be good swimmers by then and the larger tank will give them the space they need for the coming weeks to grow out. Keep in mind that 150 to 200 Jack Dempsey cichlids in a 20 gallon aquarium is not a pretty sight after a few short months of growth. The parents should probably be removed from the fry at this time and placed back in their own aquarium. You must give thought to how you are going to house these creatures as they mature. Pet stores may take some but most will not take them under 3 months of age or 2 ½ inches in length. You will have to provide more space or more aquariums to grow that many cichlids to that size and age and have them in good health. This is the time to call on your local shops and find out who’s interested. I trade my JDs for credit towards purchasing aquarium products… no exchange of cash.

     If you’ve kept the fry in the same aquarium with their parents, I would suggest that after 4 to 5 weeks it’s best to move them to their own nursery tank. A 20 gallon aquarium is the minimum size I would suggest, depending on the number of fry you have left at this point. Parent fish often want to spawn again after about 6 weeks and they may begin to kill off some of their young if in a crowded space. When the parent JDs do spawn again, you can kiss your juveniles goodbye. The adults will see their own offspring as a danger to their new brood and attempt to clear the aquarium of them. The NEW EGGS are all important and they will do whatever to protect them. That’s how it is in “The World of Jack Dempsey Cichlids” be it in the wild or in your home aquarium.  If you have questions about this, email me and I’ll respond within 24 hrs.  jackarthur46@yahoo.com.   Have fun.

        — Jack Lamountain   “The World of Jack Dempsey Cichlids”

       If your Jack Dempsey cichlid suddenly changes its coloration, the alteration can have been caused by a number of factors. Sudden changes can be caused by mood swings, and stress can also make the Jack Dempsey cichlid dampen its colors. A varied and nutritious diet is also necessary if you want your Jack Dempsey cichlid to display really great colors. Age and health will also affect the coloration of a Jack Dempsey cichlid. If your Jack Dempsey cichlid becomes ill or experience a lot of stress in the aquarium, it can turn much paler than normal and look dull. The dots and bands will be less visible.    

     A healthy, adult Jack Dempsey cichlid will typically feature a strong purple coloration with shimmering spots of blue, green and golden. You can clearly see a dark dot on each side of the body and tail, and the dorsal side features dark bands. If you closely at one scale, you will notice green or yellowish spots against the darker background. In older specimens, these spots will gradually become less visible. Really young specimens on the other hand will not have the purple coloration of the adult Jack Dempsey cichlids. Young Jack Dempsey cichlids are camouflaged by a pale grey or tan coloration, and have bleak turquoise dots. The mature male Jack Dempsey cichlid differs from the female, since the ends of his anal and dorsal fins are elongated and pointy.   

    It can’t be stressed enough that a varied and nutritious diet  is very important not only for the coloration but for the health and longevity of your pet.  A crowded aquarium or one with constant aggression by other fish will cause stress to ALL the fish and effect many in the display of their natural colors.  Take care that you eliminate as much stress as possible, it’s a killer not only of color, but of your fish.     

            … Jack Lamountain

Q…MY JACK DEMPSEY CICHLIDS HAVE LAID EGGS. WHAT DO I DO NOW?

A…  If one day you find that your Jack Dempsey cichlids have laid eggs, just leave them alone to care for them. Jack Dempsey fish are fantastic parents from egg laying right on through to about 6 weeks what they pretty much leave them to care for themselves. 

If the aquarium is housing only the two parents, then you’re in good shape. If other fish are housed in this aquarium then you need to take other measures. (see below) With only the two parents housed in the aquarium, leave them to care for the eggs and the fry once they hatch (about 3 days). Water temperature should be between 75–80F (24-27C). The warmer the water the eggs will hatch a bit sooner. It’s important to keep a gentle current of water moving across the eggs. An air stone with a gentle flow of bubbles nearby the eggs is good. This will help keep debris from settling on them. You’ll notice that the female almost constantly fans the eggs to keep off any debris that might settle on the eggs. This debris can often infect the eggs, causing a white fungus growth on them. The female will usually remove those eggs before others nearby are infected as well. Some eggs will always turn bad, even if your water is very clean. When the male fertilizes the eggs he seldom gets every single one of them and that eggs will die.  It is best if the surface that she lays her eggs on is at or near a 45 degree angle so as to help avoid anything from settling on those eggs. If she has laid them on a flat surface in the aquarium, try to carefully slant the rock at an angle near the nesting site.

TRANSFERING EGGS TO A NURSERY

If the Jack Dempseys have laid their eggs in an aquarium with other fish then you’ll need to remove the eggs to a nursery tank before they hatch.  Even cat fish or Plecos will be a danger. They will certainly be eaten at the egg stage or the hatchlings. A 5 or 10 gallon tank is the best size for the original nursery so that the young fry will have an easier time finding food on the bottom. It’s best that you not place gravel on the bottom for ease of cleaning and the fry find food faster. If possible, place the female in the nursery with the eggs. This is NOT necessary but her care is beneficial to a high percentage of hatchlings. Remove water from the original aquarium and place in nursery tank before moving the eggs.  Be sure the temperature and PH are very close to that of the original environment before placing eggs in this nursery. An airstone placed near the eggs is very important, even if the female is put in with them.  Remember to keep the rock with the eggs near a 45 degree angle.

It’s important to keep the water very clean when eggs are developing. If you have a UV filter or Ozone generator, now is the time to use it. Water that is heavily infested with bacteria from fish waste and uneaten foods is a serious danger to those tiny eggs. Once the fry have hatched, it is less important to have such pristine water conditions. After 3 or 4 weeks, your baby Jack Dempsey Cichlids should be placed in a grow-out aquarium. Keep in mind that if your hatch is 3oo to 500 babies, just imagine how much space they will need in 3 months.  Good luck and by all means, have fun and enjoy nature in the “World of Jack Dempseys”.  — 

                                                                         … Jack Lamountain

A…  Not as a rule, no!  Jack Dempseys enjoy feasting on plants or at the very least, ripping them out of the gravel. Artificial plants are the only way to go with these energetic cichlids, however you’ll find that they will change your planting scheme contstantly.

     If you have a nursery tank full of growing babies, then plants can be very beneficial. They will harbor micro organisms and bacteria that the fry will consume.  Small juveniles may not destroy your plants but JDs much larger than 2 1/2 inches can, and probably will make a mess.

Check out this method of making your own DIY artificial plants for your aquarium from green plastic trash bags. It’s not for your show tank but it makes very good shelter for your jeveniles in the nursery.

    … Jack Lamountain

A…  Yes, absolutely.  Jack Dempsey parents take excellent care of newborns.  The parents will help them eat by chomping up their own food into tiny bits for the newborns to eat.  They will do this until the fry are able to each larger pieces of food that they can find on the bottom.  If there are other fish in the aquarium, the parents will chase them and even kill them to protect the young.  This would include other Jack Dempsey cichlids and older juveniles as well.  The NEW brood is all important and nothing else matters.

     Leave the baby Jack Dempseys with parents for at least three weeks.  The fry should at some point (3 - 5 weeks) be removed to a grow-out tank where they can be fed high protein foods and fed often.  Keep only as many baby cichlids that you feel you can re-home, give to pet stores or friends or keep yourself.  The rest should be culled out.

… Jack Lamountain

A…  Jack Dempsey parents don’t often eat their young.  Occasionally they will if there are too many threats to the fry in an aquarium with other tank mates. It’s thought that the parents feel that they can’t protect their brood so why let other fish get the protein; they may then eat the fry.  Sometimes a male JD gets aggressive after the fry hatch and may become a threat to the babies.  He should then be removed to let the female attend to them alone.  On occasion I have left some juveniles in the aquarium with their parents for many weeks. If the parents begin to spawn again, they will certainly see these older juveniles as a threat and begin to attack them.  The size of the aquarium has a lot to do with these situations. If any juveniles are left in the home aquarium with the spawning parents, a few may survive if they have shelter.

Jack Dempsey cichlids make fantastic parents and the fry should not be removed from parental care for at least 3 weeks. If the eggs are layed in a tank with other fish and you wish to hatch and save the jack dempsey babies then click here for instruction on how to…

… TRANSFER EGGS TO A NURSERY TANK.

                                               Jack Lamountain

A …  Proper care and feeding are very important in getting your Jack Dempsey cichlid fish to lay eggs. In my years of breeding Jack Dempseys, I have found that the common earthworm seems to be the very best way to get your fish primed and ready for egg laying. If you cannot find them on your property then purchase a few containers of them at a fishing bait shop. They usually sell between $1 to $2 a container.

They will survive for days if kept in a refrigerator or cool basement. I often freeze them in a storage bag. I then remove one and chop it up into bite sized pieces. There is no mess at all when they are frozen solid. Just place the pieces in a glass of water for a few minutes to thaw and then feed to your JDs.

RAISING AND HARVESTING WORMS

In the cold northern climates, you can raise earth-worms in your basement. 

Earthworms are blind, but light sensitive. They will burrow into the soil to avoid light. They are also temperature sensitive, and will drown if their home is flooded. Earthworms prefer a rich, clay free soil. The simplest way to culture a small quantity of worms is to gather some very heavy sacking on the ground. This should be in a shady spot. The area should be kept moist. Some scraps of vegetables should be placed in between the sack and the ground to encourage the growth of the worms. Do not over-feed the worms, as this will turn the soil sour. When you need the worms, just lift up the sack and remove the worms that cling to the sack.

Find the earthworms yourself or buy the worms from a reputable dealer (on internet). Red worms are usually purchased from a worm dealer as young worms and eggs. Night crawlers can be found after dark on the edge of lawns and are especially plentiful after rain.

Step 1  

Prepare a place to raise your earthworms. Use a large rubbermaid tub or wooden box with drainage holes for indoors. For the outdoors, cut the bottom out of the large tub and bury part of the tub in the ground. The tub will keep the earthworms contained and keep animals from disturbing them.

Step 2

Keep the worms damp and in darkness where they thrive. Provide organic matter like leaves, grass, manure, kitchen scraps (no meat products) and compost material for food. Place this material on top of the worms in the tub; they will crawl up to feed and then burrow down into the dirt when they are finished.

Step 3

Feed the earthworms once a week. Give one pound of food per cubic foot of space per month. If feeding weekly, divide the amount of food into fourths. Moisten the soil with every feeding and be careful not to add so much water that it puddles. Worms can drown in standing water.

Step 4

Cover the tub where your earthworms live to keep the moisture inside the container. Ensure that the temperature is consistently between 60 and 65 degrees F, as this is the temperature range in which worms thrive and breed.

When I begin to feed worms to a pair of JDs, usually within 2 to 3 days I have eggs.  Don’t overfeed but give just a few pieces twice a day.  Feed them a different food for the other 1 or 2 feedings.  To bring a pair to spawning, you really should feed them at least 3 times a day.

          — Jack Lamountain