# Theyre about to Breed!



## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

My female JD is about to pop full of eggs. She has cleaned her rock like...a thousand times today, and is about to put them on there.

I hope I can stay awake long enough to watch it happen.


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## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

have fun with the millions of babies







i still have some fry growing in my jag tank. the female jumped out last night but my dad got her back in while i was out at my g/fs, close call tho he heard the thump on the floor from downstairs


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## King Oscar (Apr 5, 2005)

sweet man


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

Fell asleep watching, but they did lay about 500 or so.


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## 6Fish_Pimp6 (Jan 3, 2005)

nice, have fun with'm. Any pics of the parents and/or eggs?


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

View attachment 73720

Eggs

View attachment 73722

Proud Parents

View attachment 73723

Mean Momma


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## 6Fish_Pimp6 (Jan 3, 2005)

nice fish, but whats wrong with their fins?


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

I rescued them from a LFS that they had spent probably 2 years in a 20gallon tall. They were in there with 8 other Jack Dempseys. A constant state of fighting was happening there. They tried to breed on a monthly basis, fianlly I bought them up without a plan. They lived in my 55 for a while, but were just so shell shocked by the sudden move and space they almost died.

My friend had a spare tank, so we basically set up a hospital tank in a 29 gal. After they pulled through they started to finally eat. We put them in his newly-established 55 gal.

Now they had a couple batches of fry, but they never grew a single inch. Nor did they ever get off the bottom or use more than about 24 inches of tankspace.

He needed all his space, and I had just finally set up a 20L to use as a breeder tank. Just for personal use of fry as food. The Jack Dempseys got Evicted as my buddy needed the tankspace, so they moved in.

I thought it wasn't enough space for them, but they love the new tank. Happily swimming up to eat, letting me pet them, and always chilling on the bottom. And it's in my room, so I play with them all day.

I hate that they were so abused that they hate big tanks. They were so scared to swim that I didn't know what to do. Guess they will just have to live the cramped life they are accustomed too...although they are so small they can turn aroudn jsut fine. If they ever did grow I would find a new home for them. Since they didn't, I just held on to them. Will make some gorgeous babies for a different LFS that is more responsible.

Oh, and the fins are a product of their abuse. They will never repair, and will just always be ugly fish, but beautiful to me.


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## 6Fish_Pimp6 (Jan 3, 2005)

SirOneEighty said:


> I rescued them from a LFS that they had spent probably 2 years in a 20gallon tall. They were in there with 8 other Jack Dempseys. A constant state of fighting was happening there. They tried to breed on a monthly basis, fianlly I bought them up without a plan. They lived in my 55 for a while, but were just so shell shocked by the sudden move and space they almost died.
> 
> My friend had a spare tank, so we basically set up a hospital tank in a 29 gal. After they pulled through they started to finally eat. We put them in his newly-established 55 gal.
> 
> ...


How are they ugly? I think they're just different...Nice fish how big do you grow the fry to?


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

They are beat to hell and back. Like they lived through a war, the pics make them look a little better than they are.

I grow the fry to about..a month old before I use them as food usually, only because mom and dad start getting horny again, not to mention hungry.

When I am planning to sell a particularly good batch, I try to get them as close to an inch as possible in a grow-out tank. My LFS likes them to be closer to 1.5"-2", but typically they understand I don't have the tankspace, so they will put them in a partitioned 125 gal, and grow them a little longer, since they have to finish growing them up before they can sell them, I typically recieve a smaller portion of store-credit.


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## 6Fish_Pimp6 (Jan 3, 2005)

SirOneEighty said:


> They are beat to hell and back. Like they lived through a war, the pics make them look a little better than they are.
> 
> I grow the fry to about..a month old before I use them as food usually, only because mom and dad start getting horny again, not to mention hungry.
> 
> ...


oic, I was just wondering because I'd like to get a 6+ inch female for my male...how much were the dempseys at your lfs's? I dont have any lfs's around me that sell dempseys:'(


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

Not expensive at petco or a place like that. Typically I see them go for less than $5 anywhere from 2"-5".


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## King Oscar (Apr 5, 2005)

holy sh*t dude u got alot of eggs


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

I count 6 white ones at the moment. Hopefully they will hatch before too many more get killed by fungus.


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

And now I am watching them hatch.

Momma is placing them with Daddy's care.


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## scent troll (Apr 4, 2005)

awesome jacks man! i enjoyed your story how you rescued them, hats off to you bro. 
i just came from another cichlid forum and the things people would talk about made me insane with confussion. keeping 2 growing jacks in a...get this...5 gallon tank. but dont worry, she was getting a 10 gallon soon. 
sick stuff huh? well later


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

Bummer
View attachment 73920


As you can see by this depressing pic that over 75% of the laid eggs have been consumed by fungus.

There were maybe six white this morning, and as soon as they started hatching today the "white death" spread like wildfire. I have no idea how many survived. The few wigglers were taken into prtective custody whilst I was away today.

Anyone know if I should remove these ghost eggs? Or will the mother take care of the mess?


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## 6Fish_Pimp6 (Jan 3, 2005)

I'd wait until everyone's hatched then just take the rock out and clean it....I would've removed the fungus eggs when they first appeared though....I'm not sure if fungus spreads though.


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## B. Rodgers (Jan 20, 2005)

That's totally awesome...I hope they make it...Are you going to sell the babies for a lil extra $$$ ?


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## SirOneEighty (Nov 20, 2004)

Apparently, the outbreak of Fungus did not keep most of the eggs from hatching as I am sitting here watching about 200 free-swimming fry mull around in the tank like a cloud. Pretty fun stuff.


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