Jack Dempsey Chiclid

[Scylla]

Well one day last August I was walking to the store when I found 2 fish on the curb. They were just sitting there in the sun in a pint sized deli container, half dead, and gasping in 90' heat. I scooped them up and ran for home and put them in a 15 gallon tank I had empty. They were in bad shape, half cooked, losing skin and ready to check out. Now, almost a year later, one has survived. Kirby is a big male Dempsey. A few weeks ago I moved him into a 55 gallon tank and he's bursting out in breeding colors. Truly gorgeous. He's amazing. He is very aware of me outside the tank. He displays to me, and if I put my hand in the tank he brushes against my hand. I'm very fond of him too. I'll try to get some pictures of him, but I just wanted to share that experience. No one believes me when I tell them I found a fish one day while taking a walk. Look Ma! He followed me home! Can I keep him?

 

[MichiganReptiles]

What a cute story! I love fish. We used to breed Convict Cichlids.

 

[EightLeggedFrea]

OMG what kind of a jerk just abandons animals like that? Good thing you just happen to find and even more amazing that at least one of them survived. Sorry about the other one. I'll betcha that fish knows you are the one who saved him, and that's why brushes against you! I hear these fish are quite intelligent. I once contemplated getting some kind of medium-sized cichlid (like a green terror), but decided to pursue less expensive hobbies (like sticking with Ts and the occasional frog/other hardy, easy to maintain herp). I'd love to see pics!

 

[BorisTheSpider]

Great find . Dempsey's are easily my favorite aquarium fish . They were very lucky that you found them and took them home . Congrats that one managed to survive . Post some pics please , I would love to see him/her .

 

[Rex Libris]

Eightlegged -- keep an eye on the classifieds and craigslist type things. 'Big' (for home aquariums, not really big, 55-160 gallon) tanks come up pretty regularly. They are pricy in the pet store, but cheap second-hand, because they are a pain to move.

There are also smaller cichlids that act very like big ones. Recognize people, eat from your hand, flare threateningly at the cat. Red jewels, for instance.