[TrevorSB1004]

I'm currently conflicted. I acquired a baby jack dempsey a little over 2 years ago and stuck him in a 29 gallon I had picked up for the low (it has quite unusual dimensions, 3 ft opposed to traditional 30" w/ a 29 gal, & is 13 inches deep). The issue is that now the jd is a bit beyond 7 inches. He's alone, and I do take good care of him (weekly water changes, quality diet w/ variation, excessive filtration, the works). The reason I am conflicted is because I don't know if its cruel to keep him in the 29. He seems to have sufficient turning room, the tank is just shy of being 2x deeper than he is long. Never gotten sick, but I have been noticing that my jd hides a lot during the day and always has a few scales missing from dinging rocks when he gets spooked. I am absolutely maxed out on space, so a tank upgrade isn't an option (change in living arrangements-college student). SO, if you were in my situation, would you let the jd chill in the 3 foot 29 gallon indefinitely until I can upgrade the tank, or just rehome it? I enjoy the fish a lot, especially because I've had it since it was a baby and it is also a ferocious eater as you'd expect, but I would appreciate some outside opinions Thank you
-Trevor

 

[Oscar6]

Kudos on the good care you are giving him. Just eyeballing the pic, and going with the 13in width, the tank appears to have more height. 36x13x15 is 30g. Are you sure about the 29g volume? If I may ask, what is your tank size restriction? If 3ft is max length, there are plenty of options to gain valuable volume. There is a 3ft 65g that is quite common. If you can go 4ft, but retain the foot or so width, a standard 55g would be welcome by your guy. He may also not be fully grown, and could possibly reach 10ins. You could remove the rocks, add some plastic plants, maybe a piece of driftwood. Still give him some cover, maybe lessen the chance of scrapes.

 

[SoccerMbunaAndShak]

+1 on the four foot tank. If you don't have the space for a 65, you could try the 40 breeder with the same dimensions. They can be very cheap at big box stores. Stands can also be cheap at the big box stores. However, I really would try to avoid keeping him in anything less than 4 ft long. If you can't upgrade to a 4 footer, please try your best to rehome him. Ohio Fish Rescue is a great place and they will let you visit him anytime.

 

[GentleGiantsKeeper]

I agree with my fellow users. This may not be sufficient for him long term. You would most likely want to have him in a 40 Gallon+ long term just because of his potential size, and for more swimming space which will encourage more growth. If you do decide to keep him here I recommend no tank mates as the tank mates that would suit your fish the best would have to be larger because of the aggressiveness and you unfortunately don't have the space. You could keep him with a Midas Cichlid maybe in 80+ Gallon tank but if you don't have the area for that I recommend not having any tankmates at all. I wouldn't go a far as to re-home him because he isn't in a terrible situation but if you can bigger is better. Keep us updated!