Common name: Blue Dempsey, Electric Blue Dempsey
Scientific name: Archocentrus octofaciatus, var. blue
Origin: Veracruz, Mexico to Honduras (aquarium accidental discovery by Hector Luzardo)
Adult Length: 8 to 10 inches
Minimum Tank Size: 40 gallon
Sexing: Difficult without vent examination
Breeding: See below
Diet Requirements: Not a picky eater...typical carnivore faire will do just fine. Cichlid pellets, earthworms, beefheart, feeder fish, etc...
General Information: Easily labeled as one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the hobby, not much scientific data is available for the Blue Dempsey also commonly called the Electric Blue Dempsey. As a result, internet "hearsay" including falsehoods have spread and become prevalent beliefs. One of these falsehoods is the belief that this fish is a hybrid which is not true. Electric Blue Dempseys are a natural occurring variant of the Jack Dempsey, a popular aquarium fish from Central America. The fact is that the variant was not recognized and developed until recent years after being accidently discovered in an aquarium by Hector Luzardo. It is thought that the species was missed previously due to early breeders of Jack Dempseys considered the smaller "blueish" fry to be runts and were generally culled from their spawns. What is known now is that the blue variant fish grows somewhat smaller than the regular Dempsey and while still a territorial cichlid, they are less agressive than the other.
The principle reason that Electric Blue Dempseys are not widely available on the market, and that prices remain high for the species ($30-$60), is due to the fact that breeding Jack Dempseys to achieve Blue Dempseys is a tricky proposition. Two blues bred together will not produce a full blue offspring. To achieve full blue offspring, you must first start with a blue male and breed him with a regular color female Jack Dempsey. The offspring that this pair creates will appear as regular Jack Dempseys, but the difference is that they will carry the blue gene. This group of fish must now be grown out to the size where a female can be determined and selected and bred back to the original blue male. The offspring of this pairing will produce an indeterminant number of true blue variant fish. Obviously a project like this is not for the faint of heart and will require enormous growout type of facilities.
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