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I just had an Electric Blue Dempsey and a Green Terror shipped to me and introduced them both into the tank which they will be sharing. They both seem fine, but my concern is how well they will get along. They're both very young still, the Blue Dempsey is maybe in inch and a half and the GT is about two inches. Will the GT pick on the Dempsey?

The GT seems to not care what so ever about the stress of being shipped, hes swimming around and coming to the glass already. The Dempsey came about after about 10 minutes. They've inspected each other and seem ok for now. Theres plenty of hiding places for both of them.

Any ideas on how successful this pairing may be?

how big is the tank? do you have plenty of hiding spots? but it seems to me that they probably have a good chance of getting along if they're kept together from such a young age, i got my oscar and jd from the same tank at the store when they were only about 2" and got a pl*co a little later when they were all about 3" and the oscar who is the boss of the 135gal tank is more aggresive toward the pl*co than the jd even though the jd is only about half the size of the other two which are roughly the same size.  in doing research i've also read about about occasions where full grown oscars can be kept with fish like gouramies that are only 6" as long as when they're introduced the gourami is larger than the oscar. of course all of this depends on your individual fish but it seems ok to me.

GothicWombat is correct, the Dempsey and GT should be fine. The most important thing (as G.W. mentioned) is hiding places, especially for the Dempsey -- it's their nature to hide. 99.99% of the "Green Terrors" for sale these days are a species called Aquedens sp. Goldsaum, common name Gold Seam Cichlid or Goldsaum, and are not the true Green Terror. The true Green Terror is so rare commercially that it's overwhelmingly likely that you have a Goldsaum. These fish are actually quite peaceful, compared to other Cichlids, and this little feller should give your Dempsey no problems. But the two things to remember: Hiding places and Room!

--Mark

They're in a 40 Gallon for now, which is more than enough for their size at the moment. As they get bigger, they may find themselves in larger quarters. As far as hiding places go, I think I have that covered.

The back right corner is heavily planted with an Anacharis type plant (forgot the name) which offers plenty of hiding places. In front of that is an upside down clay pot with a hole in the bottom (facing up). On the left side of the tank are two large flat rocks leaning on each other to make a sturdy cave.

Good job!

I may be in the minority, but I think your 40 gallon tank, if managed properly, will be large enough for this pair as adults. But study it through, I may be incorrect. If it's long (36 or 48 inches) I think it will be fine.

--Mark

I agree with Mark on the tank size issue, though as with all cichlids, your mileage may vary.  I took a small Green Terror off a friend's hands about 6 months ago, and he's been a real PITA as far as "can't we all just get along".  The only fish I've tried him with that he hasn't offered to fight have been my Oscars, who are lots bigger.  Tank size though, hasn't seemed to be an issue.  If he has to swim further to pick a fight, he will.

Looks like I'm in the minority here   

But don't plan on those two fish getting along together for a long time.

Electric blue dempseys are actually a pretty "fragile" fish.  Far from normal dempseys.

Most people that don't keep them with other dempseys tend to keep them with fish like angels and discus since they're a mellow fish more sensative to water conditions then normal dempseys.

Good luck 

Just an update:

So far they're both doing very well. Seems like they're always hungry, Im feeding them cichlid flakes, blood worms, and the occasional beefheart. They seem to be getting along fairly well. The GT chases the BD around a little bit, but so far theres no sign of frayed fins or any other bodily damage. The BD swims around the tank all the time, so it doesnt seem like hes been cowered into a corner. Both are extremely responsive to me, dancing in front of the tank anytime they think I might feed them.

I keep a good eye on them, I paid a lot more for the BD than the GT, so if theres trouble, the Terror may find himself a new home.

A little bit surprised at how the Dempsey is acting, they are normally a bit skitty and like to duck into hiding places and peer out, as opposed to the swimming around you described. Maybe he just needs to get a bit older for him to start acting this way, or perhaps the Blue Dempsey is different personality than the standard Dempsey. It bugs me because the tendency of the Dempsey to hide is what makes me think this mix is workeable in a 40 -- if they grow up and the Dempsey stays out in the open there may be trouble. Who knows? Definately keep us updated on your experiences here --

--Mark