Demasoni Tankmates?

[punman]

I have 15 demasoni in a 45 gallon four foot tank. They are 4 months old and the largest are two inches.

I'd like to add three or four fish (one species) for contrast. I could do yellow labs - I see that many do but I had labs for four years and would like a change.

Another yellow fish would be fine if you can suggest one - also I was wondering about something in red/orange. I've never had red African cichlids. Someone on another forum suggests red zebra.

[herefishyfish fishy]

Red zebra are nice, so are cobalt zebra if you like blue fish. Not sure how they will interact with the demasoni though. I had one of those when I first started my tank. He was the smallest and the meanest. I loved the little guy, I just wish I could have kept him.

[RDFISHGUY]

Seems to be a pretty small tank to be adding anything . If you insist on adding something you can try the zebras or maybe pseudotropheus flavus. African Fever breeds them. As long as you've got good filtration and maintenance it shouldn't be a problem. There is also a black and yellow elongatus "bee" that might work. All of these are pretty aggressive and could be hit and miss as I'm sure you know. Not your first rodeo.

[rED O]

demasoni are more agressive mbunas so i would not try yellow labs with them, as herefishyfish fishy and RDFISHGUY said would be a good mix with the red zebras and the colbalt blue zebras. you might be able to try a kenyi.also RDFISHGUY mentioned that African Fever breeds them and i think he has 5 of the pseudotropheus flavus left for sale, the would also make a very nice addition to your mbuna tank

[firestorm]

You could try the msobos. The females are a gorgeous yellow color. check out the link below. I think that you can put some kind of cynotilapia afra in there as well, the males have very nice colors I would have to say though with the number of demasoni you have in that size of tank you won't be able to get much more of anything in there. I would try minimizing your number of them to 2 breeding pairs, and then you might be able to have at least 1 or 2 more groups of fish, or some single fish. From my experience zebras would probably do better with the demasoni than kenyi's would. I have a friend who has a bumble bee cichlid (pseudotropheus crabro) in with her demasoni, but I would try for other dwarf mbuna in with your demasoni. I have also heard of salousi working, but they are so similar in looks I would be worried of the aggression between males, but the salousi also have very pretty females. Try checking out the bottom site for profiles on some dwarf mbuna. Like I said with a 45 gallon I would try and stick with dwarf mbuna, because many others like kenyis and zebras grow to be about 6", and should be housed in a tank 55 gallons or larger.

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Msobo.htm

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/afri...nus_gallery.php

Edited April 28, 2008 by firestorm

[fairdeal]

Demasonis do best in groups of 10 to 15. They are aggressive little beggars amongst themselves in smaller quarters and you need that many to defer that constant interaction. Smaller groups may work in bigger tanks for some people, but I have never had any amount of success with only 3 or 4 that gradually become 3, then 2 then 1. Rocks and plants ( I use only the plastic ones) are also useful so that the ones being chased have somewhere to hide for a while.

Other dark blue colored fish may just provide extra incentive for the demasonis to be more aggressive ( as if they aren't already) . That's where the experimenting comes in and some experiments can be a heartbreak on fish loss, not to mention the old pocketbook. Red zebras and kenyis may be just a little too large for your 4' tank as they do get fairly large - males can get to 5 to 6"easily.

I have had my demasonis in a 90G with polits , msobos , leleupis, cyps and usisyas for the past 6 months and so far so good. The demasonis don't really bother with any of the other fish and there are lots of fish in the tank for the harassed demasonis to mix in with and get lost when being chased. In a tank your size you might want to consider 8 or 10 of the mbunas or any other fish that are smallish when mature, but don't back down from the ocassional squirmish. Toss in a few synodontis cats and a bristlenose or two and you are good to go.

[punman]

Those are all good suggestions and fish that I have not had - except saulosis - I am just selling off the remainder of their fry - parents are gone.

If I get something to complement the demasoni it won't be many. I just want a splash of color.

For those that have kept demasoni - do you think 15 in a 4 foot 45 gallon tank is enough or should I add another 5 and forget about a second fish?

[fairdeal]

Either of those ideas would work - just your personal opinion on what looks best. It also depends on whether you want them strictly for breeding or not. Sometimes other fish in the tank reduces the breeding capabilities of the main fish.

[firestorm]

I never knew that about demasoni, I did know that they were more aggressive. I have a friend that has 1 breeding pair of demasoni in her 55 gallon with many other species of fish. IMO I would try and get a small group of about 5 of another species of fish, one where the females are more colorful like the msobos. Salousi males look so similar to demasoni that is probably where aggression might be tough with them. So I say go with some cyno's, msobos, or you could try the bristlenose or the syno's. I will be getting a 75 gallon shortly and in that tank I will be having a group of 5 polits, 5 cyno's, 8 electric yellows, and possibly some msobos, demasoni or salousi. It can be very though to find a good combo of africans for a 45, especially when you want to mix different species together. Most of the time they recommend a minimum tank size of 55 gallons for most africans. But having dwarf mbuna can leave you with better options in a smaller tank. Just follow what you want to do, as these are only suggestions, but go with your gut instinct on what you want to try. As fairdeal has said it is a matter of whether or not you want to experiment, and if you are willing to take that risk.

We have experimented alot with our tanks we have now, and so far we have had minor problems with our mixes of fish. And remember that not all fish have the same personality, you might get a fish they say are extremely aggressive, but the one you got is mildly aggressive. I think alot of it also has to do with what type of fish they have grown up with....we have found the fish that we have in our aggressive tank seem to act more aggressive even though they are supposedly mildly aggressive, yet in our peaceful community set up some fish that are considered slightly aggressive seem to be very peaceful. Things sometimes work differently with different people. Good luck with your decision