Needing Stocking Help ASAP

[charles-n-charge]

First and foremost, a minimum of twelve should be kept in any size tank to help disperse aggression. This not only keeps a single male from being dominant over all others, it helps females and sub-dominant males from being chased to exhaustion (and death) by getting "lost in the crowd". A small group of 5 or 6 simply will not work, as the dominant male will systematically kill off each tank mate until only he remains. Male to female ratio is unimportant when they're kept in groups of this size, which is a bonus, because accurately determining their gender can be a futile task. It's very important not to house these fish with similarly colored species (e.g., Cynotilapia afra or Metrialclima lombardoi).


ehh thats a little bit scary

 

[charles-n-charge]

It really won't. A 3" Demasoni is just as aggressive as a 5" Zebra, if not more so. The reason Demasoni are typically more expensive than other Mbuna is because they are so aggressive, it's harder to breed them.

i got mine for 5$ each.

what do you think the best thing to do with this guy is? ive noticed that so far hes the only one showing any signs of aggression and bullying (of course)

 

[charles-n-charge]

after reading on these fish im kind of tempted to remove him from the tank before something bad happens

 

[Liz Sagara]

I second that. I like those guys though. Kinda want some now.

 

[Aqualoon]

To add a bit to the Demasoni, they're a great fish to have if you're going with a mixed mbuna tank as they are typically only aggressive within their own species. I had great results mixing them with Yellow Labs for a nice, colorful and active tank.

But yeah, you need to get at least 10.

 

[charles-n-charge]

ill just watch and see what happens, its not too bad (yet).


this is totally off topic but my 5.5" clown knife isnt doing too well in my 200. isnt eating enough at night cus of the TSN and it hasnt grown at all in months. im thinking about putting it in my 30 with the other slow-eaters and night dwellers so itll have a chance to get healthy again and start growing. idk if 30 is enough though for it. ill be adding extra filtration to it soon though

 

[Liz Sagara]

Aggressive to all tank mates though. SO you gotta watch out for that.

 

[charles-n-charge]

To add a bit to the Demasoni, they're a great fish to have if you're going with a mixed mbuna tank as they are typically only aggressive within their own species. I had great results mixing them with Yellow Labs for a nice, colorful and active tank.

But yeah, you need to get at least 10.

idk when ill be able to. would maybe 4-6 work for awhile til i get some more money? and also heres a dumb question, do they sell them at petsmart lol thats most convinent for me atm

 

[Liz Sagara]

The one here doesn't sell them. not to say they don't' sell them elsewhere though. I don't buy fish from Pet'smart anymore. Got a bad batch of Black Neon Tetra's. They all died within a week or two of battling ich.

 

[Liz Sagara]

The knife... You could try but again it's stressful on the bioload. And as for getting more of those guys... wait till you clear out the 55 first so that you have room to get the recommended 10-12 of these guys.