# Demasoni Concerns



## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

I didn't get them yet, but I'm plannin on swapping out my kenyi and johanni for 12+ demasoni. I've done my research and I'm not exactally sure how many to get. I'm going to get juvinailes (not sure how small), but if I'm correct, it's difficult to sex them unless they sre nearly full grown. Do you think i should get more than 12, then when they age take out some males? What did you guys do when you got demasoni?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i put them in a properly prepared tank with about 10 times as many places to hide as they needed....6-8 fish in a 20 long..


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I started with 3. I put them in a 33L, full of pvc pipe, lok-rocks, plastic plants and all the random plastic decor I had lying around and a pair of Victorian haps. I lucked out and had 2 males and one female who had about 8 fry. I just keep pulling out males. When there are 3 big males, one gets a chewed tale. I take him out and heal him up in a 5 or 10. Then I sell him (the chewed one), the biggest one (the chewer) and as many fry of salable size I can catch. If I catch a holding female, I put her in a "maternity" tank usually net 6-12 fry Repeat. I never know how many I have until I pull the decor.

With Kenyi, you get one live male per tank, and then you are SOL if he dies.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

Okay, but how many juvinailes should i get, especally if they are unknown sex?


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

I have a colony of demasoni's comprised of over 20 demasoni's. They were all born in my tanks and I would imagine that the gender ratio is 1:1.

From my experience gender ratio is not as important for demasoni's as it is with other mbuna's. Both genders are are aggressive and do not restrict their aggression towards members of their same gender (I've had females dominate males and vice versa).

With that said, the largest males will be the dominants in the tank. If there are a few of them then rivalry and colony size will prevent 'eliminations'. For example large male A may dominate large males B, C & D but to focus on them he has to venture into large male E and F's territory (who can dominate male A but are themselve's subordinate to male C and D). 

This results in a lot of back and forth skirmishes but rarely anything else. I have yet to see a single demasoni reign supreme over the entire colony (but again my group is over 20 strong). 

Alpha males belonging to the Zebra-complex group of mbuna's (those members of the metriaclima genus which includes kenyi and zebra's) however are capable of dominating all occupants in the tank. A large BB zebra, and currently a m. msobo have resided with these demaoni's and the metriaclima's reign supreme over each and every demasoni. 

In a smaller group of demasoni's you may want to weed out the excess males. If all of the demasoni's are acquired as fry the largest and most belligerent of the group tend to be males. Relocate these as these traits manifest.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

When I have 1 getting chewed, there are usually 2 smaller males as well as three big males. But I usually don't have 20 adults.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

My lfs is getting more demasoni in next week, I think my fish will be fine until then. I was thinking that I will get 15, does that sound good, so i would be 15 demasoni and 5 yellow labs. That should be good right?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I think that would be fine. I also don't think you need to buy quite that many if $ is a concern. They will multiply and they don't get really aggressive until they get closer to 3". Males have more intense dark color and sometimes a light nose.


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