I still have four of my five originals that I started with and the babies have grown up and are having babies of their own. I now have about 30 of them.











They're still one of my favorites.

Nice pics!!! What is the minimum tank size for a group of these guys?

I know Kim told us before, but I've forgotten. :blink:

Aura they look great!!! I must have 1 female and 4 males that are mature at this point cuz I only see one holding at a time and she just won't hold to full term! Either that or I have 5 mature females, go figure. I was thinking of trying to catch her when she's holding again and tumbling her eggs to see if they are even fertilized.

Pseudo. I think the min. tank size is 30 gallon for a dozen of them.

Nice Demons (oxymoron) Aura! Grrrr Grrrr

Very nice capture with the first pic! Good Job

It belongs in a profile or a book somewhere! the Clap the Clap

Thanks all.

Pseudo, what cturner said sounds about right to me as a minimum size tank. When I started out with the five, I kept them in a 38 gallon along with some red zebras that were growing out. They were all very, very small at that time.

Then I found out you were supposed to keep them in larger numbers, but was unable to find any more for sale. So I just raised my own to increase the population. While those five were growing up together, I never saw much in the way of aggression. There was a little lip locking and chasing, but no real harm ever came of it.

I was concerned about adding the babies when they were big enough to join the adults, so I moved them all into a 60 gallon at the same time and that's where they are now. Happy and multiplying. They don't bother the other tank inhabitants at all.

Cturner, I have no idea how many males and females I have. They all look the same to me. :blink:

They are beautiful, Aura!

Don, I wouldn't try to keep them in groups smaller than 12. You can keep a single demasoni, as well, without any problems, but if you try keeping a smaller group of them, most of the time they will kill each other off. They take "conspecific" aggression to new heights.

Everyone says your male/female ratios don't matter with these guys. I disagree. Over in the illness folder on CF, I've seen too many "male heavy" situations blow up, while the ones with an overpopulation of females do just fine, as ours and Aura's did. The good news is that you can do as Aura did, and add back juvies from your own stock to build up your numbers.

I miss ours, and I think Pete does, too! One of my many regrets in my fish keeping experience!

Kim

I have to agree Kim...I miss mine also. I needed to get rid of them, but I have regretted it every since.

Those pics are awsome Aura...they are all awsome. Keep rolling those great pics.

Aura

Nice pictures. Demasoni have also been one of my favs. Have kept them since 01 and still going.

What in the world were we thinking, Mongo? I'm sure we'll have more again someday, maybe soon!

Kim

wabawhat??
That was me when I read that you had sold your demasoni, Kim!

And mongo, I didn't know you had gotten rid of yours. Boo Hooo

Finman, do you have any pictures of yours to share? I'd love to see some demasoni pictures taken by somebody that actually knows a little about what they are doing with a real camera. :D

Kim, you had better buy your demasoni before
you move to Kentucky because there are no
quality fish in this region! dumb dumb

amen to that pb.

I know that from trying to stock my daughter's tank for her!

Alot of people buy from Bluegrass, but I've never been overly excited about anything I've seen that comes from there. I think the hobbyist's biggest mistakes were in buying their "mixed grab bags" of cichlids, but I've seen a lot of hybrids from that place, so I won't do business with them at all.

The problem is that I can't possibly bring all my fish down with me! What I think we will have to do is narrow it down enough so that we can set up ONE tank when we get there, and worry about the rest later. Sad, but true...I may have to populate my other tanks with my own fish!

Kim

Kim, I have a suggestion that just might work out for
both of us and even Yodahorn if he so desires! Hmmmm

If we can find a quality supplier, we could split the
cost of shipping and I could come to your new
place and pick them up when they arrive! Now this should be good!

That way, I get to see you and Pete and maybe even
con you into some Western Kentucky BBQ! On the Floor Laughing Giggly Bouncy

What do you think? ohhh please ohh please ohhh please ohh please

Sounds like a plan to me! Gimme an A!

Kim

Damasoni are pretty much the smallest of the Ps Mbunas in Lake malawi correct?

They are a dwarfs. There are other dwarfs out there though.

I know that just wanted about Pseudotropheus Dwarf Species..

Very purdy. Maybe it's time I pull my demasonis out of grow out tank with no lights and throw them into the 6 footer...maybe these little buggers will tune in big mr. Cobalt buggerhead!

:blink: U gotta bully huh?? cobalts can be

Kim, right now there are no more mbuna in my immediate furture. I dont have any tank space available. Plus my V. synspilum just bred...now I have hundreds of little terrors to contend with.

Aura, once again...great looking fish. Every time I look at this thread I kick myself in the shin (cant reach my butt) for selling mine off. Any updates?

No new updates with the demasoni.

I do feel a little better about how mine look even though they are not what I'd call perfect specimens. (some of them have merging or weird barring - there seems to be a few in every spawn) I was in a fish store the other day and saw some there for the first time in a long time. They looked absolutely horrible. I couldn't find one good one in the tank!

I bought mine a few years ago and the originals that I bought were all nice and evenly marked. idunno