[cholile]

I am considering 3 different tanks to use for demasoni and yellow labs.

What the ideal number of demasoni and yellow labs is for each tank?

1. 36 x 12½ footprint

2. 36 gallon corner tank by AGA (couldn't find the dimensions)

3. 54 gallon corner tank by AGA (I think 38" x 27" is the footprint. obviously narrows as head to the back of the tank)

 

[Boomr99]

For demasoni's, you either want a single one or at least 12 of them.
I would avoid the 36 gallon corner as the footprint is too small.

the 36" x 12" tank you could probably get away with 3 or 4 MAYBE 5 labs and a single demasoni. If you want the group of demasoni, I would hazard to say that this tank is too small too, but maybe just them and no labs.

The 54 corner gives you the best options. I would say you could do the group of demasoni's and 5 to 7 labs. Or a larger group of labs, say 8 or 10? and a single demasoni or none.

You should of coarse have lots of filtration and lots of hiding places / caves.

 

[cholile]

i thought the 36 gallon corner might be small, though I wasn't sure.

but whoa, I thought the overly conservative trend on this site was 36" length and many (most?) had both labs and demasoni. you're saying that's too small for even the standard minimum of 12 demasoni?

I want at least 12 demasoni and a number of yellow labs too. I thought with the 54 the only question was how many above 12 demasoni and how many labs.

Here's hoping you're suggestion is the most conservative of the many i hopefully receive

proper filtration and hiding will, of course, be present

 

[bccromer]

Personally I would avoid the 36g corner and the 36" tank. I just wouldn't put a lab in a 36" tank myself. You could do a species only tank of demasoni in the 36" though. I have a 54g corner and thought about the lab/demasoni combo, but have decided to go with something else. If I would have done it though, I probably would have gone with 6 labs and 12 demasoni.

 

[cholile]

thanks for your input. you wouldn't, in general, put labs in a 36" tank? why not?

 

[bccromer]

I wouldn't, but I'm sure many people have. I just don't think it is ideal to put a 5" fish in a 36" tank. I am getting 2 36" tanks in the next few weeks and have avoided yellow labs because of this. Personally I am sticking with 4" and smaller fish for these tanks.

 

[Boomr99]

I agree with bccromer. The yellow labs do get on the big side for a 36" tank, at 5+" full grown. If you do them, keep the numbers low as I suggested and either 1 or no demasoni's.

 

[bccromer]

Yes you very well could put maybe 5 or 6 yellow labs in a 36" tank with nothing else in there. However me personally I like to have more fish even if they are smaller. That's why I stick with 4" and under for that size tank.

 

[Boomr99]

Just get a 48" long tank (55gal+) then youll have more options!

 

[cholile]

bccromer, it sounds like you're saying (maybe boomer too?) that 12 demasoni and 6 yellow labs would work well in a 54 corner, only that once the labs reach that +4" size you'd recommend moving them out.

is that right or am i simply trying to get you to say 12 demasoni and 6 yellow labs will work in this tank?

 

[Boomr99]

The 54 corner gives you the best options. I would say you could do the group of demasoni's and 5 to 7 labs.

I have a 54g corner and thought about the lab/demasoni combo, but have decided to go with something else. If I would have done it though, I probably would have gone with 6 labs and 12 demasoni.

Yup.. we're both saying that you could do 12 demasoni and 6 labs in the 54 gallon. That should be fine with lots of rockwork.

 

[cholile]

great, that's what I'll go for.

and of course a larger tank solves all problems . But given the other tanks i hope to have I can't really get a tank much longer and don't really want much larger a tank just to get the active blue & yellow combo I'm after.

 

[Boomr99]

Good luck with it. Post some pics when it's all set up and stocked!

 

[cholile]

i plan waaay in advance so it'll be a while but will do.

 

[bccromer]

You don't have to move the labs out of the 54g corner. 6 labs and 12 demasoni can stay in a 54g forever. We were saying not to put the labs in a 36 corner or 36" tank. They will work fine in a 54g corner even when full grown.

 

[cholile]

are you sure the footprint for the 54g corner is so much larger than the 36 gallon?

it's max length is 38" and given the shape it probably is well under 36" for almost the entire width of the tank. in fact, i wouldn't be shocked if the footprints were basically equal and the different came from the height. in that case, the rectangle gives the fish far more back and forth swim room, though the corner tank may give more space when defining territories relative to all four directions around them.

 

[bccromer]

When it comes to the labs the footprint isn't that big of a deal as much as the volume. Labs aren't aggressive and more than one male could be ok in a small area, however too small just isn't humane to keep them in. The footprint mainly comes into play when trying to keep more than one male of a species or several different species. Just think with a yellow lab in a 36" tank. The tank is only 7 times longer than the fish, and twice as wide. I wouldn't want to live where I can barely move. The 54g gives more room as it holds much more water, although the footprint may not be much larger.

 

[cholile]

I'm not sure I follow:

When it comes to the labs the footprint isn't that big of a deal as much as the volume.

too small just isn't humane to keep them in....Just think with a yellow lab in a 36" tank. The tank is only 7 times longer than the fish, and twice as wide.

aren't those two the complete opposite of one another? and why would volume mater? if you can manage to keep the water filtered and stable why would the fish care about volume?

The 54g gives more room as it holds much more water

i don't think, at least from everything i've read on this site, that's really true. for example, if I had a 100 gallon tank but it only had a really small floor space and was just really really tall the excess volume wouldn't make the fish any happier other than it will make it easier for me to keep the parameters stable and the water clean. fish want room to roam/live/hide, but once they have enough of that i don't think anything else matters

 

[LittleFrog]

Actually, I've kept 12 Demasoni and 5 Yellow Lab's in my 36" x 12" 40 gallon without any problems. There's quite a few people on this forum who have had success with this mix in this size tank.

 

[bccromer]

As I said many people have probably done it, but personally I wouldn't. The volume gives them more room to swim whether it be up and down, side to side, or backwards (not necessarily length). While a large footprint is always ideal, it isn't as big of a deal when it comes peaceful mbuna such as labs. The footprint is mainly beneficial when trying to keep more than one male together, and you need plenty of floor space for them to claim territories. Labs don't apply to this as much as they aren't as aggressive and don't establish territories as much. However, even though this is the case, I think they need more room to swim than 7 times their body length. Whether this be made up in extra height or width in the tank. Either would be more ideal than just a 36" long. But, many people have and will continue to do it. This is just my opinion though.