[sublimehead1981]

I currently have 6 demasoni in my 56 gallon column along with other types of cichlids. Soon I will be giving away everything but my demasoni. I'd like to stock them exclusively but I know that there should only be 1 or 2 males with the rest obviously being female. So I'd like to know how to determine the sex. Also I'd like to know how many should be stocked and if the normal "overstocking" cichlids rule should apply to cut down aggression? Pics of my tank & rock work can be found on my profile. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[tyhoward08]

sublimehead1981 - first off kudos for moving away from your current stock list. I was reading your other thread and I know how frustrating it can be to get your tank stocked and find out that what you have is not going to work long term. Especially when the LFS happily sold them to you but won't take returns. So I applaud you for putting the effort into getting this right.

I think ideally you would have a minimum of 10-12 demasoni to help spread aggression. I'm not sure of the exact footprint of your tank but this might limit you from having anymore than this. You also might need to start with more if they're juvies or unsexed and then work your way down to the desired M/F mix. Someone else on here might be able to give you first hand experience but I would suspect that adding 6 at a time is not ideal given that those 6 will have already established territories once the others are added. Maybe you don't have a choice in this matter if you're trying to get rid of your previous stocking list in parallel, but just something to consider.

I think in the end you'll be very happy that you went with a species tank. I love the behavior I get out of my saulosi tank. Good luck!!

 

[Eric_S]

Overstocking is pretty much a necessity with them. Most people say 12+. You can have more males as long as there are lots of rocks and breaks in lines of sight. With that said, I have had single males take over half my 75g tank but I think that was due to how my rocks were setup. Rather than just pick a nook and guard it, they would actively search out other fish on their side of the tank and chase them away. Happened more than once. Kinda stressed me out to watch it lol.

The easiest way to tell a female is to see her holding. Pretty difficult otherwise. Just get a bunch and remove fish as aggression dictates. They get a little rowdy when a female is ready to spawn.

In regards to established territories as ty mentioned, just rearrange the rocks when you add fish if this concerns you.

 

[bmweiler09]

What size are the 6 now?

I would suspect that adding 6 at a time is not ideal given that those 6 will have already established territories once the others are added.

I recently exchanged 3 extra males for 6 1" dems and they are all doing fine. I think it was the small size that helped.

Most of my 14 dems are pretty much full size. Males seem to be a little larger (a couple of my males are about twice the size as the rest), show very vibrant colors almost always, and are much more territorial. Females tend to be smaller and most of mine are a little faded compared to the males.

I have had single males take over half my 75g tank but I think that was due to how my rocks were setup.

Yup. I think my other large male recently surrendered, so now my dom male hovers in the middle of the tank chasing anything that comes near him. I will rearrange my rocks when I take out some holding females tomorrow, maybe that will help.

 

[Shawn71]

Like the previous poster said the only ways to sex them to watch for holding females or vent them.Venting can be difficult if your fish are small.I would go with 15 to 20 in a 4 ft tank and lots of rock work.When they mature is when you'll have to remove over aggressive males.6 fish won't last to long when they start to breed so I wouldn't wait to get your numbers up.

 

[YELLOWRAVEN]

I just bought 3 1.35 " Deminosi 2day they ROCK !!

 

[sublimehead1981]

right now all 6 are about 1". 2 of them have very "vibrant" color, while the other 6 are pretty light almost faded looking.. as far as my rock work, just check out my profile or the other thread & let me know what you think.

 

[DJRansome]

I just wait for the fish to ID extra males by chasing one relentlessly. I remove that fish and wait for them to ID the next one. They are invariably too large to be females.