I saw this lovely blue and black striped fish in a pic of Ammania sp Bonsai posted by Travis in this thread. Just curious what it is. Thanks!
Pretty Blue and Black Striped Fish
- Thread starter Purrbox
- Start date
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travis simonson
Aquarium Advice Addict
LOL 
It is a Pseudotropheus demasoni fry. Ps. demasoni are dwarf (meaining sub 3-4") African cichlids, but are some of the meanest, most territorial fish you will ever see. Even in my 125G I can only keep one or two males of the species because they will relentlessly and I do mean relentlessly hunt down and kill any other males of their species that they feel may try to breed with their harem of females. They are possibly the most aggressive fish I have ever kept, pirhanas notwithstanding. Mean little b(*stards
It is a Pseudotropheus demasoni fry. Ps. demasoni are dwarf (meaining sub 3-4") African cichlids, but are some of the meanest, most territorial fish you will ever see. Even in my 125G I can only keep one or two males of the species because they will relentlessly and I do mean relentlessly hunt down and kill any other males of their species that they feel may try to breed with their harem of females. They are possibly the most aggressive fish I have ever kept, pirhanas notwithstanding. Mean little b(*stards
travis simonson
Aquarium Advice Addict
A few gratuitous pics:
A female Ps. demasoni and a juvenlie in a rare shot when they're not at each other's throats:
And two holding Ps. demasoni mothers who are fighting over whose fry is lost in the grass:
And my alpha male Ps. demasoni, "Porkchop" (only about 2.5" long but respected by all but the biggest fish in the tank):
A female Ps. demasoni and a juvenlie in a rare shot when they're not at each other's throats:
And two holding Ps. demasoni mothers who are fighting over whose fry is lost in the grass:
And my alpha male Ps. demasoni, "Porkchop" (only about 2.5" long but respected by all but the biggest fish in the tank):
travis simonson
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks for giving me a chance to show off my favorite fish Purrbox
kaz
Aquarium Advice Addict
I want a lawn lke you have what can i do for my fw 60g or 75g tank.
ILuv3ggs
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
nice looking fish
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
I like that lawn, what is that plant?
travis simonson
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis. Since gone by the wayside. Beautiful when it's healthy but a nightmare to keep algae-free. Have you noticed you don't ever see lawns like that in competition tanks? There's a good reason for it, which I found out the hard way. Maybe someday I will get it figured out, but right now, I'm just happy with some Elatine or Glosso. AZGardens.com sells the stuff by the square foot if you're up for the challenge
Nice set up and pics Travis!
Yeah, demasoni can be brutal to their own kind when in low numbers, but they seem to do better in bigger groups (which spreads out the aggression).
I've got about two dozen demasoni in one of my tanks. A perpetually active tank but no serious aggression problems.
Yeah, demasoni can be brutal to their own kind when in low numbers, but they seem to do better in bigger groups (which spreads out the aggression).
I've got about two dozen demasoni in one of my tanks. A perpetually active tank but no serious aggression problems.
travis simonson
Aquarium Advice Addict
kay-bee19 said:
Exactly. I've got two large males who fight all the time. Totally skinned up snouts. There are about five or six adult females and (and I'm just guessing here) about 10-20 juveniles that are just running for their lives most of the time. Having plants in the tank increases the survivability of the fry enormously. I'm taking about a half-dozen to my LFS every month just to keep the tank viable
Thanks Travis! I think that's the first Cichlid I've seen that I actually liked the look of. Too bad they're so mean, or I might actually have been tempted to give them a try. Guess I'll just have to enjoy them in pics of other people's tanks.
fastfly48
Aquarium Advice Freak
ok wow. wow is all I can say.
What a BEAUTIFUL tank and fish Trav! wow....
Super duper. Words are gone.
Fantastic stuff.
Kudos to you.
Ryland.
What a BEAUTIFUL tank and fish Trav! wow....
Super duper. Words are gone.
Fantastic stuff.
Kudos to you.
Ryland.
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
i agree that the demasoni is one of the best africans out there. i bought one to go in my new 55 gallon tank and he is amazing. i find that they are only agressive ot there own kind. i have labs, msobo deep cobalts and peacocks in my tank and 1 demasoni and he doesnt bother them at all. UNLESS... they go into his territory. he has dug a small hole under a little cave i have in the far right of the tank and unless the fish goes in there he just swims around happily. i will put a few pics of mine. what i really like about them is that all of them have the same amazing colour as where alot of cichlids can vary greatly in colour from 1 to the other. the only problem with them besides the agression is that they are impossible to sex. well... not impossible but the only way to do it is by venting which most fish stores will not do. maybe travis can tell wether mine is a male or a female by my pics? lol probably not but worth asking.
rippin17
Aquarium Advice Regular
the demasoni is a great fish. i have one of them in my african tank. so blue and pretty.
