Might Be Too Aggressive To Be A Tankmate: Psuedotropheus Demasoni

Psuedotropheus demasoni

Psuedotropheus demasoni adult pictured. Males, females, and juveniles are colored identically making it somewhat difficult to sex them.

Common Names:
Location collected from: Pombo Rocks
Approximate Size: Just over 2 inches is their max size although some can grow larger in an aquarium.
Food: Will eat flake, daphnia, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, and mine scraped algae off of the rocks in their tank.
Water Conditions: Likes a pH of 7.5 – 8.5 and temperatures between 76 and 82 degrees F.
Breeding Behavior: Mouthbrooder. Males are quite aggressive towards females. Several females and lots of rock work are highly recommended. Males will chase other fish from their territory so no more than 1 male per tank if females are present is also recommended. Everytime my demasoni would spawn I would find another subdominate male dead. The largest spawn I got from mine was 12 fry.
Tankmates: I kept mine with Labidochromis sp. perlmutt, and Psuedotropheus aurora (for a short time). I tried a Neolamprologus tretocephalus but the demasoni beat him up. They also chased the 4.5 – 5 inch frontosa that was in with them. I have found that demasoni are more aggressive than any other African Cichlid I have kept. I have also found that any fish that has any blue coloring to them is not a good choice for a tankmate. Other mbuna should do well if there is plenty of rocks and hiding places.

Further Reading