Demansoni Sexing?

[tattae]

I would like to keep 15 demansoni in my 48"x20"x20" tank, ideally 2 males and 10+ females. I went to check them out at a fish store, but the seller can't tell the sex. They're only about 3cm long. Any suggestion how to do it?

Just to make you guys jealous. Over here, they're selling it 1.50 US$ each

Oh, and has anyone here has first hand experience in succesfully keeping demasoni specie tank?

Thanks

 

[Cheffi]

How many gallons is that tank?

"Males and females show the same colours from the first months of their life. Sexing them is anything but easy. A hint: Males (as with many other cichlids) will get a larger final size and theirs pelvic and dorsal fins are more pointed. But this is not the rule nor is it always easy to tell. After all, what does "pointed" mean ? Alternatively, the only fool proof way to tell them apart is venting but this requires some experience."

Not my own words but you get the idea?

 

[Ferris]

Very difficult to sex Demasoni and venting is the only way to be certain.

The following are some good pointers but cannot be taken as certainties:

1. Males tend to have a litle more black on them and the colours are ever so slightly bolder
2. Males tend to have more eggspots than females
3. Males dorsal fin is slightly longer and comes to a more defined point (although this is less obvious with Demasoni compared to other Mbuna

Here's a useful link with pics and info: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=849

I have kept a Demasoni species tank in the past so if you have any more questions, let me know.

 

[tattae]

Cheffi,
Sorry, not familiar with the gallon unit , but the dimension is 48"x18"x20" and thanks for the info.

Ferris,
Thank you for the advice. I guess it doesn't matter now. I went to my lfs again today, all the demasonis were sold out. The seller will pretty much select 15 from his 'farm' (not sure of the proper term) for me on Wednesday. So I don't really have a choice . But he told me it's ok if I need to exchange certain fish to different sex.

If I were to keep 15 demasoni, how critical it is to have the gender ration?

 

[Ferris]

Absolutely vital with Demasoni that you don't end up with too many males as adults or even sub-adults. To start with though, get the random 15 as juveniles if possible and you can return/exchange some males as they grow and when you can identify them better.

I would try to end up with 3 males ultimately and certainly no more than 4.