kenyi chiclids

[One_Trick_Pony]

can i keep a group of females of either spieces together , principly this question is about kenyi, and Pseudotropheus demasoni

i love the look of them but am worried about male agression in a tank contiuing more then one male, so with Pseudotropheus demasoni i thought all females could be an answer, of even a group of femal kenyi

bascailly can this be down

and what size tank are we talking for a decent number

cheers

otp

 

[vantgE]

55 gallon should be minimum for both of these.
IMO if you don't want a headache don't get demasoni, one reason is you have to sex them, If you do it wrong then you'l have problems latter and many deaths. but if you want like an all demasoni tank might as well keep the one male and 20 females I see very little problems like this, and you get too see them breed.

Lombardoi are much easier to keep and not as agresive aas everyoen says as long as they have their own space. Again I don't see any point going all females if you want a safer tank maybe extra females (1:5 with lombardoi 1:10 with kennyi), but with out a male it will be much less intresting

PLUS IMO maylandia lombardoi are the best

 

[freddyk]

1:5 with lombardoi 1:10 with kennyi

They're the same fish...

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

personal i dont like the ornage male colouration, at least there will beno prob with a mass of females!!!! kenyi i am tlaking here not demonasi

so if i got a 55gl how many femal kenyi could i fit if i want for a spcies tank, and if not any ideas for simerlar sized tnak mates???

cheers

otp

 

[freddyk]

You're looking at about 10-20 specimens, depending on what your filtration is and how devoted you are to maintenance. The fish can handle very overstocked environments, but you might not be able to - it's a judgement call.

In your case if you wanted 12 fish you'd likely want to start with closer to 20 anyway, to ensure you got the number of females you were looking for.

For tankmates you need fish that can keep up with the aggression. There are many options, it's easier to make the choice from what's available, unless you are going to order online.

 

[vantgE]

1:5 with lombardoi 1:10 with kennyi

They're the same fish...

oops I know that, i meant 1:10 demasoni

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

so if i want an all femlae speices tnak, i would be looking at around 20? is there a realiable way of just getting females??

 

[freddyk]

I was implying that you need to start with 20 fish to make sure you get 12 females. If you wanted 20 females you may want to start with close to 30 fish. The only way you'll be able to sort out male and female is to buy them and let them color up, and then remove males as you identify them. These fish are usually sold as juveniles, so they all look the same.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

ok so how many females would we be talking in a 55? and would it be best to buy all the juveis at once?

 

[freddyk]

you can buy them at once or in a couple of batches, but adding just one or two specimens to an established tank can create problems.

As for how many, how diligent are you with upkeep, and what kind of filtration are you running on the tank?

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

i dont even have te tank yet its all resaerch

 

[freddyk]

For the average fishkeep I'd recommend about 12-14 in a 55 gallon with typical filtration and maintenance. It's impossible to give an accurate number, and you'll find stocking levels will largley be determined by experience on your part.