Aquarium fish pseudotrofeus demasoni. Pseudotrofeus demasoni: compatibility and propagation advice

Cichlids like aquarists their mobility, beauty and curious behavior. They are easy to care for and do not require increased attention. The blue pseudotrofuses of the demonsoni stand out with their bright colors and awaken the desire to learn more about them.

general characteristics

Pseudotropheus demasoni - pseudotrofeus demasoni in Russian - one of the most attractive representatives of the population of the African lake of Malawi. This bright striped cichlid belongs to the Mbuna group, which in the language of the local population means "resident of stones". In nature, the fish lives near the rocky shores of Tanzania.

Aquarists learned about this handsome man relatively recently - in 1994. This species was described by Ed Konings, a well-known researcher of the cichlids of Lake Malawi.

The area of the demosoni is the pseudotrophaeus - the Pombo cliff area. Fish feed mainly on algae growing on stones, but do not disdain larvae, small insects, mollusks and zooplankton.

Demasoni refers to dwarf cichlids, the length of his body is from 6 to 8 cm. Not great in this fish and the price. Pseudotrafeus demonsoni costs, depending on the size, from 120 to 400 rubles. In an aquarium, he can live 8-10 years.

Coloring

The body of the fish demonsoni pseudotrofeus has a torpedo shape typical for all relatives. We recognize it because of its characteristic coloration. The body of the fish is crossed by vertical bands - 5 light strips of very beautiful bright blue and 6 dark blue, almost black lines. Dark stripes start from the gill covers and end at the base of the tail.

The head of the demonsoni pseudotrofeus is also decorated with three blue and two dark horizontal bands. The last dark blue on the head turns into the first dark line on the body. The tail and fins are bordered by a thin blue stripe and have thorns to protect against predators. Our hero is often confused with a close relative - a pseudotrofeus elongatus. In this representative of cichlids, the bands reach only to the middle of the trunk. Therefore, if you see a fish with a uniform distribution of clear dark lines, this is the demonas pseudotrofeus.

How to determine sex demonsoni

Determine the sex of fish at a young age (up to 2 months) is impossible. And even when the fish grow up, the novice will not be able to cope with this task easily. Males and females have the same color, and it is difficult to distinguish them at first sight. On what to pay attention? The demasoni males are more aggressive in behavior, they are slightly larger than females, the strips on the sides are sharper and brighter. They can see elongated release on the anal fins. Dorsal fin longer and more pointed than females.

Features of the content

The inhabitants of Lake Malawi are quite demanding on the conditions of detention. They are classified as moderate or difficult to care for. Optimum water parameters for a fish:

• Temperature - 24-28 ° C;
• Acidity - 7,6-8,6 рН;
• The water hardness is 10-18 °.

Demasoni pseudotrofeus will feel great both in fresh water and in salted water. The experts differ about the addition of salt. Malawi is a freshwater lake, but its waters are rich in microelements. Their lack of domestic aquarists and make up with the help of small doses of sea salt.

So, you decided to have such an exotic fish, like the pseudotrofeus demonsoni. The content of the African will not bring additional trouble if you take into account all the nuances of leaving in advance.

The minimum volume for a group of fish from 4-5 females and one male is 150 liters. For a flock of 12 fish, among which there will be 2-3 males, you will need an aquarium of 400 liters. In a large numerous flock with a spacious territory and many shelters, intraspecific aggression is minimal.

The waters of Lake Malawi are clean, and the mbuns require the same freshness from their owners. A powerful filter and mandatory water changes of 30% each week will provide comfort to the fish.

To maintain the necessary rigidity, you can use special additives - argonite sand, coral chips or marble. In addition, fish like jewelry from stones with various grottoes and shelters.

Demasoni are distinguished by strong health, but in conflicts they can get injured. If the fish is injured or weakened, it is worth putting it in a separate container. For quick recovery into water, you can add methylene blue and common salt.

Feeding

Despite its aggressiveness, the demonsony pseudotrofeus are not predators. Therefore, just as in nature, their diet should consist mainly of plant foods. These can be special food for cichlids, aquarium plants, algae, scalded leaves of lettuce, dandelion, nettle.

Greens need to be scalded with boiling water, cool and press to the bottom with a stone. Fish can not immediately become interested in leaves. Leave for the night they do not need, it is better to cook the next day a new portion.

As a protein food Cyclops, daphnia, but tubular, bloodworm, coratra and small shrimp are too high-calorie. The ratio of plant and animal feed is approximately 70 to 30 percent. Due to the abundance of protein foods in the fish can have problems with digestion. It is better to feed the animals in small portions several times a day.

Breeding

On the bottom you need to put a few flat stones, to form from them the resemblance of caves and grottoes. It is there, on the territory of the male, and spawning will take place.

At 6 months of age, after reaching a size of 2.5 centimeters, the fish are already ready for reproduction. During the spawning period, the dominant male becomes particularly aggressive, and with a small volume of the aquarium and a lack of shelter, he can score opponents to death.

During spawning the male presses the female to the stones on its territory, after which it lays 5 to 15 eggs and takes them into the mouth. Fertilization occurs in the mouth of the female, where the eggs remain for a week before the fry leaves.

You can feed juveniles with artemia, cyclops and crushed flakes. Fry from an early age show aggression even to older comrades, so it's better to set them off. Young can suffer in fights with adults.

Compatibility with other fish

Who from aquarium fish is still so famous for its territoriality, like cichlids, including pseudotrofeus demonsoni? Compatibility of fish is an important moment when choosing the aquarium population. Demasoni are aggressive and do not get along with other aquarium fish, except for other breeds of mbun. In a stony aquarium, each individual has a territory from which it will drive away all rivals, so you need to choose fish that are not similar in appearance to the demonsony.

It excludes blue and yellow fish in a dark strip, such as cynotylapia afro and pseudotrofeus pawnshop. Quietly the demonsony will react to neighbors without strips - labiodochromis tollows, cichlids-hummingbirds, red zebras.

With proper and careful care, the pseudotrofeus demasoni will long delight you with its beauty and interesting behavior.