# Haps with Demasoni and.....



## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

Hi everyone

I have a 150 gallon at the moment with quite the mix to say the least. Most of it works but there are a few changes I would like to make. I'm building up a 255 gallon which most of these fish will go into. I will be getting rid of most of my mbuna but would like to keep yellow labs, rusties and Demasoni with my haps/peacocks has anyone had any luck with this kind of setup I really like the demasoni and would like to have say 15 of them with peacocks and things like C moorii, O. Lithobates, Venustus, Milomo, F. rostratus, P. penochilious (spelling?). I also have 1 Tropheous bemba flame and a male Labeotropheus trewavasae (Mpanga) I'm hoping to also keep but none of these have made it into the new tank yet and suggestions are welcome. 
The 255 is a 6ft long and almost 3' tall I will have lots of open areas with a reef type column of holey rock built up to the top of the tank.
I'm also going to have a school of dither fish.

Thanks to everyone in advance for your help.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Well umm...for one thing, demasoni are dwarf cichlids. Even at full-grown size, they are going to be looked at as food for the large haps (milomo, rostratus, etc) when they get bigger.

Personally, I don't like keeping mbuna with haps/peacocks (except the usual, "peaceful" labs or maybe acei) because I feel the much faster, much more aggressive mbuna stress the haps/peacocks out and make life not all that fun for them. Of course, you're talking a much bigger tank than I've ever seen, so maybe it would work out better, I can't say from personal experience...


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm more familiar with mbuna than haps or peacocks. Maybe the haps and peacocks swim up higher in the water than mbuna do but if they don't and stay lower in the water too, then I'd get some acei to fill the top part of such a tall tank. From what I've seen of the acei, they are a pretty mild mannered mbuna and might be ok with haps and peacocks but check with someone that knows more than I do first :wink: .


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

SinisterKisses said:


> Well umm...for one thing, demasoni are dwarf cichlids. Even at full-grown size, they are going to be looked at as food for the large haps (milomo, rostratus, etc) when they get bigger.
> 
> Personally, I don't like keeping mbuna with haps/peacocks (except the usual, "peaceful" labs or maybe acei) because I feel the much faster, much more aggressive mbuna stress the haps/peacocks out and make life not all that fun for them. Of course, you're talking a much bigger tank than I've ever seen, so maybe it would work out better, I can't say from personal experience...


Thanks SinisterKisses
I figured that a demasoni would be just big enough at 3-4" to stay out of the mouths of 10" haps (the rostratus gets bigger but I hear they don't really go after other fish) I will also have quite a holey rock structure for them to hide in if being picked on.

Although I'm married you can tell all the girls what you said above "much bigger ......than I've ever seen" :lol:


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

Dewdrop said:


> I'm more familiar with mbuna than haps or peacocks. Maybe the haps and peacocks swim up higher in the water than mbuna do but if they don't and stay lower in the water too, then I'd get some acei to fill the top part of such a tall tank. From what I've seen of the acei, they are a pretty mild mannered mbuna and might be ok with haps and peacocks but check with someone that knows more than I do first :wink: .


Thanks, Dewdrop
I own both the demasoni and the haps/peacocks (all still young fish)in my 150 with little trouble (a red zebra is a pain but he won't make the new tank) I have no trouble with the haps swimming in the upper column of water. My concern is when they all get a little bigger how things may change. If given the choice the haps will win over the mbuna.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Lol what I actually meant to type was the tank is bigger than I've ever had set up myself, but somehow that ended up being typed and by the time I noticed, it was too late to edit...so consider it a free (though accidental, lol) compliment


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