# Hello all, I'm new and have a question



## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

I been lurking of some time getting information and decided to take the plunge with african cichlids.

I have a new 34 gallon tank that I'm going to have 6 dwarf Pseudotropheus demasoni in there, and perhaps a 6 Yellow labs. I just got the demasoni in there now. (Purchased them from a good local fish store with quality stock and clean well kept tanks), They seem to be getting use to the new tank. Scouting out their own territory and cave. One thing I noticed was that they dont seem too interested in eating yet.

I purchased some high quality pellet cichlid food that are really small pellets because the fish are pretty small now too. 1in and smaller. The pelets look large for them, even though the pellets are very small. Should I look for a different food? Or are they still getting use to the tank.

The Ph 7.9 has been buffered and the temp of the tank is 78

Thanks for this great site and I hope to read responses soon!

Rob


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Welcome to CF! :thumb:

Demasoni should really be kept in larger groups, 10-12 minimum. Their aggression is conspecific, and they are almost impossible to sex (until they reach venting age), so my first suggestion would be to pick up another half dozen demasoni. Having only 6 of them may results in a disaster, with stressed, sick or dead fish. Not a good way to get started in the hobby!

What are the dimensions of the tank? The footprint of the tank makes a big difference in stocking, so that will be important to know. You may need to go with less Yellow labs, but you definitely need more demasoni!

What is your ph without buffering it? What are you using for your buffer? If it's not too low, you may not need to buffer your water at all. Buffers usually cause fluctuations, and a slightly low (or slightly high) ph is better than one that jumps all over the place.

Don't worry about them not eating just yet. I don't even attempt to feed new fish until they've been in the tank for 24 hours!


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## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks for the reply! Ill pick up another 6 Demasoni tomorrow  the dimensions is 36Lx13Dx20H. My ph from the tap is a little low 7. I ran the tank for 72hours to hopefully stabilize the pH and to desolve out any chemicals the water treatment plant might put in.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Since it's a 3 foot tank, I would go with the 12 demasoni, and 3-4 Yellow labs. You might pull off the 6 if you have great filtration and get a good male/female ratio, but I really think 3-4 would be plenty!

It's a pretty classic combo with those two species, but if you can get quality fish of both species, it's really hard to beat. The demasoni/yellow lab tank we used to have was one of my all time favourites, and I really regret getting rid of it.

I would probably buffer the water, too. Just stay away from those ph adjusters that the LFS sells...I've never seen them cause anything but trouble. There's a good homemade buffer recipe in the Chemistry section of the library here.

If the tank isn't cycled I would hold off a bit on adding more fish. You don't want to have too many fish in there while it is cycling. Did you do a fishless cycle before adding the demasoni?

If not, you're going to need test kits (liquid reagent are best) for ammonia, nitrate and nitrites, and you're going to need to monitor the tank very closely. You may have to instigate some frequent water changes if it wasn't cycled, to keep from doing long term damage to your fish. (You can also read up on the nitrogen cycle in the library here, if you're not familiar with it. :thumb: )


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## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

I did not do a fishless cycle. I never had nothing but issues with fishless cycles. The demasoni are the fish I'm using for the cycle. Should I hold off on getting the other 6, until the cycle is complete?

I used some Bio media from my 10 gallon tropical community tank to seed this tank with some beneficial bacteria, I'm just hoping these little fish will allow the bacteria to survive with the small amount of amonia that they will produce from their waste.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Media from a 10g. tank isn't much media but better than none. I would hold off on getting more dems until the cycle is complete but you will need the test kit to keep an eye on the ammonia , nitrites, & nitrate as it's cycling so you don't burn the fishes gills or worse. Water changes prevents this when the readings are high. You'll need a dechlorinator for the water too. Prime makes a good one that will also help with the ammonia during cycling. Good luck and keep us posted on how it's going :wink: .Also let us know if you have any more questions.


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## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks Dewdrop 

I will hold off on the addition of the other dems till I'm fully cycled. They are quite interesting fish. When I sit next to the tank they just keep looking at me, like I'm some wierd alien. I guess thats what I look like to them LOL. They are still little so I figure they will eventually get use to my presence.

One other question that I do have is about feeding. I ground up the smallest cichlid pellets from full spectrum and they seem to be able to eat that easier then the un ground pellet, but unlike other tropical fish I owned, they dont come to the surface to eat, and allow the food to drop to them and they then dart to the food. This is making it difficult for me to gague If Im over feeding them, because I usually only give enough food for the fish to eat in 3 min. But it looks like a good deal of the very little food I place in, maybe 2 pinches from the ground pelets, falls to the bottom never to be eaten. What should be the proper amount of food for these 6 dems during cycling? I dont want to over feed them but I also dont want them to starve.

Rob


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It's impossible to tell you how much crushed food to feed. It's a little easier to gauge if you go with flake for now. Demasoni are herbivores, so any veggie flake would do.

How big are they?

As a general rule, it's a good thing to not feed more than they can consume in 1 minute, if you're feeding twice a day - 2 minutes if you only feed once a day. You want to be especially careful with this since the tank isn't cycled. Waste from the food will speed up the cycling process, and make it quite hard on the fish.


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## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

They are pretty small right now. Approx 1" and less. Ill look at the veggie flake from my LFS this evening.

I only use approx 2 pinches of the crushed pellets, per day to try not to over feed them during the cycling.

I do test the water daily to make sure life isnt too hard on the fish.

Rob


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Stop measuring by "pinches". Feed them tiny amounts at a time until you can gauge how much they can consume in 1 or 2 minutes, max...If alot is hitting the bottom of the tank, you're feeding too much.

Also, switching to a flake will enable them to see the food that does make it to the bottom!


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## binro01 (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks Cichlidaholic,

I picked up some cichlid vegi flake last night and the Dems loved it and ate it in a fashion that I was able to assertain the proper amount to feed them!

Boy they are fun fish to watch and enjoy. Seems like they have a ton of personality even at this small stage.

Thanks again!

Rob


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You are welcome!

Demasoni are one of my all time favourites...All that attitude packed into such a tiny beautiful fish!

We had over 75 of them in a tank when we sold them...One of my biggest regrets!


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## happi_person (Nov 7, 2008)

i gave my demasonis brine shrimp and flakes and they seem fine. strange.. *** only got 4 demasonis and they all get along


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