# Demasoni?



## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

Hi all I bought this little guy or girl from my LFS today and it didn't have a label.. I've done some research and the closest I can find is the Demasoni...










Sorry about the crappy quality, phone picture...

TIA


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

I think it might be a saulosi.. I'm going to try and get another picture


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## Melanochromis (Mar 30, 2005)

I don't think it's saulosi or demasoni, but post another pic to get better ID.


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

I figured out how to focus my phone so I got a few pictures! :lol:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Some type of M. zebra complex, or Pseudotropheus elongatus complex, or hybrid... can't really tell yet.


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

Thankyou!

I thought he might be some sort of hybrid as I've never seen a purple cichlid like that before... he's beautiful though, sucks I can't get him some females


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

I think he was just nervous and lost his colour because I was chasing him around with a net.. at the moment the purple part is a light blue and the stripes are a dark blue/black


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## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

Is his stomach always that large and round? Or had he just eaten?


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

I thought he looked a little round too but he'd just eaten and I checked him this morning and he's back to normal!


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## siegfthom (Apr 5, 2009)

I'd put him on a diet... he lucks a little plump


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

I, too, had a fish just like that. No one was able to identify it, and it was presumed to be some sort of an Met estherae X Cynotilapia hybrid.


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

ahh! thankyou..

what kind of females could I get for him? and if they were to breed I would definately keep the hybrid fry... I just feel bad for him!


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

CaseyV said:


> ahh! thankyou..
> 
> what kind of females could I get for him? and if they were to breed I would definately keep the hybrid fry... I just feel bad for him!


If it is, indeed, a male, he'll breed with just about any female mbuna. Since he resembles a zebra type, he'll most likely breed with red zebra females.

My male bred with both of my red zebras (also shown in the picture above), one of which was also a hybrid red zebra. When he bred with the hybrid zebra, a portion of the fry came out drab and brown in color, others were orange - that resembled the mother, and just a few of them were blue - that resembled the father.

When he bred with a pure red zebra, I only got 6 fry out of the spawn, all of which were red.

Hybrids are, however, extremely unpredictable in both their appearance and behavior. Your fry might look very drab in color and be extremely aggressive, for example. Would you really want to keep them, in that case? Also, keep in mind, that a single spawn may result in as many as 25-50 fry. And these fish will spawn every other month or so. So, do the math.

If you want to get a few females for him, that's fine. I just wouldn't recommend keeping any of the fry. Just let the female spit the fry in your tank, nature will take it's course, and most will get eaten. Sounds cruel, I know. But as I've previously stated, you can't possibly keep all of the fry because there will be far too many. You also can't sell or distribute any of them because they are hybrids.


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

no I understand about letting her spit in the tank! I have ALOT of spare tanks that I could set up for a few of the fry! I'm thinking I could pick a few and leave the rest in the tank.

I just really want some tiny babies! LOL

after the first time one of the girls has babies I'll just leave them all in the tank.. I've read something about a fish that is good for fry control? I may look into getting a few of those..

but red zebra females it is! Thankyou


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

When I started my tank more than a year ago we bought 2 fish (along with others) that looked just like that guy/gal. One died the other is still alive and well.










Heres another pic of him with some of the others.


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

Oh i just got 2 fishes that look exactly like yours, one switches to pale cream and looks amazing.. has a lil yellow on his belly and on the dorsal fin.. they look exactly like yours (but smaller) you ever ID them??

Btw CaseyV yours looks like an elongatus.. here's a pic of my demasoni; looks really different


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

I asked about it quite a few threads down and got no real answer. The pics I took of him were week or so ago, his belly is starting to turn yellow. He is actually is a really nice fish and gets along so far with all the others. But then again he is the biggest in there next to the yellow and black one in the pic.


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## CaseyV (Jan 2, 2010)

When he gets in a mood his colours turn exactly like these shades of blue if that helps at all


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