# Thoughts on keeping M. auratus with P. demasoni



## mstatdfield (Jan 20, 2008)

Hello everyone. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are on keeping a group of M. auratus with a group of P. demasoni. I think that combining the yellow/black/white horizontal strips of the M. auratus and the purple/black vertical strips of the P. demasoni would look stunning together. A few weeks ago I moved 22 M. auratus fry (1") from a grow out tank to my 75g. The plan is to net out the lesser males as they begin to show their adult colors. That way I end up with 11 females and 1 male. Other than some synos and plecos they are the only species in there right now. I know how aggressive the M. auratus can be from experience and I have read the same about the P. demasoni, but I am wishfully thinking that they will kind of cancel each other out. Do you guys think they will be all right together? Anyone have experience with combining them?


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## Mobius1230 (Sep 22, 2008)

It might work with like 1m auratus and lots of females auratus. Demasoni would need to be in a group of say 20


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## Mobius1230 (Sep 22, 2008)

There will be certain deaths.


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## SonnyBunz (Jul 27, 2008)

mstatdfield said:


> but I am wishfully thinking that they will kind of cancel each other out.


That might just happen but not in the way you are imagining....


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## mstatdfield (Jan 20, 2008)

I agree that the key to the M. auratus is keeping them down to one male. I have always kept them and the problems I have had have resulted from more than one male or not enough females for a male. From what I have read about the P. demasoni they aren't to aggressive towards their own kind (male or female) if you have a bunch of them all together. Also, I thought the two look very different, which should defuse some aggression. I went ahead and ordered 20 P. demasoni from one of the site sponsors. I'll post an update in a few months after they have spent some time together. I am hoping to end up with 12 M. auratus (11F/1M) and 12 P. demasoni (6F/6M). Can't wait to see if it works!


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I'd be interested to know how this turns out. I'm betting on a 2 species 75 gallon tank working well. Even better, since you have experience with Auratus. Keep us posted.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I think it might be okay, if you can pull all extra males with the auratus, and do it quickly. (I'd really recommend more like a 6 foot tank for auratus, having bred them for years, but you might pull it off if you get lucky.)

This isn't necessarily true, though...


> From what I have read about the P. demasoni they aren't to aggressive towards their own kind (male or female) if you have a bunch of them all together.


Their aggression is conspecific, which means they do not tolerate other blue barred fish very well. But even with a large group of them, if you have an overly heavy male load, it can be problematic. The good news is that starting with 20, you can pull a few males if need be and still have enough of them to make a decent sized group.


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## mstatdfield (Jan 20, 2008)

> Their aggression is conspecific, which means they do not tolerate other blue barred fish very well. But even with a large group of them, if you have an overly heavy male load, it can be problematic. The good news is that starting with 20, you can pull a few males if need be and still have enough of them to make a decent sized group.


 :thumb: 


> This isn't necessarily true, though...
> Quote:
> From what I have read about the P. demasoni they aren't to aggressive towards their own kind (male or female) if you have a bunch of them all together.


I was mostly basing my comments on the information in the species specific article on this site. "Male to female ratio is unimportant when they're kept in groups of this size, which is a bonus, because accurately determining their gender can be a futile task." Although I hear what you are saying. Most of my problems keeping cichlids tend to be the result of male dominance issues. So it would be hard to believe that the P. demasoni would be any different. We need a "I've got my fingers crossed" emoticon.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You are right. It can be almost impossible to sex them before they reach spawning age, and even then, if you don't know how to vent, you're up the proverbial creek without a paddle!

Buying larger groups of them gives you a better chance to come away with a good male/female ratio.

Their aggression level towards each other is pretty intense, so it is _worse_ than some species. Males can be really rough on other males, but they are also rough on the females.

I got really lucky with my group of 20...15 females and 5 males, and it worked out perfectly. Hopefully, you will do the same! :thumb:


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## Super Turtleman (May 21, 2007)

Good luck with this tank. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. :thumb:


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