demasoni numbers in a 75g

[elementkid65]

i have heard you need 12 demasoni together to stop agression by making the sub-alpha males "get lost in the crowd"

in a 75 gallon could i do 12 demasoni and 10 electric yellows
i do not want conflict, is a species only tank preferable for demasoni.
how many if so.
thanks

[kay-bee]

Demasoni's of both genders are very aggressive toward their own kind (which is why gender ratio's usually don't apply to them). The most aggressive of the group will probably be the largest males, but aggression isn't always same gender (a female could push around less dominant males or a male could be brutal toward an unreceptive female, etc).

The greater the quanitity of demasoni's the less likely they are able to selectively target one another (the likihood of aggression-related losses increases as their numeric quantity decreases).

With a dozen or more demasoni there will be an alpha (usually the largest and most the most dominant male demasoni of them all which can chase any other demasoni and is exempt from being chased), as well as a few 'lieutenants' (beta males which can harass any other demasoni except the alpha). Then there's the 'rank and file' (comprised of about half of the remaining population and consisting of both genders; demasoni in this group will spend their time quarreling with themselves and avoiding the wraths of the alpha and betas). The last segment of the population, (again comprised of both genders), will occupy the lowest echelon of the pecking order and will spend most of their time perpetually dodging short-ranged pursuits of all the others. Their presence (as well as that of the 'rank and file' demasoni) perform as diversions which will usually prevent the top males from eliminating each other, and so a balanced aggression (with no losses) is maintained.

When/if aggression-related losses occur they don't necessarily have to involve the alpha male as a beta male can eliminate another beta, or a 'rank and file' demasoni can 'take out' a rival or one of the bottom-ranked fish.

I'd probably stock either a few less yellow labs and increase the numbers of demasoni. 10-12 demasoni is considered the bare minimum to maintain this species, but if you happen to lose a couple of them (for whatever reason) a snowball effect of eliminations may occur because your numbers dipped below the recommended minimum, so it's good to have a buffer (15-18).

In a 75gal, I'd probably stock 6-8 yellow labs and two dozen demasoni. "Conflict" is inevitable when keeping demasoni's (and pretty much any fully matured mbuna for that matter), the goal is to attain a balance (perpetual pursuits and counter-pursuits but no casualties and potentially no nipped fins as well).

[elementkid65]

thanks i'll see how many demasoni i can get around here, if i can ill get 18
and the 6 labs. thanks
and by conflict i mean death fights

[number1sixerfan]

I had a 72g bow with 16 demasoni and 6 labs. It was a perfect combo and the alpha male could never hurt a single fish because there were so many of them. I never saw bitten fins or stressed fish, so the more the merrier!

[jpappy789]

I am just curious...how do they respond if new fish are added later?

[elementkid65]

i think you'd still need over 12.
i have heard people adding 1 or 2 to tanks later and they start claiming and defending the whole territory as theirs even though they are small and kill.