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Water and Health
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Demasoni not looking well
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Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Demasoni not looking well
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28 Jan 2011 22:43 #1
by tommyt (tommy tee)
Hi all, have a demasoni that frankly looks like crap, face has suken in, fins frawed etc so o moved him out and put in quarantine tank, he'll go for food hold if for a few secs then spit it out, he seems having trouble trying to swim down and is pulled to top of tank (upsey?)
I don't think if water related as all other fish are in great shape ( I use OA, and test frequently)
any ideas what I could do next? I think they are a fantastic looking fish,
any info/direction would be appreciated,
ta
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28 Jan 2011 23:26 #2
by JohnH (John)
Tommy,
Moved your topic from 'Introduce Yourself' to Water and Health - more appropriate.
Your Fish, I'm afraid to say, sounds not far from meeting its maker.
you ought to be prepared for the worst and accept that these things can happen - often for no apparent reason.
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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28 Jan 2011 23:53 #3
by tommyt (tommy tee)
Oops, sorry about that, thought I was posting it in 'cichlid' catagory... I'll blame it on having one eye on The WIre, and using iPhone to post.
Yeah that's pretty much what I thought, my regret is that I didn't move him sooner, any idea what causes this stress, bullying, genetics?
Tom
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29 Jan 2011 00:23 #4
by KenS (Ken Simpson)
They are great fish, but hard to keep. You either keep a couple in a 400l+ tank or keep them in high numbers and hope for the best. Sometimes it works and sometimes you'll loose all bar a couple.
What you describe sounds like "skinny disease". I've seen it many times in several species and have yet to sucessfully treat it and that includes antibiotics. Unfortunately there is not much you can do bar euthanise. Malawis will hang on for weeks before they succumb to illness so it's best to deal with it sooner rather than later.
Sorry I can't be more positive.
Regards,
Ken.
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29 Jan 2011 00:36 #5
by tommyt (tommy tee)
Yeah I heard that the should be in numbers too, when you say large numbers does imply an exclusive demasoni tank? I have a 430ltr tank, mixed malawi. What would advise on numbers of demasoni in that setup, I think they are probably one of the nicest malawi's out there and think they really add to the tank,
" euthanise" on that topic what's best? I don't want the wee fella to hang on in misery.
Cheers
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29 Jan 2011 01:30 #6
by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Your tank is a decent size. I would say 2 or 3 would be fine. Two females to one male would be best. Any more than that is hit and miss in my experience.
In terms of euthanising, I use clove oil. A few drops in a couple of litres of water does the trick. Add the clove oil very slowly to avoid stress. It's not the side of fishkeeping that I enjoy.
Regards,
Ken.
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29 Jan 2011 11:45 #7
by alan.s (alan)
sorry to hear that bud. i agree clove oil seems best and some vodka. hate that part myself.
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stretnik (stretnik)
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29 Jan 2011 17:38 - 29 Jan 2011 17:49 #8
by stretnik (stretnik)
Totally agree with Ken, absolutely gorgeous Fish but IMHO they require water conditions as pristine as Tropheus, I'd also suggest high populations, as high as your Tank will allow, they are pugnacious and bullies, larger numbers will dissipate the aggression, yours might itself be getting bullied.
Keeping Demasoni requires special attention to diet, Vegetable rich and Protein low.
I guess the discussion regarding methods of sending Fish to meet their maker could go on and on and on, my preference regarding same is, with smaller Fish.. I put them/it into a small bowel of water from the Tank and leave in the Freezer, they comatose before dying, for larger specimens I'm afraid I hit them off a hard surface, it is quick and I have NEVER experienced any " after effects " so to speak.
Kev.
Last edit: 29 Jan 2011 17:49 by stretnik (stretnik).
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30 Jan 2011 15:19 - 30 Jan 2011 15:20 #9
by tommyt (tommy tee)
thanks for the help guys, he wasnt easy to catch and there is still plenty of life in him yet, I think when he acts like he has given up then I will call in our buddies 'Clove and Smirnoff'
I might try 3 or 4 of them in tank and see how they get on, my waters are good and I test weekly, and I didnt see him getting a hard time from others, noting out of teh ordinary. Maybe its a food thing I use NFS and some peas/zuchinni the odd time...
cheers
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01 Feb 2011 21:17 #10
by derek (Derek Doyle)
i would have to say that for their size demasoni are the most agressive of all mbuna esp. with their own species. i have kept these several times and the only time that i had success was when i kept them with a group of salosi. the salosi males are almost exact pattern and colour copies of the demasoni but are a lot bigger and stronger and are able to dominate and keep the peace. both species bred well and there was no hybridisation. female salosi are yellow/orange.
with all of these type of mbuna it is better to keep them a bit crowded with good filtration and water changes and remember it is only really the males urge to breed that creates the aggression. in the lakes they have to be tough to survive and pass on their genes.
also lower temperatures lessen the desire to breed and thereby the aggro.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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02 Feb 2011 22:35 #11
by tommyt (tommy tee)
Thats interesting Derek, this guy i have is one of the smallest i have in the mixed malawi tank and there was just himself (i.e. 1 demasoni), I currently have him a quarantine tank that has 20 fry (in a floating hatchery) maybe I am imagining things but he seems to have improved, maybe its the young ones having a positive influence on him, last week he was spitting out food after holding it in is mouth for 1 minute or so, but i noticed he actually held it down yesterday and i can see the evidence coming out the other end
if he goes he goes but right now he's holdoiing his own and doesnt seem to float to top as much, i took pic of him at his worst and if there is a marked improvment then I'll post with updates.
cheers
tom
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05 Feb 2011 23:24 #12
by derek (Derek Doyle)
tommy, it is only with conspecifics that demasoni are squabbly. as they are smaller they will not really bother the bigger species and they in turn are usually not picked on. however in your case it seems like he was attacked by one of the bigger species and the floating to the top can be as a result of organ damage caused by butting attack.
he may recover if in isolation.
whats the current position
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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22 Feb 2011 11:40 #13
by tommyt (tommy tee)
well he's still pretty much the same although the floating to the top is less evident. His dark blue colour around head has gone splotchy, fins seem to be improving, he has been like this for well over a month and a testiment to his hardiness, I dont think he is in any pain and when I open the lid for food he is nearly taking it out of my hand. I have upped the greens on him (pea, spinach) as he still spits out NLS pellets (not all the time but some of the time)
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Demasoni not looking well
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