Pseudotropheus demansoni tank pics.

[DARKPHREAK]

Just thought I'd post some pics of my main and fry demansoni tanks. Redid the rock work on the main tank, just need to add some more rocks to hide the heater and filter intake.

6G fry tank

Can never get a good pic of the whole tank

3 age groups in there now


29g demansoni and lab tank




Another female is holding so sometime this week I'll be moving her over to the fry tank to let her spit. Maybe if all goes well by the end of July I'll have some fry to give away if anyones interested.

[Nelson]

Can you tell me something about the clawed guy..crayfish?  Often thought about adding one but didn't think it would fair well in a cichlid tank.  If there's any chance they would I'd really like to add one or two.

[DARKPHREAK]

I think its a Blue Knight Lobster. He might get really big, 12" or so but that should take time. I've watched him sit beside a lab for 20 minutes and not make any moves of aggression. Guess it all depends on the type of cichlid you have but my 5 demansoni and 2 labs dont see him as food.  I'd imagin that if a big cichlid got to close he'd throw a few punchs. Hes doing a great job of eating leftover food at the bottom and looks really awsome.

[Nelson]

Thanks for the info, did you buy him locally?

[artw]

those are nice looking rocks. where did you get them?
nice fish too.

[ambushman2j]

I have seen lobsters like that at SP and big als..I was going to buy one from big als about a year ago but the guy said there was a chance he would cut my cichlids in 2 in the middle of the night..so I said hell with that, it's quite possible I was given bad advice tho

[DARKPHREAK]

I got him at a small shop east Montreal ( http://www.aquariusweb.qc.ca/  ). As for the rocks I couldnt find any in Ottawa but got those at The Nature Center in Point-Claire, costly though 6.99/kg. It seems the prices are abit better in the Montreal area, for instance Big Al's(mont) Amano shrimp for 1.99$ compared to Big Al's(ott) 3 for 16.00$. Maybe once the lobster gets bigger he might show aggression, for now the he and the tankmates get along fine.

[Nelson]

Checked a few sites that discuss lobsters (crayfish) in general and the Blue Knight in particular.  Reports are pretty consistant, relatively small, easily bred, generally non-aggressive but very territorial towards their own kind, minimum 20 gals per lobster, needs a lot of rock and deep substrate for burrowing, not fish eaters as a rule (only because they can't catch them) and good bottom feeders.  I've also noted rediculous prices of up to $49.95 (US).  I'm interested in one or two, I think it would be quite a novelty in my 120.

[JEREMY]

Nelson,

 I had some of these in my 108 gallon last year,,, they lived about a month,,, Big Al's usually has them and sells them for around 19.99 f i remember correctly.....

Jeremy...

[DARKPHREAK]

I sure hope ours lasts longer then a month but they are so fun to watch we'd get another one.

Just a small update. I took another female out at 4am this morning and put her in the fry tank where she spit 4 more. There could have been more but due to my haste when I was emptying the tank I could have sucked a few up. The females seem to spit one or two before shes ready to let them all go. The fry spend the first 2-3 days in the duckweed before swimming more freely.