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FAQs on Pelmatochromis/Pelvivachromis genus
Cichlids
Related Articles: Kribs &
Their Cousins By Neale Monks,
African Cichlids,
Cichlid Fishes,
Related FAQs: Cichlid
Systems,
Cichlid Identification,
Cichlid Behavior,
Cichlid Compatibility, Cichlid Feeding,
Cichlid Disease, Cichlid
Reproduction,
Cichlids in General,
Dwarf South American Cichlids, African
Cichlids,
Oscar Selection,
Angelfishes,
Discus,
Chromides,
Neotropical Cichlids, Oscars,
Flowerhorns,
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Spawning Kribs
11/20/09
I would like to set up my 35 US gallon tank, with dimensions 24" length
X 16" width X 21" height, for Kribs. Is this large enough for one or two
pairs of Kribs? - also, are there any fish that would make decent
companions and would pose little threat to the spawn?
< Go with one pair instead of two. Any group of small schooling fish
would be fine. Stay away from barbs. Bottom fish like catfish are
considered a threat to the spawn by the parents.-Chuck>
Kribs in Quarantine-
Quarantine New Cichlids 05/27/09
Dear Crew, I have 5 Pelvicachromis sp. approximately 1.5 -2 inches in
length in a 10 gallon quarantine tank. Ammonia and Nitrite are 0,
Nitrates are 5 ppm and pH about 8, temperature 78F. They have several
PVC "caves" and some fake floating plants for cover. My questions:
1) Is it better to remove the hiding places so that I can observe them
while in QT? Currently they hide about 99% of the time in or between the
PVC pipes. I don't want to stress them out by removing their
sanctuaries.
< You need to be able to see them to determine any problems. I
understand your concern by stressing them out, so try at least once a
day to remove the caves so they can be evaluated.>
2) I have had the fish for 3 days and they have not yet eaten. I have
offered several food items, small bits of floating Cichlid sticks,
freeze-dried bloodworms and thawed bloodworms. They have not come out of
hiding for any of these. Do I need to provide a sinking pellet for these
Cichlids?
< If you look at their mouths you can see that they are slightly
downturned. A sinking food would probably be eaten.>
3) One of the 5 has very dark coloring, I understand that this is a sign
of stress. The other 4 show normal coloration. Is it better to go ahead
and add these fish to the main tank or keep them in QT for observation?
Currently it is very difficult to determine if the fish in question has
any physical damage or infection because of Question 1 above.
<You do not mention the species. If these are wild fish then you could
have more than one species and that would account for the darker color.
Look for other symptoms like clamped fins or white spots.>
Mostly I'm concerned that they hide constantly and haven't eaten. I know
they can go maybe a week safely without eating but they've got me
worried.
Thank you for your help, Evan
< Dwarf cichlids are very shy by their nature. It will take them awhile
to become use to their new surroundings. You are doing the right thing
by isolating them. They will eat when they get hungry. Try and
find out something about these fish from where you purchased them. Wild
fish may take some time to get adjusted.-Chuck>
Kribs Behavior 10/6/08
Hello, Neale.
<Mark,>
I have a question regarding my Kribs behavior.
<Oh?>
I have 20 gallon hexagon planted aquarium with 8 harlequin Rasboras and 10
cardinal tetras. I think these fish look very good in small tank, but I wanted
to have some characters.
<Ah, do be careful with "hexagon" tanks. While the capacity sounds good on
paper, benthic fish like dwarf cichlids measure their worlds by surface area,
specifically the bottom of the tank. So anything other than a long, rectangular
tank will feel small to them, even if on paper it sounds fine to you.>
So I decided to stock it with rams. Everything was perfect except I could keep
them alive for not more than 2-3 months. After 2-3 months all of them had hole
in the head and died within 2-3 days. I made 3 trials, got fish from different
stores with same result: hole in the head and death.
<As I've said repeatedly here, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is not a community fish.
This species needs warm (28-30 C) of high quality (near-zero nitrate), low
hardness (<5 degrees dH) and low pH (5-6). In anything other than these
conditions it is next to impossible to maintain, and much commercial stock is
poor quality anyway, and "juiced up" on antibiotics by the breeder to keep them
looking good at the retailer, but not likely to stay healthy much beyond that.>
I start to think about something easier... Kribs. I went to LFS and bought a
pair: male and female. Male killed female right away. I thought it is an
accident and bought another female. It was killed right away. Very quickly and
mercifully.
<Tank is too small... neither fish can define a safe territory. Despite reports
to the contrary in the fishkeeping press, wild fish are harem spawners, with
males holding big territories, within which they tolerate the territories of
mature females who mate with them. Put a random female into a random male's
territory, and you're asking for trouble if the two fish can't set up distinct
territories away from each other.>
I decided to trade my aggressive male and obtain breeding pair. I went to the
store and I found a beautiful female. I could not resist and bought it again...
They pair off. I got fry after few weeks.
<OK.>
The problem is that I never had a fry after that (about 6 months). Why?
<Could be any number of reasons, but most probably one or other of the fish
isn't healthy.>
Few days ago I noticed that my male attacking my female. She completely lost her
color and was very pale. Her fins and tail were damaged and she was hiding at
very top of the tank, behind the heater. What happened?
<Have seen this with Pelvivachromis spp. generally, and seems related to
infections, such as Hexamita, brought on more than likely by water quality
issues. Do review in particular nitrate concentration. All cichlids are prone to
nitrate poisoning, and honestly anything above 20 mg/l is bad for them. May also
be dietary, social behaviour... a range of things are possible.>
I start to think about rehoming my Kribs, but after 3-4 days female got her
color back, and both Kribs swimming together again and chasing my other fish.
How could you explain this kind of attitude? Should I continue to worry about my
male Krib aggression?
<I wouldn't "worry" as such, but I would observe, review diet, water chemistry,
water quality -- basically look for anything sub-optimal.>
I apologize for my grammar. English is my second language.
<And pretty darn good at it you are!>
Thank you,
Mark
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Breeding Pelvivachromis Pulcher (A.K.A.
Kribs) 6/10/08
Hey again crew. I was just lying in bed last night when I decided that I'd
like to do something I haven't tried yet and have a go with trying to breed
fish. I thought I'd kill to birds with one stone and try both breeding and a
fish I've never kept before, the Kribensis after finding out that it was a good
beginning breeder fish and an all around hardy fish. The breeding equipment
would consist of a 10 gallon aquarium with a half inch of gravel, numerous
plastic plants, a 10 gallon tetra power filter with a sponge filter cover on the
intake pump, and a quarter coconut shell as a breeding site. My questions are: I
read on your site that the Krib breeds readily, but the pH dictates the ratio of
sex in a brood. If I am only looking for a successful brood, is pH important?
< This depends on your definition of successful. Kribs will spawn between a pH
of 6 to 8 and be able to raise all the fry. The closer the pH is to 7, the
better the chances of getting a 50/50 sex ratio.>
Second is my filtration adequate?
< AS long as it is regularly cleaned it should be fine.>
Third, are lights a necessity?
< The fish need to see each other or else they can't spawn. Besides, what fun is
it to have your fish spawn if you can't see what's going on?>
I have read that Kribs need a planted tank for breeding. Lastly, how does one go
about conditioning the fish? I plan to use either frozen brine or bloodworms,
and the tank is stocked with guppy fry.
< I would recommend regular water changes and keep the water around 80 F. Frozen
brine doesn't have much nutritional value. Kribs are very poor piscivores so the
baby guppies are a waste of space. I would recommend a high quality pellet food
with occasional feedings of bloodworms.-Chuck.>
Thanks guys!
A few Kribensis questions 4/22/08
Good afternoon.
My son's Kribs have become parents, and the fry have been swimming freely now
for about a week. The parents and fry are in a well planted 14 gallon tank by
themselves and the parents seem to be doing a great job herding them around and
leading them to food (and not eating them).
<Very good! Do check the pH though: if you have a pH above 7, you'll get mostly
males; if the pH is below 7, mostly females. Tropical fish shops -- for obvious
reasons -- only want equal numbers of males and females, so establish the pH and
then decide whether raising the fry is worth it. Remember, surplus fry in the
community tank will eventually get attacked by the parents as they prepare to
breed again, and that's when things become chaotic (and bloody).>
The stand on which the 14 gal aquarium is on is rather large, and he was
recently given a 30 long (with lighting, filter, heater!) that he would like to
eventually set there, but I was not sure what the reaction would be of the Krib
parents if they partially drained their tank to move it with the Kribs in it to
a smaller surface, or netted them all to a temporary container/tank then moved
the tank and put
them back if the fry might be endangered by the parents.
<Parents will likely eat the eggs/fry, and then spawn a couple of weeks later.>
If they do need to wait, what is the safest time/age of the fry to move the
tank. The 30 might be their eventual home after it has been properly cycled in a
month or two, which is also why they would like to be able to move it sooner
than later to allow time for that.
<You can't move parents and fry, and then expect the "bond" between them to be
stable. Rather, you wait until one batch of fry is mature enough to rear
yourself (which you could do right now, but is easier after 2-3 weeks) and then
remove all the fry. Then move the parents, and let them start over.>
Also, I have a tank with Kribs of my own and was wondering about salts.
<Kribs do not need salt. What they ideally want is soft to moderately hard water
at pH 7. Anything other than that is less than ideal, and causes problems with
sex ratio in the brood.>
I noticed that marine salt and cichlid salt has a lot of other trace minerals
that a lot that plants actually like quite a bit compared to aquarium salt which
is just sodium chloride, namely potassium, calcium and magnesium.
<No relation here: the minerals in marine salt aren't the ones plants use. So
one doesn't remove the need for another. The *elements* like potassium may be
the same, but the minerals (*compounds*) are completely different. Similar to
the fact we need oxygen to breathe, but can't "breathe" carbon dioxide, despite
the fact that gas contains oxygen.>
Are any of these salts safe using or beneficial in a community Krib tank (with
barbs, glassfish) that also has an S.A.E. and Otos.
<Glassfish are quite happy with salt, but none of your other fish want/tolerate
salt.>
If not, and hopefully not a dumb question, what are the non-salt tolerant fish
non tolerant of specifically that are in these different types of salts? Sodium
in
any form?
<It's complicated, and to do with pH, carbonate hardness, general hardness, and
salinity -- all different ways of describing different aspects of the mineral
composition of water. Every environment is different, and fish evolved to work
in one set of conditions may not work in another. The best thing with community
fish is to aim for soft to moderate hard, zero salinity, neutral pH water. Apart
from livebearers, most community fish will be very happy with that. Cheers,
Neale.>
Kribs and company 4/15/08
Hello,
I have a 20 gallon moderately planted aquarium that has aragonite sand, mostly
to buffer our very "unbufferable" city water, but the reason I am mentioning it
is to give you my tank conditions in which I keeping my Kribs. I know they will
adapt to a range of conditions, but I must keep them in a tank where the Ph is
consistently 7.5-7.6.
<Pelvivachromis will live at 5-25 degrees dH, pH 6-8. The main problem is that
pH affects sex ratios in their broods: pH above 7, mostly male fry; pH below 7,
mostly female fry. If you aren't breeding them and don't want to sell the fry,
then don't worry about the water chemistry too much.>
I was adding marine salt to give it a SG of 1.002 because I had a few
livebearers in there, but they now have their own tank, so I don't keep it at
the SG anymore, although I do add a teaspoon per 5 gallons when I do water
changes.
<At this dose, likely doesn't do any harm nor much good!>
I currently have the Krib pair, 3 x-ray tetras and a couple of ghost shrimp. My
question is this: is a 30" aquarium a long enough tank to house two pairs of
Kribs or another small cichlid pair(s)...
<Most likely not; Kribs are very territorial and aggressive when spawning, and
the females especially seem to be very pugnacious. Best stick with one pair of
Kribs.>
... and if not, what other fish (other than livebearers) can live comfortable in
the more alkaline/harder water that I have that would be able to co-exist with
my current tanks fish.
<Most barbs and rainbowfish thrive in hard water, and some barbs in fact are
even found in brackish water (e.g., Ticto Barbs). Most tetras should do well,
though they don't really like salt, though funnily enough the X-Ray Tetra is one
exception being found in slightly brackish waters. You might also consider
midwater catfish such as the Glass Catfish and the African Glass Catfish, both
of which are rather adaptable and active fish. Indian Glassfish and Halfbeaks
would both make interesting oddballs, Halfbeaks especially being not only feisty
and therefore fun to watch, but also breedable.>
Keith
<Cheers, Neale.>
Kribensis
with popeye, hole in the head, a proto or fluke spike protruding from
between two scales & ich..... 2/21/08
Sorry for the length of this submission-
But, this is a complicated matter-
I have a Kribensis with popeye, hole in the head, a proto or fluke spike
protruding from between two scales & ich..... A crazy combination that I
would think all stems from poor conditions.
This however is not the case. He came out of a healthy 55 gallon
community tank with a balanced load of fish (including other Kribi's),
under gravel filtration & a more than sufficient canister filter.
The #'s are 0(ish) Ammonia, 0(ish) Nitrites & 8.2-8.4ph. Water changes
are frequent. Diet is varied and high quality. The other fish did not
pick on him. In all, it is a healthy, stress-free tank....
My first suspicions of cause(s) were based on the fish being a recent
addition:
The fish was only in the tank for 14 days-
He came from a planted display tank at a good LFS, he had been there 6+
months, had always looked healthy & had recently spawned- (his mate came
home with us too.)
After 14 days the popeye developed. Again, I thought stress of transport
& netting.
Other possible causes / stressors may have been:
New (well rinsed) carbon (could have contributed to the HITH too?)- And
/ Or, new beads in the filter- Or, a new plastic spray bar on the filter
contributing toxins that the fish is sensitive too.....?
No other fish showed, or have shown (5 days later now), signs of any
illness.
I moved the sick fish to a quarantine tank and began medicating /
treating with Maracyn Plus (replaced % after water changes), adding
Aquarium salt at 1tblsp per 10 gal (replaced % after water changes), 20%
daily water changes and a temperature of 82 degrees F.
The fish has now developed hole in the head (some scarring indicates it
might have been effected before) that also extends to the gill plates, a
spike near the tail that looks like a fluke / proto & ich flecks in 3
areas...... This little guy is a hot zone.
The last part of this whole confusing ordeal is that he is fighting so
well-
The fish stays mid tank at the bottom, upright, fins up / out, eyes are
clear, colors are bright as ever, is attentive and eats (though
challenged by impaired vision through 'popped' eyes...)
Aside from all the measures being taken, can you make additional
suggestions as to the cause(s) and / or treatment?
I am considering augmenting the current treatment(s) with copper for the
ich as it is acceptable to use in conjunction with Maracyn.
Any insight or info is appreciated.
Thank You-
Matt
<Hello Matt. Dwarf Cichlids across the board are sensitive to dissolved
metabolites. Your fish certainly has HITH/HLLE. There are few reliable
cures (Metronidazole is most recommended), so it is one of those things
you try to avoid that fix.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hllefaqs.htm
In any case, once fish are infected, even if you cure the symptoms, the
disease often comes back again. It is widely believed that there are a
combination of factors involved, but water quality is the trigger even
if there is a specific pathogenic organism that does the harm. In other
words, it's a lot like Finrot. The best I can recommend is treating the
fish with Metronidazole, ideally in its own aquarium. But I haven't seen
small cichlids with this amount of damage recover, so can't offer much
hope in the long term. Do please remember carbon removes medications
from the water, so if you treat a fish, remove the carbon. The addition
of salt is probably not necessary either; contrary to myth, Kribs aren't
especially associated with brackish water, and long term exposure to
salt can damage freshwater fish. Cheers, Neale.> |
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Kribensis pair fighting
Breeding Aggressive Krib Parents 11/19/07
Hi, thanks for the great site. I bought a breeding pair of albino Kribs
about a month ago and put them in a 15 gallon, lightly planted tank with 2
cardinal tetras. I noticed when I brought them home that the female was quite
bloated and red around the belly, and sure enough she laid her eggs in a cave 2
days later. The eggs hatched, but after a few days the babies had all
disappeared. I assumed it was because they had been in the tank for such a short
time. About two weeks later the female laid eggs again in her cave, everything
was going fine and the pair was taking the fry around the tank, but 3 days after
the fry came out of the cave the female started to show aggression towards her
mate, nothing too serious until one morning when I found the male being chased
around the tank relentlessly with most of his tail and lower fins bitten off. I
removed the male for fear of him being killed by the female. My question is
this: why would the female suddenly try to kill her mate? I have re-introduced
the male twice in the past few days but the female continues to attack him.
Thanks
<These fish are probably young and are not very comfortable with each other
during the breeding process. If you are interested in raising the fry, I would
recommend that you remove the fry as soon as they are free swimming. They are
actually quite large and can be easily raised on baby brine and crushed flake
food. I would also remove the male at this time too. She may think that he ate
the first batch of fry and he will do it again so she is being very protective.
Next time they spawn try feeding them a couple of times each day so they parents
won't get hungry. As the parents grow the male will become much larger and have
an easier time defending himself. remove the fry and reintroduce the male as soo
as he is healed from his wounds. She should be ready to breed again.-Chuck>
Is my Kribensis sick? Female
Kribensis Laying Eggs 11/1/07
Hi, I have a pink female Kribensis and I’ve noticed that she’s gotten REALLY
bloated over the past few days. I believed she was pregnant as she was flirting
with the male molly and dwarf Gourami. She was also darker in colour and had a
very pink tummy, but now she seems paler in colour. She has constantly been
hiding in the log over the past few days, and every time I feed the fish (with
fish flakes), she never comes out so I don’t think she’s been eating anything
lately. I am wondering if she just looks bloated because she still has all the
eggs inside her, or if Kribensis can still lay eggs even though there are no
other male Kribensis in the tank? I have read other articles about Kribensis
being bloated and having bulgy eyes, but her eyes seem normal and I’m not sure
whether she’s sick or not? The water was changed the other day, and I checked
that the pH level was fine (7.2 – 7.4), and all the other fish seem to be good.
Can you please advise me what is wrong with her or what I should do? Thanks
heaps!
< Under ideal conditions your female albino Krib could have laid eggs without
the benefit of a male. If she has laid some eggs they will probably be infertile
and die in a couple of days. She should then return to her normal self. If she
is sick then she could have an internal infection that has blocked her
intestines. If she is blocked up then I would recommend placing her in a
hospital tank and treating her with a combination of Metronidazole and
Nitrofurazone. Kribs are usually cave spawners. If she is chasing the other fish
then she has laid eggs.-Chuck>
Now sexing
Krib 8/22/07
THANKS TO YOU ALL...The white spot is now gone. Can i ask if by
looking at the attached pic, what sex you think my krib is, sold to me
as a male. I think she is a she. Very territorial when she was in the
company of other Kribs who are now deceased. I think poss. they were all
females? i would love to get a partner for her?
thanks again
Lesley
<Hello Lesley. That's a female. The dumpy shape, rounded tail fin, and
violet patch on the belly is the give-away. Male Kribs are longer and
thinner, have rhomboid tail fins that taper to a point, and are
basically less colourful. Female Kribs (in fact, females of all
Pelvicachromis) are more territorial than the generally rather laid back
males. This reflects the division of labour at breeding time: females
initiate pairing and spawning, and when the eggs are laid, the female
guards them alone and only after the fry are swimming for a few days
does she let the male guard them at times. Mostly, his job is to "secure
the perimeter", keeping the territory safe. In the wild, one male may
actually maintain a territory with multiple brooding females (in other
words, a harem, as seen with many other cichlids). If you do introduce a
male to the aquarium, keep an eye out for aggression. Cichlids sometimes
prove to be a bit testy when adults suddenly meet up in the confines of
an aquarium. Moving the rocks and things about to break up the
territories can help a great deal, so that each fish thinks it's
somewhere new, rather than one of them being the stranger and the other
the territory holder. Cheers, Neale> |
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Breeding Kribs, aggressive/sick barb 4/26/06
Greetings Staff- FYI - I have a 54 gallon tank with UGF (I'm old
school), AquaClear 300, and a Penguin BioWheel 200 (I might be old
school, but I love redundancy). Temp 78, water conditions good - Tap
water her in Portland, Oregon is great for our fish - they LOVE IT!
<Ah, good.>
General community tank with tetras, loaches, a pair of angelfish, and
some white clouds, etc. I vacuum once a week and clean out one of the
two hang-on filters once a week (oh yeah, and change 10 -15% per week).
It's planted with Anubias, amazons, Bacopa (for the fish to eat), and
Cabomba (I LOVE saying that: CA-BOMB-A).
<Heh!>
1. I have a pair of Pelvicachromis pulcher who were a 'mating pair' when
we bought them. I don't know if they successfully bred at the LFS; but
they were clearly pair bonded. After an ich outbreak last fall their
pair bond deteriorated. I am sure 16 days in quarantine was not
romantic. We think the ich was due to a dip in tank temps one day we had
the window next to the tank open and it got chilled; I am now really
careful about opening the window when it is not warm enough. The female
still displays for the male, but he seems uninterested in her shameless
flirting. We provided several 'condos' for them to select for their
boudoir. Would adding another female excite the male?
<Possibly, yes.>
If a new girl was added would we have to remove the other? Could they
just work it out with time? I am not really looking set up a breeding
tank; just to see them restored to their original state. Sure it would
be cool if they raised a few fry; but I am not trying to go nutso or
anything.
<Once the pair is bonded, the "leftover" female would likely have to be
removed.>
2. I had a very naughty male rosy barb (
http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/EschPiscesSummary.cfm?ID=4714 )
who harassed one of his girlfriends into her grave (we had a set of
three females and one male). After she died he became the bully of the
tank - taking off one of the rays of an angelfish and scales off of
anyone who got too close to him. We went to our LFS and asked them for
a larger female who might help calm him down. We came home with
Brunhilda, named at the LFS because of her size (a hefty 3.5 inches nose
to tail!)
<Holy mackinaw!>
and because she was a favorite of the staff. She, to put it lightly
(hah!), is huge. She definitely seemed to school the male - yes another
bad pun (although he still always wears his full mating regalia) and
things have been peaceful for several weeks.
<Ah, good.>
Overnight she developed a large (7 mm square) wound on one flank just
above the tale - I have some OK pictures of it - it looks larger and
scarier in real life.
<Yeeee-ikes! I am given to think you didn't quarantine her prior to
adding her to the tank??>
It was initially bloody and swollen. I also discovered that another of
the harem had a similar (though much smaller) wound near her
anal-genital area - photos also included. I have set up a QT, out as
yet both seem healthy and happy aside from their wounds. Other than
keeping water quality as perfect as possible and keeping a weather eye
on them, is there anything else I can do?
<I would consider medicating this.... it's pretty significant. If you
cannot remove the injured animals to a quarantine system for treatment,
please consider a food medicated with Oxytetracycline rather than
medicating your main tank; an online store called "Florida Guppies Plus"
(Google that) sells one such product.>
Would adding additional females diffuse his aggression or give him more
targets?
<Possibly.... but no guarantee. He doesn't read the books, y'know.>
Our QT would be a bucket with a small BioWheel, heater, and some
shelter. I do not want to medicate, or traumatize them by netting and
QTing them unless necessary.
<Either risk it, or obtain a medicated flake food for them.>
Could it be that Mr. Rosy Barb (his common name in our house is
unprintable)
<HAH!!>
got up his gumption and made a run at these two females
<Possibly, though it is also possible that Brunhilda brought a bacterial
infection with her and shared it with the other damaged female.>
that resulted in some rough sex - was it rape??!!?
<Likely not, no worries.>
Should I report his randy behavior to the authorities?
<CSI Aquarium?>
Photo of Brunhilda's and other female wounds attached and I am also
including my photobucket link:
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/leahfranceswade/Brunhildas%20trauma/
<Good, clear images. Thank you for sharing these.>
(I included one pic of my krib female (I think she's a kinke, she's so
pretty).
<Pretty indeed.>
PS the female rosy barbs have been decimating the Black Beard Algae
(Audouinella?) that grows in our tank in the winter (lower sun angle =
more direct sunlight on the tank. They keep it totally in check.
<Excellent!>
Thanks and keep up the good work.
<And thank you for your kind words.>
And I forgot to say, "Long time reader, first time emailer."
<Glad to hear from you.>
Sincerely, Leah Frances Wade
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina> |
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Breeding Kribs, Aggressive/Sick Barbs - II - 04/27/2006
Sabrina + Staff - thanks for the advice - and quick response.
<Glad to be of service. Sorry this reply wasn't quite as quick!>
As to the Kribs - I will hope the romance will rekindle between our original
pair. What's the equivalent of oysters for fish?
<Good frozen foods, like those by Hikari - bloodworms are great. Even
better would be live bloodworms or live mosquito larvae.>
My dear husband reminded me we have a 20 long in storage - I will bring it
out to set up a QT for the ladies. What medication (other than the
medicated food) do you recommend? Is one brand better than another?
<As for brands, no real significant difference.... if you medicate the
water in the quarantine tank, I would recommend using Kanamycin or
Nitrofurazone.>
No, we didn't quarantine Brunhilda - she LOOKED fine when we got
her...that's good enough right?
<Mm, no.... Please read on WWM's FW livestock page regarding quarantine of
livestock.>
Sincerely, Leah Frances Wade
<Wishing you, Brunhilda and her sisters well, -Sabrina>
Kribs Or Discus? - 08/21/2005
Hello!
<Ahoy thar, matey!>
Out of pure curiosity, would it be better to have Kribs in a 30 gal.
tank or could you put in a couple of Discus?
<I would go for Kribs, myself.... A much better fit.>
How many of each?
<I would STRONGLY recommend a single pair - one male, one female - and
if you do Kribs, some peaceful dithers like danios or something. More than
a pair is going to be asking for trouble when (not if) they decide to
breed. You *could* do a pair of discus, but they get quite large and would
likely do best as the only fish in the tank.>
If you chose could you put both in?
<I would urge against it. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Kribensis Companions
Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible to keep some Kribs, maybe a
mated pair, in a 10 gallon tank?
< A pair of Pelvicachromis pulcher would do well .>
So far this tank has held (1) 4" Red Tiger Oscar, (1) 3.5" Jack Dempsey, and
a 4.5" Pleco. I am going to move these guys to a larger 55 gallon tank and
would like to replace them with some smaller cichlids that can fit into a 10
gal. tank.
< Good idea.>
I was also thinking of including an African Butterfly fish with the Kribs if
possible.
< Your butterfly fish likes to hang out at the surface and eat insects that
have fallen into the water. When your Kribs spawn they will guard the fry
and attack any fish that comes near their fry.>
Oh, also, I have a lone Peppered Cory that I enjoy watching in the 10 gal.
Would he/she work with the Kribs and Butterfly fish or just get eaten?
< Everybody would get along until the cichlids spawned.-Chuck>
Finding Krib Cichlids
I need help finding a pair of Kribs. I am looking for a mated pair that I
can buy for a reasonable price, I looked over the internet but could not find
any good sites. I appreciated your quick response last time. Thanks! Christine
< Captive bred Kribensis from Asia are actually very common here on the west
coast. I would call around the stores in your area first. They can usually get
them if they try. If that doesn't work then there is always the internet but
shipping is very expensive. Look at aquabid.com. It is like eBay for fish. I
know mainlycichlids.com can get them at a reasonable price, once again shipping
is a real costly issue.-Chuck>
Getting a Pair Of Pelvicachromis Pulcher "Kribs"
If I get only one Krib for my 10 gal tank, can I get another of the opposite
sex later and will they pair up?
< It is worth a try. The best way is to get six and let them pair off naturally
but it has happen with only two so it depends.>
I ask this because there does not seem to be a lot of people selling Kribs and
it is semi-unlikely that I will be able to get a mated pair. Another quick
question, can I also have a mated pair of African Butterfly cichlids, too, or
only one?
<Anomalochromis thomasi is a great little cichlid that is very easy to spawn and
not very aggressive at all. If your tank is set up right and the fish aren't too
big then you could try spawning both of them in the same tank.-Chuck>
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