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FAQs on Pelmatochromis/Pelvivachromis genus Cichlids

Related Articles: Kribs & Their Cousins By Neale Monks, African Cichlids, Cichlid Fishes,

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.>

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>

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>

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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