Kribensis

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
anyways I guess I have to work on my kribensis tank a little more or just replace them and put more some peacock cichlids in there!!
 
Thanks for the pix guys/gals! Anyone have any suggestions as far as tank mates? Would they be ok with a 5 to 6 inch senegal?
 
A senegal will eventually grow large enough to eat a krib or try at least.
I would recommend tankmates that will not eventually see them as food and nothing that will take up the bottom of the tank as a single pair can and will claim the floorspace as theirs in anything smaller than a 40 gallon tank.
A nice shoal of congo tetras and one or two Pantodon buchholzi (African Butterfly Fish) would compliment them nicely. It doesn't mean a defensive pair of brooding kribs may not still give a good chase but when it comes to smaller semi-aggressive cichlids that's about as peaceful a set-up as you're gonna get in anything smaller than a 4' tank.
If you are planning something out in a 4' tank I would recommend a pair of Anomalochromis thomasi or Steatocranus casuarius to go with your pair of kribs, each pair of cichlid at opposite ends of the tank. Both species are comparible in temperament to kribs which can be pretty mean for little cichlids.
I've always been more of a fan of more natural type set-ups. Something biotope-ish. Riverine or marshy. The research and trying to figure out what to put together is half the fun IMO.
 
another option would be apistos
 
Your kribs WILL breed, just give it a little time, and yeah....the males don't hold the fry. I bred albinos for quite a while, and moved the pair from tank to tank. And they bred in every one. If they do start breeding, pull out any wimpy tank mates because they get pretty darn aggressive when guarding fry.
 
Mike fail;2751089; said:
another option would be apistos

That would not be a good option...apistos aren't aggressive enough to hold their own against a parenting pair of kribs. Also, they inhabit the same tank space.

I have kept kribs for years. My oldest is about 12 years old now. If you keep them with a bichir, the fry will get eaten, no question. Mine breed and the fry are fine as long as the parents are guarding them. Once the fry are on their own, however, they disappear thanks to Mr. senegal.

I kept mine for years with severums. The kribs would absolutely terrorize my severums when they were spawning. They are a pugnacious little fish.

But, they are hard to beat for color, and they have great little personalities. They're one of my favorite fish, despite their commonality.
 
Pelvicachromis sp. are not mouthbrooders. They are substrate spawners, typically laying the eggs on the roof of their cave. The eggs hatch after 2-3 days, the fry aren't swimming until another 3-4 days after which both mother and father will lead them around the tank to search for food, constantly twitching to signal their fry and corralling their fry in numerous pits they will dig around the tank. Their pits are not deep so they don't ruin planted tanks but they do become very protective of their fry while caring for them and consequently quite aggressive. In a community setting the fry usually get eaten. In the pair only setting, that should be a minimum of 20 gallons, the pair will grow their fry to about 1/2" when they decide to start on a new batch. If not removed older fry will pick off new fry and parents may target older fry as threats to their new fry.
These are some pix of my kribs. They're lots of fun!
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wow, these are some really amazing shots......are you a professional?
 
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