Pelvicachromis kribensis "Taeniatus Moliwe"

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NW Cichlid Keith

NW Cichlid Keith

Dovii
MFK Member
Jun 6, 2016
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Atlanta, Georgia
I've kept what has been sold at a lfs at common kribensis. I've seen these at www.wetspottropicalfish.com
Has anyone ever kept these and are they generally as beautiful as some of the pics I've seen online? Also, are they as easy to keep at the common kribensis (throw them in the tank and feed), or is there more to be concerned about their care?
 
They can easily be as beautiful as photos, although just throwing them in a tank with water, and feeding, they might not be the way to achieve that beauty.
These are soft water species (especially if wild caught, or a few generations from the wild), and might not look as good if you have hard water, or don't keep up with regular partial water changes.
The water's they come from are also often tannin stained from leaf litter, the tannins are anti-bacterial, so the kribs may succumb to bacterial diseases, or just not look their best, if kept in straight hard tap water.
 
In addition to what duanes has said, they are also less territorial than the common krib and like all fish in the krib family, aren't found above 74F in nature (per Ted Judy who has done a lot of collecting in West Africa and is a well known expert in these fishes). Since learning that, I have had much better luck with members of the family (not that they were hard to begin with, but my tap water is slightly soft and slightly acidic).
 
Thanks Duane and Chris - I have a heavily planted 29 with driftwood that I keep at cool - heater only come on at 70 for the benefit of the tetras that I have. This might be a good fit.
Do you find them as aggressive as the common Krib when breeding, or a little less? Also, are they substantially smaller or just marginally than the common Krib?
Thanks!
 
Much less aggressive when breeding. A local breeder would keep his breeding pairs in a 15 gallon tank, something I (nor he) would ever do with common kribs.

A little less, only about an inch or so on the male, the female a bit smaller.

I am currently keeping a close relative in a 20 long, Enigmatochromis lucanusi, which is a touch more territorial than the taeniatus are. I have a pair and 3 of their offspring with little more than some chasing at breeding time. The tank is stuffed with mopani wood and plants though (the plants are a mess, I'm not good at trimming *lol*).
 
I can only echo what everyone has already said on here. They are exceptionally pretty fish, especially the females in breeding dress. Of all the taeniatus group, I believe "Moliwe" is considered the easiest to breed.
 
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