bredding kribs

[surfanswim]

hi everyone,
i have 4 kribs in a 55 gallon community tank, 2 males and 2 females, one which is an albino. the females have been fully colored for the last 2 months, but no babies yet, they keep going in and out fo there caves all the time i biult them. Did they have kids and they just didnt mature, or am i doing somthing wrong? i have tetras, rasboras, guppies, and swordtails with them. ph-7.0, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites ,thanks for the help

 

[Neil]

surfanswim,
Be patient! Pelvicachromis species quite often have a long drawn-out courtship, including cave preperation. It is entirely likely that they have not bred yet, but are in the process of getting ready to. keep us informed.
Neil

 

[topplan]

Kribs

Hi, I'm just new to this forum but I saw your note and decided to just add my bit. I've had Kribs for the last 12 - 18 months. We started off with a beautiful pair and after about 6 -8 weeks noticed that they were very defensive of a particular area of the aquarium. I started to keep a close eye on them and a couple of days later noticed the male carrying the stones out from a hole they had been excavating. From then on I only saw them in that area apart from feed time. I got a bit frustrated at the fact that they were digging up my plants and in the end left them to their own measures. About 3-4 weeks later after Mrs K had flashed all the reds under the rainbow and wiggled the appropriate parts of her body in front of him I noticed that neither of them were out and about except when any other fish swam within about 6" (15 cm) of their nest. Within a few days I noticed what i thought was a shimmering in the gravel and on closer inspection found a mass of "jelly" looking babies. Unfortunately our clown loaches also took a liking to them and we ended up day after day with full on war between the ultra protective parents and the hungry and relentless clown loaches. We bought some spirulina tablets and dropped 1/day in the area and fed the rest of the fish in the aquarium normally. After about 5-6 weeks the babies that were left were swimming freely and almost unprotected. Our ph was 7.0 and we ended up with aboout even numbers of male and females. Go low in ph and your brood will be females and high ph gives males. We have had several broods since then until my female died - possibly as a result of battling the clowns. The male has since taken an interest in one of the "baby" females and we're waiting to see the outcome. I've got plenty of plants in my aquarium for them to feed on as they're plant eaters. Good luck

 

[dhm325]

Topplan wrote:

"I've got plenty of plants in my aquarium for them to feed on as they're plant eaters."

Actually, I think that P. pulcher are classified as micro-predators not plant eaters. I have kept and bred kribs and other West African dwarves for a while. My experience is that while Pelvicachromis may nibble occasionally on plants they are looking for small organisms living on the surface of the plants. They do not actually eat the plants. They do dig up plants that happen to be in their spwning territory but I think they do this as part of their natural cave excavation behavior when preparing to spawn.

 

[topplan]

Actually, I think that P. pulcher are classified as micro-pr

I've never thought of it that way but I have seen aquariums with healthy plants stripped of a good share of the plantlife in just a week or so after the intro of Kribs. Mine constantly pick at my Java Moss. Thanks for your comments dhm325