Scarlet krib?

[P. sacrimontis]

Recently saw a couple of these suckers at my petstore. The price was 15 dollars for them, but I've got plenty of store credit available. They were quite large compared to normal kribs, and werent exactly stunning(prolly stressed). They were basically allaround red toned large kribs...minus ocelli and fin extensions. No females were apparent.


Does anyone have any experience with this fish? I've got a 46 gallon bowfront tank that they could have to themselves(though tankmate suggestions would be good too). With tankmates, keep in mind that I plan to breed em too! Any info on that would help.

Thanks!

 

[_BaDgUy_]

Hi,

Here is my experience with them.

- They tend to get a bit larger than P. pulcher
- Much less shy than pulcher
- More colorfull once they are settled in
- Great parents, both will take care of the fry
- Will give you MUCH MORE fry than pulcher. At the end of 6 weeks, we still had over 150 young ones, in a 15g tank
- Much less agressive than pulcher, they will tollerate other tankmates without killing them

In a tank like yours, they will probably not even bother with the other fish!
I'd say kust about anything could go great with them, given that you leave the bottom layer of the tank for the P. sacrimontis.

David

 

[P. sacrimontis]

Hmmm....what I've read suggests that these guys are more aggresive. I'll wait for a 2nd opinion on that one. I used to have a pair of normal kribs which killed a 3-4 inch female golden wonder killifish. Poor thing lost an eye before dying a couple days later.

How fast do the fry grow? Do they give you any problems(skewed sex ratios, deaths etc.) Are there any good photos or could you describe the colors?


Thanks!

 

[Randall]

Pelvicachromis sacrimontis

Dear P. sacrimontis,

If you search the forum using the words "sacrimontis" and "aff. pulcher," there is plently of information about them here. You can also pick up a copy Linke & Staeck's book African Cichlids I-Cichlids from West Africa, Tetra-Press, 1994. 200 pp. ISBN 1-56465-166-5. An inexpensive paperback editon is available through the ACA bookstore and is usually available through amazon.com.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn


Addendum:

There are several apparent coloration differences between Pelvicachromis pulcher and P. sacrimontis. My sure fire method to distinguish between the two is to look at the opercular region. P. sacrimontis exhibits iridescent blue coloration on the opercular area, P. pulcher doesn't.

Pelvicachromis sacrimontis fry grow as fast as any other Pelvicachromis species; the difference being that their water needs to be very soft and acidic (pH 5.5ish) to obtain an even sex ratio.

RK