Female Kribensis Aggression Gone....?

[BruceII]

So, I have a 55 gallon set up, and part of the stocking is two female Kribs. I had read that this species may be prone to aggression, but mostly around breeding time. So I bought two females. Thought I had the room for them to have their own areas, with enough other dither fish, in schools, that the aggression would be dispersed or a non issue. But!, one of the Kribs was a little bigger than the other, and has thrived over the last few weeks, filling out both in size and color....and aggression. She has quickly become the queen of the tank, and chases any and all others if they get into her territory, which is pretty much the whole tank. Today, on an impulse buy, I grabbed up a nicely colored male at the LFS. Now, instead of being the evil queen, she is (seemingly) trying to seduce this little dude. Aggression is almost gone!? Even the smaller female thinks this little guy is the cats meow. They follow him around like love struck teenagers. Question...can I expect this to last, or is this just wishful thinking?

 

[HoldenOn]

Once he pairs off I would rehome the other female. Could get SUPER messy. Bonded fish have been known to kill others. Read a thread here where a bonded pair of oscars killed the third one.

 

[Oscar 907]

Once he pairs off I would rehome the other female. Could get SUPER messy. Bonded fish have been known to kill others. Read a thread here where a bonded pair of oscars killed the third one.

I would suggest getting another male. They probably will both pair off. And then claim smaller breeding territory. But you will need to have two distinct rock piles or ceramic cave areas. With an obvious boarder like tall plants or something that also helps block line of sight. But I had 3 breeding pairs in a 100gal long. I do believe they could coexist in a 55 under the right conditions. But they will breed when they pair up. So you may end up with littles you will need to rehome.

 

[HoldenOn]

I would suggest getting another male. They probably will both pair off. And then claim smaller breeding territory. But you will need to have two distinct rock piles or ceramic cave areas. With an obvious boarder like tall plants or something that also helps block line of sight. But I had 3 breeding pairs in a 100gal long. I do believe they could coexist in a 55 under the right conditions. But they will breed when they pair up. So you may end up with littles you will need to rehome.

Maybe, I'd get a second opinion. Sounds good in theory!

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Unless your tank is 4ft wide or more I would rehome the extra female. Having two pairs in anything less than that size is asking for trouble.

Personally I wouldn’t even do it in a 4ft tank.

Also, they’ll become very territorial at breeding time with other fish so you‘ll find they take over an area at the bottom of your tank and chase off any other fish that come near them. Then once fry are swimming they’ll do the same wherever the fry swim.

Don’t get me wrong, they‘re a lovely fish and perfectly ok to have in a community tank. You just have to be aware of their demands, manage them and they’re fine.