help please kribs

[mands]

hi i have krib fry and the parents were doing a wonderfull job until the male wont let the female near the fry she keeps sneaking up to see them but then he chases her

can anyone tell me why or if this is normal this is my first lot of kribs....


he doesnt bother with the other fish as much as the female

thanks

mands

 

[jimw13uk]

Sometimes one parent may want to take sole care of the fry and will attack the other parent to keep it away. If this happens you should separate one of them before they kill or injure each other. If possible, do not remove the fry from the tank until the parents are ready to breed again. Removing the fry too early may result in domestic violence if the male is ready for some loving and the female is not.

 

[mands]

thanks

i think that could be it but hes not as good as the female she always stayed with them and he doesnt....

she doesnt look happy she lost her pinkness on her tummy......

would it really go to the point of him killing her???

the fry are in the tank to stay...

thanks

mands

 

[jimw13uk]

He could kill her yes - i've never had it happen to me but Kribs are as hard as nails and will take on anything when fry are around.

I would keep a very careful wathc onthem but be prepared to make a choice and whip one of them out of there for the sake of peace.
Normally it is the female that looks after the fry and very well she does it

 

[mands]

would it make more sense to take out the male and let the female do her job

thanks

mands

 

[jimw13uk]

Thats what i'd be inclined to do if he wont let her near them.
I'd take him out and then watch her very carefully to make sure she isnt trying to eat them and the male was genuinley protecting the fry - again i've never seen that but I suppose it is something that could happen - but on the whole female kribs are great moms.

The other thing you said was she has lost her purpleness - that is common as the deep purpleness in the belly is normally brighter when they are ready to breed so dont worry about that.

 

[mands]

thanks for all that

the fry are too big for her to eat they about 1cm long now
very proud i am tooo....lol

mands

 

[jimw13uk]

How long ago did the Kribs breed then as after so long the male will start to want to breed again and if the fry are still around the female will not be interested and that can cause a few dust ups as well

 

[mands]

i cant be sure of the exact date but definately more than 4 weeks ago
as soon as i got them they spawned and i got babies......

thanks mands

 

[jimw13uk]

Kribs will be ready to breed again after 4-5 weeks.
It may be that the male is trying to get the female to breed again and thats why he wont let her near the fry.
Can you remove the fry and put them in a safe tank to grow them on.
It may be worth tryin that instead of removing either of the adults

 

[mands]

i have a smaller tank although it isnt set up but i did keep the filter for it running in the big tank just incase i ever needed it

so i wouldnt need to cycle the tank.........or would I???


thanks

mands

 

[jimw13uk]

Youd have to check the water stats - but I would think if you could take some water from your main tank and the filter thats been running you would be almost good to go .

I'd fill your smaller tank with 75% of the water from your main tank and then top up with 25% new water - put the other filter in and leave it to run for an hour or so - check the stats - if everything looks ok then your up and running.

 

[mands]

thanks for all your help jimw13uk

mands