How do I introduce male kribensis to female?

[Bella123]

hi!

I brought a pair of kribensis in may (male and female) and I had to separate the male into a different tank because he was too small to breed with the female, so she would be quite aggressive towards him, causing him to hide and go quite pale.

He’s now large enough to mate and I was wondering how I would go about introducing him back into the tank so that they will pair together and breed?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I've never followed a science with Kribs, just pop him in and see what happens? I'd feed them both up first so they're in breeding condition, she will likely accept him if she's full of eggs and ready to go

 

[anewbie]

Mine faught for a couple of weeks before they paired up; others say they pair right away - if she likes him they will pair fast else he will have to prove himself. If he is immature he won't be able to prove himself until he matures. I had mine in a 40B with dense covering but they still manged to fight quite a bit before they became a pair. Don't be too alarm they are rigorous fishes and can take a bit of beating but if your aquarium is too small it could turn deadly.

 

[Ichthys]

He’s now large enough to mate and I was wondering how I would go about introducing him back into the tank so that they will pair together and breed?

If she is ready to breed, he will have to be ready to breed or he will not be accepted. If she is not ready, he should also be not ready, or he might settle in very quickly and not accept her. The trick is to have them in the same condition. You can tell if they’re in condition by their colours. If they’re bright and colourful they’re in or near it. The female will have a bright red or purple belly if she’s in condition.

If you add the male into the female’s tank, you’re putting him into her territory. If they’re both in condition it could go very smoothly. If not she’ll want him gone. Rearranging the decor can help here. This is like moving her to an unfamiliar stretch of the river so they’re both in a strange place. Then it’s not ‘her tank’ any more.

 

[Bella123]

If she is ready to breed, he will have to be ready to breed or he will not be accepted. If she is not ready, he should also be not ready, or he might settle in very quickly and not accept her. The trick is to have them in the same condition. You can tell if they’re in condition by their colours. If they’re bright and colourful they’re in or near it. The female will have a bright red or purple belly if she’s in condition.

If you add the male into the female’s tank, you’re putting him into her territory. If they’re both in condition it could go very smoothly. If not she’ll want him gone. Rearranging the decor can help here. This is like moving her to an unfamiliar stretch of the river so they’re both in a strange place. Then it’s not ‘her tank’ any more.

At what age are the males mature enough to mate? I’ve had him since May when he was quite small but now he’s a bit bigger, and showing some (not extremely colourful) colours on his belly. This is the most recent (27th July) picture i have of them together when I tried to introduce him, but I moved him after that since he was hiding from her and looked quite scared still.

 

[Ichthys]

He looks probably female in that picture. Males have much longer, pointed pelvic fins. Females’ are small and rounded. Can you get a better picture?

Btw, you need that tank to be more decor than open space or they’ll never settle enough to breed. Many many times as much decor. Plants, rocks, wood, branches, caves….

 

[Bella123]

He looks probably female in that picture. Males have much longer, pointed pelvic fins. Females’ are small and rounded. Can you get a better picture?

Btw, you need that tank to be more decor than open space or they’ll never settle enough to breed. Many many times as much decor. Plants, rocks, wood, branches, caves….

These are the best I could get as he’s In his cave in my other tank at the moment so it’s hard to get a decent photo.

And noted, I’ll buy some more decor to make it less open

 

[Ichthys]

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s female from those pics. The other female will claim the tank and drive all other females away, as she waits for an eligible male to swim by. She’s quite colourful so add a colourful male… but not until you’ve added lots more decor including several caves (that you can’t see into).

 

[Bella123]

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s female from those pics. The other female will claim the tank and drive all other females away, as she waits for an eligible male to swim by. She’s quite colourful so add a colourful male… but not until you’ve added lots more decor including several caves (that you can’t see into).

Will do, thanks a lot for the help!

 

[Ichthys]

If you keep both females till you get a male you could pair up a colourful or larger male with the colourful female, or a colourless or young male with the second female. Try to match their condition.
Redoing the tank and then adding m and f to the ‘new’ tank at the same time would possibly be best.