Kribensis, In Community Tank?

[fishkeeper35]

would 1 or 2 kribensis be good for a community tank?

i know about cycling and am currently running a 15 gallon

i am going to get the tank soon and will pick out lights,filter,hood,substrate etc. so all suggestions for good lights,filterand substrate would be great

i also am thinking about black sand as my substrate ??good?? plan on having it planted with java fern, java moss, dwarf anubias, and 2 other background plaants that can hide heater/filter?

will paint back of aqua black so no need of background

also any suggestions for other ,most peacful(like that will ever happen ),hardy, colorful dwarf cichlids or cichlids(under 5 in.) that would be fine for a 40 U.S gallon semi community tank (enough peace as if there is only a little bumping and no feasting on/injuring other tank mates!)(so i dont have to check on every 15 min.!!)

also.... good 40 U.S gallon setups for fish (wise)?? i am open to any type of cyprinid/lybrianth/characin/cichlid/catfish/other fish that would go well with a pair of cichlids or dwarf cichlids like above.

may add floating plant suggestions for that are welcomed too

thanks!!!!??!!!!!

sorry for all the Q's and 's hopefully someone can help will post pics of 40 gallon when its final and looking good when i figure out how too!!

 

[ddgbumblebee]

I don't think one or two Kribensis would be particularly happy. A slightly larger group of five would be much better but I don't know whether you are going to be doing weekly water changes or not which is really the main principal to stocking. More water changes means more fish and vice versa.
Black Sand can look very good when you aqua-scape well with plants and driftwood (or other ornaments/wood if prefered).
Your 40 G would look good with perhaps a group of 5 or more (1m and 4 of 5 f) Appistogramma of some sort. There's also always Rams, Bolivian Butterflys and mother other dwarf cichlids which would do well in a tank like this. I assume that this tank will also be aqua-scaped with plants to make it look good.
A small group of dwarf cichlids combined with maybe a group of Corydoras (6+) and perhaps a small pleco (nothing that grows over 6 inches max.) would fill your 40G rather well I think. Floating plants in both setups would look even better!
Dylan

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Kribs, like my Lionhead Cichlids, are like a ticking time bomb in a community...

When not breeding, they are great additions to a community, albeit they like there own bit of territory in the tank (at least one foot square footprint per fish) and a cave to call home. By and large, during this time, they will let other fish wander through their "garden" (although sometimes they will chase other fish out of their zone).

But if you get a breeding pair and Kribs breed almost as predictably as livebearing guppies or mollies, you potentially have a bloodbath on your hands. Kribs (like my Lionheads) are very protective parents who will shepperd their young along the tank floor and heaven help any other fish that gets within ~6 inches of those fry. They will be attacked without mercy unless they can get well away from the brood.

Kribs usually stay in the lower half of the tank, so there are reasonable odds that fish that stay in the upper regions could co-exist, even with a breeding pair (with plenty of observation by you). But as for other bottom dwelling fish, forget anything fragile or slow, or be ready to move them out when breeding signs begin.

 

[fishkeeper35]

what if you keep a single kribensis in a community tank?

also i will be aqua scaping it my first

thank you for those suggestions

i will be doing weekly water changes i could do even 2wice a week if that would be better

also i was planning on this(doesn't mater if they breed or not )(may get same-sex dwarf cichlids if i get 2)

2-4 dwarf ciclids
6-10 schooling fish
4-7 cories/catfish(panda cories?)
(if i go low end of 2 or more of sugestions above may add another dwarf cichlid or more schooling fish )

please respond!!!!!!!

 

[guppy love]

A couple of weeks ago in a branch of Maidenhead Aquatics I watched a group of kribs attack their cory tankmates over and over again, one of them had almost all fins missing. I alerted the staff and asked they move him to another tank, which they did, and the other cory I brought home with me. After I saw that, personally I wouldn't want to risk keeping kribs with any other fish just to be on the safe side.
It's a shame as they are beautiful but I'm not sure I like them well enough to run a species tank.

 

[Harlequins]

Has guppy love mentioned,kribs or any cichlids are risky with Cories.

Some do keep them together but they are a disaster waiting to happen with the corys being attacked or worse....

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Interesting. I think i will cross off kribs from my stocking list.
Have heard conflicting reports... better to be safe for the other fish.