Kribensis Size

[Ballkins]

I have 2 female Kribs in my 75 Gallon, based on their coloration them seem a little older and are about 2.5-3 inches. This is my first time with any type of cichlid but from my research and talking to people at my LFS they can be a good community fish. There seems to be some bullying going on, so I was wondering if adding 2 males would help with this assuming they paired off. The only issue I'm running into is that the LFS by me only has smaller kribs right now about 1-1.5 inches with less coloration.

Would it be an issue if I introduced them into the environment with 2 older females?


Also open to any other suggestions about how to help with the aggression. The aggressor only seems to target the other female Krib from what I can tell. I feel like there are plenty of hiding spaces for them to claim, outside of that, not sure what else to do.

 

[kribensis12]

Hey!

What is your stocking? Do you know your water parameters such as pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?

Kribensis are both peaceful and aggressive depending on tankmates and set up.

 

[Ballkins]

Hey!

What is your stocking? Do you know your water parameters such as pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?

Kribensis are both peaceful and aggressive depending on tankmates and set up.

I am currently running a 75 gallon with the following fish:

11 Neon tetras
8 tiger barbs
2 female kribs
1 rainbow shark
3 cory catfish
5 mollies
3 goldfish

I know it's an unconventional bunch, but I took over the hobby for my kids hence the 3 gold fish.

pH is around 7.2 which I believe is a little high for what kribs usually prefer, but from what I've read they do ok typically between 6-8. No ammonia or nitrates/ nitrites. I have a decent amount of plants so I think they take all that in.

The aggressive Krib seems to only go after the other one and seems to be ok with the other fish unless they wander into their territory.

 

[kribensis12]

Definitely an unconventional mixture! Your pH is perfect.

I would recommend finding a new home for the goldfish - they are not suited for that tank environment and would be better off with an aquarist that can cater to their specific needs.


Can you provide pictures so that we can confirm the gender on the Kribs?

Since it's a 75, you realistically could keep multiple pairs of kribensis. I would recommend adding two males and evenly distributing the caves throughout the layout of the tank; they should pair off and naturally create their own territories.

 

[Ballkins]

My parents have a pond that I' considering transferring the goldfish to. I don't know how my kids will feel about it yet though!

These are the best Pics i have right now... I can try and do better when I get home, but I believe both are females. I would love to pair them off. In regards to size though my LFS only has what appear to be less mature/ younger Kribs. Does that matter in regards to introducing them into the tank?

 

[kribensis12]

I love how colorful they are - some real beautifies and definitely both female!
In a perfect world, I would recommend selling the two females and purchasing 6-8 juvenile Kribs and let nature take its course.

I would recommend either:

1. Look elsewhere for mature males
2. Purchase 2-4 smaller males and see which ones the female chooses - rehome the remaining two males immediately.

Female kribs can be aggressive towards males if they don't want to breed - so the more you add the better chance that they won't be bullied/injured.

 

[Ballkins]

Thanks for your suggestions. I will ask around my LFS, there's 1 that I know carries the juvenile kribs and 1 that could potentially have some in stock. The fish store i got the 2 females at is pretty far from my home, but I stopped there one day because I happened to already be out there for another errand. I could always reach out to see if they have any adult male kribs and make the trek out that way if necessary.

I also plan to do some type of rescape and see if that helps with anything as well.

 

[kribensis12]

I would point out that unless you are adding new fish, a new aquascape will do nothing. A dominant fish is a dominant fish - adding more and a change of scaping will reset the pecking order and make the fish all claim their own territory.

Best of luck!

 

[Ballkins]

I would point out that unless you are adding new fish, a new aquascape will do nothing. A dominant fish is a dominant fish - adding more and a change of scaping will reset the pecking order and make the fish all claim their own territory.

Best of luck!

I ended up getting 3 males who are definitely smaller than the females currently. The person at the LFS said based on my tank size that 1. the smaller size would be a non-issue and 2. having an odd number of males could increase competitiveness which could be good thing for the females. I also added a few more rocks/ cave areas and moved some plants around to create additional hiding spaces.

I will say that almost immediately (within an hour) I noticed different behavior from the female who was being "bulllied" she was out more and swimming freely. Also there were several occasions where both females seemed to be swimming/ interacting in a non-aggressive way. Hopefully this trend continues!

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[kribensis12]

Awesome! To reiterate, I as soon as they pair off male #3 has got to go, or he may be killed/bullied extremely.

Hope to see pictures of them once they pair off!

 

[anewbie]

I think you were given bad advice. Kribs can be quite vicious. They will likely pair off but the extra male is not going to have a happy ending. Once they establish territories the two pairs will calm down somewhat but they are unpredictable and you should not be shocked if you find a few dead fishes now and then. There is going to be a lot of contention between the kribs and rainbow shark. Also your tank is a bit over populated with the three gold fishes.

 

[kribensis12]

I think you were given bad advice. Kribs can be quite vicious. They will likely pair off but the extra male is not going to have a happy ending. Once they establish territories the two pairs will calm down somewhat but they are unpredictable and you should not be shocked if you find a few dead fishes now and then. There is going to be a lot of contention between the kribs and rainbow shark. Also your tank is a bit over populated with the three gold fishes.

I disagree. Kribensis are typically only territorial when breeding and in such a large tank, two pairs of Kribensis are more than okay to set up their own domains. As I mentioned in post #6 and #10; as soon as pairs have formed the remaining male will be bullied and eventually killed unless the OP rehomes him.

Rainbow Shark's are relatively peaceful, especially in such a large aquarium. I did previously recommend the immediate rehoming of the goldfish.

 

[anewbie]

My experience is difference 'nuff said.

 

[kribensis12]

I ended up getting 3 males who are definitely smaller than the females currently. The person at the LFS said based on my tank size that 1. the smaller size would be a non-issue and 2. having an odd number of males could increase competitiveness which could be good thing for the females. I also added a few more rocks/ cave areas and moved some plants around to create additional hiding spaces.

I will say that almost immediately (within an hour) I noticed different behavior from the female who was being "bulllied" she was out more and swimming freely. Also there were several occasions where both females seemed to be swimming/ interacting in a non-aggressive way. Hopefully this trend continues!

Thanks for your suggestions!

Any update on the Kribs? Would love to see more pictures! As you can tell by my username, they are one of my favorites!