Pair Of Kribs In A 20 Gallon

[aquariumart22]

Hi guys, just a quick question.. Would a pair of kribs be okay for a 20 gallon long, moderately planted? Could I add some small shoals of black neons and white clouds? Or just the kribs, or is the tank even too small for them alone? I'm getting conflicting information online.. They won't be a breeding project right away, but eventually. I want to make sure I don't end up running into problems. I could scrap the idea and do something else if its not adequate. Thanks in advance for your help

 

[dbanner]

The kribs would be fine in that tank as they don't get very big at all. Although I'm not sure if they would be compatible with white clouds or neons. Not only do kribs tend to be aggressive when they are breeding but also being an African cichlid species I would think they need a higher PH to the WCMMs and neons.

 

[ColR1948]

I have just set up a 20Gallon for a breeding pair of Kribs, at the moment they are in a community tank and are spawning for the second time, I was hoping to move them in time for this batch but I think they already have eggs if not very small fry in the nest.

The reason I plan to move them is the last time they spawned they had hell of a job keeping the other fish at bay, I felt sorry for them and also the other fish too, so if you plan to add fish with them and they do decide to spawn you will find the other fish huddled in a small corner as they won't have room to swim in the 20 Gallon.

 

[aquariumart22]

Thank you so much

 

[ColR1948]

Not meaning to grab your thread but just updating you. I managed to get the breeding pair in to the 20L, I got the coconut shell they were using as well and I noticed around 30-40 eggs stuck to the inside of the roof.
I just hope I didn't kill the eggs by having them in the air but it was literally seconds before the shell was submerged again. Any way the female is staying more or less inside the shell now so that is a sign the fry will be hatching, the male went in to hiding behind a plant but I noticed he too was in the shell earlier.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

A bigger tank would be better for a pair of Kribs, at least 3-foot but ideally bigger. If you put small tankmates in a relatively small 20g with a breeding pair, there are high odds you are sentencing them to death. In a bigger tank, the tankmates can be bigger (ideally 7-10cm so a similar size to a mature male Krib) and more resilient to the odd attack if they stray too close to Krib fry, which the longer tank can accomodate and give the dithers a chance to escape/relax if you ensure the only possible den for teh Krib family is an one corner of the tank.

 

[aquariumart22]

Thanks, I shall reconsider my decision. I'm just having a difficult time stocking such a small tank. I want something different than I already have.