So the Kribs Got a Divorce

[pica_nuttalli]

*sigh* so i came home to about 30 fry on Sunday... (i had wondered why the Kribs moved house). both the male and female were guarding the fry together until about noon today. the male has since taken over and was viciously attacking the female if he saw her even a foot away. i separated her out as soon as i noticed. she was displaying some amazing blues and purples, but has returned to normal coloration since i put her in the breeder net.

i guess i want to know:
--why would he have turned on her?
--were the pretty colors stress signs?
--if i were to remove the fry, could i let the female loose again? (i estimate they're less than a week old)
--if i were to remove the male, would the female take back over parenting?
--could the female go into my empty 2.5? what size would the fry have to reach before i could return her?
--how on earth could i net the fry? sounds like it'd be right up there with herding cats...

if i could get any tricks and tips, i'd really appreciate it. oh, and i'd be ok if none of the fry made it (there's no telling how many generations of inbreeding my kribs have undergone; i keep meaning to get a different male but can't find a prettier one.)

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

I'm not sure if I can offer any answers, but will at least tell my experience with krib fry:

I had to separate the parents after the fry became free swimming. It really WAS like a divorce! The male would take 2/3 of the fry for a tour around the tank and the female would take the other 1/3 and hang around the nest. At some point the female ended up with more of the fry and then the two of them started to fight.

The male really got worked up and started attacking the congo tetras even if they were no where near the fry, so I finally took him out so the tank could return to a peaceful state. Poor guy, I felt really bad doing that, but...

Anyway, I only have three fry left now and they are about a month old. The female still chases off the congos if they come too close and when I clean the tank she herds them over to the nest.

I don't think the female will do well in the 2.5 gallon. My male is in a 20 with other fish and even that seems too small for him. (He's a big boy!) I want to return him to his "wife" soon.

My kribs display their colors brilliantly when they are being protective, aggressive or breeding.

I think if a parent is separated from the fry for too long, they may not recognize that the fry belongs to them and may view them as food?? Not sure on that, though.

I believe I've read that if there are no fry in the tank, the pair can be together again.

And yes, I agree, trying to net the fry is nearly impossible!

I hope someone else answers this post as I am also curious about some of the questions you've asked.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I hope someone else answers this post

ditto.

the only safe place i have open for the female is the 2.5 g. silly me, i had thought there'd be plenty of space in my tank

the male is just going crazy attacking things in my tank; if its been a while since anyone got near his babies, he tries to invade the breeder net to get momma-krib! i think i'm going to try putting him in the breeder and letting momma take over.

i just don't know what to do!!! someone is going to have to go somewhere, especially since the male shows no signs of abating his aggression. hopefully i can scoop out the fry in a week or two, but until then... someone's going in the 2.5

--EDIT--
experiment failed; mom ate fry. spent the last hour prepping the isolation tank. removed female to 2.5g where she will stay until the male stops being so protective. after all this worrying, i can't bear to sacrifice the babies--they are just too cute. so the rest of the fish will just have to stay out of Harm's way.

 

[Hayley]

I have successfully reared lots of krib fry with no problems (actually ended up with around 50 fry in a four foot tank at one point.

I have found the key is to remove other fish from the aquarium when the fry are free swimming, this takes the pressure off the parents and reduces aggression towards each other. I have found using a good quality fine liquid or frozen food is more than sufficient to raise the fry to a saleable size (3cm or so)

 

[pica_nuttalli]

I have found the key is to remove other fish from the aquarium when the fry are free swimming, this takes the pressure off the parents and reduces aggression towards each other.

LOL! and put them where?!? sorry about that, but this is my main (and biggest) tank unfortunately... i didn't mean to start breeding, i just didn't stop it from happening. thankfully, it feels like things are undercontrol at the moment. momma's adjusting to her new apartment and daddy's slowing claiming half the tank.

i've got plants and java fern all over the bottom 6 inches of the tank, so it rather looks like they've got enough to eat. its so cute to see them going on field trips together and although i hated to see mommy eat them all, i'm used to the baby guppies--if only 4 survive out of 30, that's ok with me. if none of them survive, then none of them were fit i just hate to deliberately put them in danger, especially since they could have no idea that their mother was a threat.

 

[quintessential]

Hi Picca,

LOL! and put them where?!? sorry about that, but this is my main

Oh oh, could this be the start of MTS (multiple tank syndrome)
We all start with just the one , promise . It goes on from there.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

ain't happening. don't have the time, space or permission. (besides, i'm going to hold out on getting another tank until i can manage a 150+g; paul's 210 looks delicious... )