Would This Be A Good Krib Tank?

[attibones]

Hey all. I just got a second 55 gallon for the house. I'm thinking about getting kribs. It has sand substrate, eventually will be heavily planted, and is running a 300 watt heater, as well as a Penguin 300 filter. I've jump started the cycle with mature media from my other 55, so I am anticipating complete cycling in the next few days. Ammonia went from 4 ppm to .5 ppm in about twelve hours, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate.

Anyway
55 gallon tank (48"x13"x20")
Marineland Penguin 300 (using carbon filters to jump start the cycle, but the carbon has seen been deactivated, as well as new filter sponges, two bio wheels, and may add some ceramic rings)
300 watt heater currently at around 82 degrees
1.5" play sand substrate

Plants:
Moneywort
Penny wort
Ludwigia repens
Some sort of grass type
Amazon sword (need to pick up)
Anubias nana (need to pick up)

We are looking to get four common kribs, but we also have a golden gourami who came with the tank and is currently sitting in a five gallon until we get the tank totally cycled. We got him from someone who didn't know what they were doing.

Our potential fish list is looking something like this:
4x common kribs
8x panda corydoras
8-10x pencil fish
1x golden gourami
4x nerite snails

Would this stocking do alright in the tank?
Would the kribs destroy any of these fish?
We will have plenty of caves, but are there any other hiding places they may desire?
Any other stocking suggestions?

Here is the tank:

 

[guidedbyechoes]

The stocking wont work well if either of the pairs have fry they will protect their area at all cost. So if one pair takes one side and the other pair the other side the fish in the middle have a very limited space they can safely occupy. 

 

[DerpPH]

I say it will quite suffice! but careful on the plants though!

 

[attibones]

I say it will quite suffice! but careful on the plants though!

What is your reasoning?

The stocking wont work well if either of the pairs have fry they will protect their area at all cost. So if one pair takes one side and the other pair the other side the fish in the middle have a very limited space they can safely occupy. 

Would this be true of all tank occupants or only other bottom level fish? What would you suggest for stocking?

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Personally, from experience I'd just have one pair in there. I currently have a 76 US gallon community tank and have one pair. When they are trying to breed they have their area they defend quite robustly so as guidedbyechoes says, it will be quite cramped if both pairs have fry and could get ugly.

I'd get one pair for the bottom, a few smaller tetras for the mid water and some dwarf gouramis for up to the top. If you keep the fish numbers down the Kribs will be happier and have space to breed.

 

[attibones]

We already have the golden gourami, but we are looking into rehoming him. I put him in the stocking in case we couldn't find him somewhere else to go. That's why I chose pencil fish, as the gourami may not hurt them. Of course, we looked on that website we aren't supposed to mention, you know the one, and it was giving me all sorts of warnings about the kribs during breeding and the gourami being aggressive. We use the site as a way to get some general ideas about stocking.

So no cories then? Even if we just get the one pair? Are kribs more territorial than rams?

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I've got Kribs and Gouramis in a 288l tank and have no problems between them at all. the Kribs stay down the bottom and the Gouramis stay up the top.

I've also got 7 corys and although the Kribs chase them off when they get too near their "spot", generally they're ok.

I've never kept Rams to be honest so wouldn't want to compare them, but have had Kribs for years without too much trouble.

Just make sure you put a couple of caves in there for them, one at each end to choose from and the Corys would be ok. I wouldn't get less than 5 corys though either as they're better and happier in larger numbers.

 

[attibones]

Is there any schooling fish that would work well with both our mean gourami (if we can't rehome him) and our kribs (single pair)? We would like to get 6-10 of the cories. I worry that smaller tetras will become a punching bag for the gourami.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

That is not a good stocking around Kribs, even in a 48x13x20".
 
Panda Corydoras stand no chance when they innocently wander into a zone where the Krib fry are bouncing along.
 
(Beckford?) Pencilfish will be no threat to the fry, but again, if caught by the parents they are "toast."
 
The gourami might be tempted by fry and will not take much punishment to keal over.
 
While Kribs are verging on timid fish when not breeding, but just like my African Steatocranus/Blockhead Cichlids, they are psychotic killing machine parents and they breed far more often than my cichlids. I've lost decent sized fish to my Blockheads, including Golden Wonder Panchax; African Butterfly Fish; Humphead Glassfish. You need to be so careful who they share a tank with at such times and be observant for signs of new youngsters on the way.

 

[attibones]

Would I be able to get away with just having two female kribs so that I don't have to worry about breeding? We aren't interested in keeping fry.