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Questions about Breeding Kerbensis... | 7 comments (5 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Questions about Breeding Kerbensis... (none / 0) (#1)
by GuppyLuver15 on Sun May 22, 2005 at 08:14:45 PM PST

Keeping And Spawning The Kribensis

Male Kribensis
Kribensis male - © Alex Johnson
    The Kribensis (scientific name; Pelvicachromis pulcher) is an easy to keep and spawn cichlid from the rivers of Africa. It is not a Rift Valley cichlid so it doesn't need hard alkaline water , in fact almost any normal aquarium water will suffice for this excellent beginners cichlid.

        A pair of kribs will do fine in a ten gallon tank. Feeding can consist of any of the usual fish foods such as flakes, freeze dried and frozen fares. Although as always live foods are a definite plus.

Kribensis female
Kribensis female - © Alex Johnson
        You should supply the pair with a spawning cave of some sort. This can be made of a cleaned coconut shell, a turned over flower pot or simply a stack of rocks. If you are feeding the pair well and keeping the water clean, you should have a batch of eggs quite soon. The female krib is a wonderful mother and will take care of her fry without any help. It is a joy to watch her lead the fry around the tank, somewhat reminiscence of a mother duck and ducklings. Unlike a lot of the egg laying species, krib fry do not have to be fed any special foods. The female, and sometimes the male also, will chew some flake food and spit it out for the fry to eat.

        To summarize; all you need to keep and spawn kribs is clean water, a pair of Kribensis and a spawning cave. Try a pair of kribs, you won't be disappointed.

I got that from a website, hope it helps!!
They are really beautiful too!
Good Luck!
Guppy Luver



Get them out of that breeding net! (none / 0) (#2)
by unclescott on Sun May 22, 2005 at 08:38:06 PM PST

Is the tank at least 20 gallons? What temperature are they at? If it is under 27 C/81 F, tweak it up a degree or two over a day.

Do you have a male (longer, actually the paler of the two) and a female with that deep purple stomach? Is her tummy really colorful, that is good.

As Guppy Luver mentioned, they need spawning sites. Maybe give them two options. If using a clay pot, please make sure it is free of garden chemicals, especially insecticides and herbicides. Coconut shells are popular with some aquarists, make sure all of the "meat" is off it and it is "clean".

They get territorial and mean when "in the family way". A pair spawning in one of my tanks killed all of the comparably sized cichlids in a planted 40.

They come from a wide range of habitats. That usually means that they adapt well to different waters. That is also why they are a weed.

If they eat the eggs the first time, don't despair. It takes many cichlids a second or even third spawning to figure out that "parenting thang."

Some more references for Pelvicachromis pulcher. There is a real Pel. kribensis. That new fish import (now identified as pulcher) was miss-identified way back when, hence the accepted but misleading moniker.

see
http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/P-pulcher.html#0

All the best!
unc

[ Parent ]



Re: Get them out of that breeding net! (none / 0) (#3)
by nonzoid on Mon May 23, 2005 at 12:02:28 PM PST

they are not in a breeding net, as i was not positive if that was the best thing to do. my tank is 10 gallons...the female's stomach is QUITE purple, and VERY pretty. another question that i have is this: uncle scott said to raise the temperature up to 81 degress. i have it at about 75 degrees. I have other fish in the tank, and i'm not sure if they can tolerate it. (i have guppies, gourami's, kribensis, swordtail, sailfin mollies, a tetra, and a varity of babies swordtails and mollies.) should i jack it up that much???? -thanks again!

[ Parent ]


Better off in a breeding tank. (none / 0) (#4)
by grizzly29 on Mon May 23, 2005 at 12:38:09 PM PST

  You should have the kribs in their own tank if you intend to breed them. They will get protective of their fry and fight with your other fish to keep them away.

[ Parent ]


Note, I suggested raising the temperature a (none / 0) (#7)
by unclescott on Mon May 23, 2005 at 10:42:45 PM PST

degree or two over several hours. I'd raise it maybe two degrees in the course of a day and wait, to see what happens.

By the way, I think Grizzly is very correct about the risk posed to the other fishes. I was pleased at who my spawning kribs left alone. That was in a 40 gallon aquarium and they still killed some very beautiful cichlids. They will establish a defensive perameter around their nest. If all of the other fish are cowering in the corner, you will want to get them out before they are slaughtered.

You need to consider, ahead of time, what you are going to do in that possible scenario. It may be easier to set up the kribs in their own tank. (Do you have an over and under stand?)

Also, are you aware that in nature, where pairs take longer to get into spawning condition, they will chase their young away (if they haven't already wandered off)? In an aquarium, they will probably eat or at least kill most of the older fry, not "understanding" that they can't swim away. You again need to consider what you are going to do if you wish to keep the older fry.

There are a few cichlids, mostly from Lake Tanganyika, where older fry actually help care for smaller siblings in big family colonies. Julidochromis and Neolamprologus pulcher and birchardi come to mind. With most cichlid species, larger fry, given a chance, will feed on younger siblings. Parents "understand" this and will protect the younger ones.

I wouldn't keep most of those fish with kribs. If you bought all of them from the same dealer, they deserve a rap on the knuckles. If they keep doing that, even though you specifically ask about the compatibility of various fishes, they deserve a letter to the Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau or in serious cases, if you feel really defrauded, a consumer complaint to your state's Attorney General and a complaint filed at the local police station. Though if I knew that was how they operated, I wouldn't be still doing business with them that long.

Did they tell you how much space those fry could take? It makes keeping guppy fry look compact. ;)

All the best!
u.s.

[ Parent ]



Questions about Breeding Kerbensis... | 7 comments (5 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden)
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