# Kribensis



## evenningstar (Feb 26, 2013)

Hi,

I was wondering about my Kribensis fish. I have two that I believe are a pair. One has a fairly red tail with spots as well as a top fin with bright red in it and the other has no spots but has some of the same coloring in its tail and fin. At one point in time the one with no spots looked much more colorful in the body then the spotted fish to the point it made the spotted one look plain and gray. My question is are they in fact male and female. Also if they are, the one I believe to be male chases the female around and has really destroyed her fins and tail. It could be breeding but it more looks like aggression from the spotted one. Any thoughts?

Female:


















Male:


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

I am NOT an expert on Kribs, but I think they might both be male?


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

In this species the female is more colorful and has a hot pink belly.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

All _Pelvicachromis_ species are best sexed by the ventral, or Pelvic, fins. In males the first ray is elongated, making the fin look pointed. In females the first ray is short, making the fin look round. This is often easier said than done, as they have a tendency to keep these fins folded up along their body. However, this characteristic is what the genus was named for, so it is 100% accurate in adult fish. Color and finnage are not dependable in aquarium bred lines.


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## evenningstar (Feb 26, 2013)

vann59 said:


> In this species the female is more colorful and has a hot pink belly.





Mr Chromedome said:


> All _Pelvicachromis_ species are best sexed by the ventral, or Pelvic, fins. In males the first ray is elongated, making the fin look pointed. In females the first ray is short, making the fin look round. This is often easier said than done, as they have a tendency to keep these fins folded up along their body. However, this characteristic is what the genus was named for, so it is 100% accurate in adult fish. Color and finnage are not dependable in aquarium bred lines.


So do you both think both fish are males as well?


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Hard to tell. The other post is right about aquarium strains perhaps having more color through selective breeding. The female tends to have a larger belly with more color, and of course the pelvic fin test would be a good idea. Net the fish and inspect the pelvic fins and you should be able to tell. These fish are also known to be hostile to other fish when breeding so expect that.


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## Brainskin (Mar 6, 2013)

Hard to tell from these pics, but I'm pretty sure the first three are male. The fourth I can't make out. The third one down appears definitely male based on the elongated fins, and I think the same is likely in the first two, along with a lack of a rounded belly. My experience is that when more than one of the same gender are together they sometimes still get the colorful pink belly as if getting ready to mate, and especially so when a pair of females are together, even at times getting the mating dance going. Sometimes they nail each other's fins, and some aren't quite as aggressive, so it can be hard to predict. Also, in my experience, it is rare where a male and female put together don't ultimately find a way to become friendly if no other Kribs are around. The problem is rarely getting them to start procreating, but getting them to stop, and then figuring what to do with them after if running out of interested Krib keepers and not interested in culling/feeding fry to Mbuna, etc. (which typically upsets children in the house!).


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