# new kribs



## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Hi I have kept fish for a few years now and just in the last year I have gotten into cichlids. I just bought 4 kribs each about 1 inch long (or a little over 1"). So far from what I have read I think I ended up with two males and two females. I am happy because I was hopping I would get at least one pair out of the four.

I had a question about aggression. I currently have them in my 20 gallon and no one seems to be getting along, they always seem to be chasing or nipping one anothers fins. One of the females was getting ganged up on by the other 3 so I separated her. The remaining female and one of the males now gang up on the other male, however when he is out of site they start nipping at eachother. Is this normal? Are they possibly feeling overcrowded? (I was planning on only keeping two in there once they got bigger)


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## JohnBob (Apr 7, 2008)

20 gal is a OK for a mated pair. You have 4 young fish trying to establish their places in their new world. Tank should be well planted, artifical plants OK if you prefer them. Lots of caves for now spread around the tank so everyone has places to hide. If a single fish is still being constantly chased you should remove it. Hopefully you will find two fish starting to share a cave at some point. Remove the extra fish and some of the extra caves. Then enjoy all the fry your pair will give you.


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Thanks, Every one has seemed to calm down now. After observing them for a few days I noticed the one male and female were more aggressive than the others so I put them in my 46. The remaining pair have settled in together and get along well. The female I put in the 46 died, I think the male kept on chasing her around. I'm kicking myself for not separating her sooner.

My 20 gallon has a bunch of live plants and two caves in it. I was wondering how big do kribs get before they spawn?


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## AquaticKid (Nov 4, 2009)

They don't need to be that big. 1 1/2-2 inches total for the female. The male was larger, maybe 2 1/2". This is a pic of the female we had not too long before they had babies. (That wasn't her normal tank either. lol) It was adorable. They had them within a month after being bought. Good luck with yours!


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Haven't been on for awhile. Thanks for the reply. I ended up putting the pair in the 46 gallon and the single male in the 20. The pair has made a cave between two rocks and I'm almost positive they have laid eggs. I've been fascinated watching them faithfully guard there cave from the other fish. They have quickly become one of my favorite fish!

I have 5 tiger barbs and 3 rainbow fish in with the pair. How closely do the parents guard the babies? I know the tiger barbs are ferocious eaters and was wondering if I should take them out or if the parents will be able to fend them off.


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## AquaticKid (Nov 4, 2009)

They were housed the pair alone with a small pleco. They killed the pleco just before the babies were hatched. They took good care of the babies, but they kept moving the babies around. The babies couldn't quite swim on their own but you'd see them bounce out of their shell they were in, then they kribs would find them. We don't know what happened but noticed on the fifth day or so the krib babies were gone. There were probably about 50-60 little guys. We guess that the parents or dad ate them. Then the mom & dad died. Later we noticed that the temp went up on the tank. We have to tape the heating gage down so it doesn't move. The cat likes to jump on top and move the dial so we found out. It was pretty sad. Maybe someday we'll buy another pair of kribs. They were pretty awesome. 
Hopefully they won't kill any of your other fish, they can get pretty nasty. Good luck.


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## JohnBob (Apr 7, 2008)

kribfish No need to remove your other fish. An experienced pair will protect their brood unless they're in with much bigger fish. This being your pair's first time it is very likely they will not be successful due to several things. Just give them time and you'll have plently of fry.


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## kribfish (Feb 23, 2010)

Thanks for the help. I was watching them again tonight and the female kept chasing and attacking the male. He kept cowering in the corner breathing really heavily. Is this normal?


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