I have just bought some kribensis cichlids and hope to breed them in the near future.
Here are the fish;


Not the best of photos I've taken but does anyone know how old they are? And how long will it be until they begin to spawn? I'm not asking for specific months etc but an estimate. I figured an expert might know.

Are there any methods of enducing spawning, or do they get to it in their own time?

I have also created a little cave for them to spawn in. Will this do?


Now for the questions on the fry... if all goes well

Will it be fine to remove the fry from the parents?
I've read that kribensis can get extremely aggressive when they have fry and if there are no target fish, they may take it out on each other. The only other fish I have are corydoras which are pretty defenceless and I don't want them to get attacked as I'm also trying to breed them, nor do I want the kribs to take their aggression out on each other!

This is where I would move the fry to;


I know it doesn't look too good at the moment but once its had a scrub and its up and running, I thought it would be adequate for the fry. Am I right here? Or do the fry need to be with the parents?

Thanks for reading! Any advice will be taken with appreciation

This post has been edited by pinkdolphin_113: May 9 2008, 06:33 PM

Nice looking Kribs there! Do you know if they are a definate pair??? (Looks like M/F)

I've not bred them myself, but I have seen Kribs using Terracotta Flower Pots as homes/site for eggs.


How big are they?...I have a cousin whose Male Krib is about 4-5inches with a really long extended Dorsal fin...looks fantastico!

Once the fry are free-swimming, it may be good to try and remove them into your other ready-made tank...Putting airstone in and feeding with BabyBrineshrimp and crushed flake is advisable, cleaning regularly.

I know Cichlids sometimes eat the eggs until the third atempt and then they raise with success....not sure if thats the same for Kribs? I'm sure other Krib-breeders will know more on this...


Hope it works out.

I don't think they're a pair just yet, I think they're abit too young to pair up. I do know one is a male and one is a female.
I've seen people use upturned flower pots as egg sites too but I personally don't like the look of it so thought I'd try with the rocks and see how it turns out.
The fish are about an inch long at the moment but I've kept them before and I know they grow pretty fast.

My male and female didn't grow up together, I knoew my female was ready cos she had already laid some eggs by herself and then ate them after a few days. So I just introduced a male, they decided they liked each other, and off they went to a cave! Like, immediately! I don't know what happens if they are not old enough.... do they seem to be getting on ok? If so I guess there is a pretty good chance they will spawn when ready... I did try another male before this one, my girl hated him and made it very clear! I had to return him and get another boy!
I have read that you shouldn't remove the fry too soon as the male will want to spawn again but the female may be too weak, and he may kill her. So I plan to keep my fry in the tank with the parents, there are only them in there now so no worries about other fish snacking on them! I will probably keep them there until i sell them on.
Good luck! Keep an eye on my thread about breeding kribs, as soon as i get any babies I will post pics and comments!

I couldnt give you the exact age of your fish, but i would venture at a year . Your female dosent look like she completely "full" of eggs, i would give a few weeks. The best way to get them to spawn is to feed them great quality food ( IE: Spirulina infused Brine Shrimp) and things of the like ( beefheart is not included in this). Also, frequent water changes will also help. I would make a couple caves out a few coconuts. I would leave the fry with my parents with the fry for aorund 2-3 weeks, or whenever the parents show signs of spawning. Ohh, wait, you dont NOT want to KEEP CORRIES with the KRIBS!!!!! It will NOT work. They will in almost every case, kill and injure those corries. I woudl get a school of Danios or something of the like. The tank needs to be cycled before you add the babies.

I have had Kribs for a couple months now and they have not hada successful spawn yet

They have laid eggs 6-8 times so far and they keep on eating them for some reason ><

Mine probably started spawning and laying eggs after about a month or two.