Another Sexing Krib Post

[CKutz]

EDIT:: please see 2nd picture post, new kribs.


hi,
just got these two kribs, they were the only two..they looked different in the store, so we thought they were male and female..now we're unsure, and it seems they might both be female.

they were all buddy buddy in the bag, hiding together in the corner on the way home. but once we acclimated them, and put htem in the tank, they immediately darkened their colors and started fighting, locking mouths and stuff..it's hard to tell for sure what they are because their fins aren't very developed, and their colors go from dark, to washed out. both typically have some pink..it goes from a little to a lot.

oh and sorry i don't have them separated for each fish..when i'm taking pictures of one..it will swim behind something and the other comes out..or they both hide and one comes out and i don't know if it was the one i started with haha
thanks!

both fish. sometimes they'll swim near each other, but they only will for a little before they chase the other away

this is the one to the left in the previous picture..

 

[kribensis12]

Both females

 

[CKutz]

darnit!!...i was afraid of that...they looked so different in the store.but i think it was just that one was washed out or something and the other wasn't so we thought it was a female.

thanks kribensis, knew you'd be able to help

edit:

for when we go back, any tips for picking out a male and female? these were the only two, so we didn't have much to compare it to..if they are small like this is it still pretty obvious which they are (provided there is more to compare to)? thanks a lot!

 

[kribensis12]

Males are more drab looking. Unless they are in breeding colors, they should have NO red on them at all. Their fins are usually longer, and their body is more elongated. The females usually have red stomachs and their fins are gold-ish and they have depper stomachs.

 

[CKutz]

i'm planning on taking them back and gettting a male and female..but would it make sense to just keep whichever female seems less aggressive (since it's a community tank), and get a new male? i was just thinking i'd take both back, because i thought it'd be good to add them at the same time, and also because of getting the same size..but i kinda think they lfs will mostly have the same size when they restock..and instead of stressing out 4 fish from transporting, might as wel just do 2?

thanks a lot!

 

[kribensis12]

I would take them both back and get a new male and female. Make sure you have plenty of caves ect.

 

[CKutz]

thanks for all your help!..once we do get them, i'll probably be right back here for sex confirmation.

my little brother asked about shrimp.....do you know if glass shrimp, would be ok with krib,and loaches

 

[kribensis12]

The kribs will ddefinatley snack on them

 

[CKutz]

hey everybody this is updated with the new ones.

quick reply please i'm about to go to the store

the "male" typically chases away the female, who is smaller..but less aggressively than the two females did. i know you said females have red..but pretty much none of the ones in the tank at the store had red..the lfs people said they were too young to do that, but i think it's just cause of being stressed. the one i think is a female has tail spots and fins just like the other females, but no red yet?

[URL="http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=23i8ghk&s=5"]http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=23i8ghk&s=5[/URL] the male?
[URL="http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ds3j4p&s=5"]http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ds3j4p&s=5[/URL] male

the female, she was hard to get a good pic of
[URL="http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=29mqgiq&s=5"]http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=29mqgiq&s=5[/URL]
[URL="http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=3338is3&s=5"]http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=3338is3&s=5[/URL]
http/tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1zyg13a&s=5

 

[fish are friends....]

The first is definately Male!
The second i'm 90% sure female. Can't tell as I can't see the fins close enough. If they are rounded then female definately! How bit is she?

 

[kribensis12]

All look male to me.

 

[CKutz]

aahh, this is sooo frustrating..i guess i should have just kept one of the two i had that i knew were female, and hoped they didn't have territory issues in my tank when i introduced the male..but probably would have with the other fish anyways cause those two i had killed my gfs platies (had them cause her tank cracked).

the lfs had two last time, both female..now they had like 30 or so, and almost no definite signs among them, except for the few bigger ones, the one supervisor even came to try and pick one..he did say that most seemed to be males..but i thought this one looked a lot like my females did..but i'm basing it on the tail spots, because they had the same spottings that my other two did..but since looking at pictures this doesn't seem a reliable method, and it seems odd she has no pink on her belly.

the one i thought was female is about one inch...her tail fin barely has color, her top fin isn't as long as the males but she's much less developed...they stay seperated for the most part..they weren't violent upon introduction like my two previous females were..and the male has a red strip along his tail and dorsal fin, you only see it when he flares and he's hungry or mad though haha. the lfs didn't seem to mind switching them..so maybe i'll just hang on to them for awhile is there any problem with having two males? it's a 30 gallon tank

 

[kribensis12]

The males will fight eachother until one dies. Tail spots are most definatley not a eliable method. I don't even consider that in a fish when I sex them.

 

[CKutz]

well so far there hasn't been too much aggression between them, but that could be cause the one is much smaller and it knows it would get its *** kicked.

i'll try and get some better pictures if i can, of the smaller one.."it" is probably a little less than an inch long, it's tail has almost no color, its dorsal is yellow and black, is it just hasn't developed the red belly (hormone or w/e causes it) yet? or can they do that at a pretty young age?

 

[kribensis12]

They get the belly color at about and inch.