Firemouthhs & Kribs

[peter shogun]

HI
i need some help i am new to keeping smaller fish as my past exp as been rtc lima snc oscars etc ie big fish but i have got a 4ftx18"x15" tank empty at min
went to lfs today and saw some kribs and firemouths will these be ok to mix if so how many of each can i fit in my tank also i saw some rams not the little ones i forgot name of them but they were bigger than kribs
any advice will be
regards peter

 

[peter shogun]

any one please

 

[elisew]

Hi,

I don`t know too much about Kribs, only a small amount as my Bro keeps them. As for the firemouths I only know from info on this forum that they can be pretty aggressive, the same as Kribs when they`re breeding.
I may be wrong but mixing the firemouth and Kribs together may be asking for a lot of trouble. Hopefully someone will be able to help you out by replying soon, if you don`t get any further replies here then it might be an idea to post in the Tropical Discussion section or even the New World Cichlids section? I just didn`t want to read and run as I know how frustrating it is when you need advice but no-one replies

 

[james_fish]

I reckon in a tank as big as that with plenty of decoration to break up the line of sight and introduce plenty of dither fish, Eg. Mollies or bigger species of Tetra's. And it will be fine There is no saying for definate as like said before, both fish can get pretty nasty when breeding. They would never come across each other in the wild, as you may know Kribs are from Africa whereas FM's are from Central Americas.

I reckon a (breedin)pair of each. But you could get away with plenty of dithers and bottom dwellers like BN Pleco's.

James.

 

[kribensis12]

They should be fine. Firemouths are all bark and no bite. I had a breeding pair that were about 8 inches big (that's the male) and the female was 6 inches. I now have like 50 or so fry from them over an inch. They still have not hit an aggressive stage. Kribs are more aggressive, but are bottom dwellers, and therefore not usually in the way of firemouths. I think it should be fine, just have plenty of rockwork and plants (prefferably fake so they don't uproot them).

 

[Littlemonkey]

As above, I have kribs and eliotti and now a female firemouth, My tank has lots of plants wood and rocks, the kribs do get aggressive but tend to stay on the bottom. It's also a 4ft tank.

 

[peter shogun]

Thankyou all very much i will give them a try
any thoughts on the rams i think they were marked up as golden rams they were bigger than the kribbs

 

[bullit]

i think they can be a bit sensitive with water and has to be spot on (dont quote me). Firemouths as said are bark and no bite. Ive kept them with kribs but i had a pshco krib that harrassed everthing.

 

[peter shogun]

i think i going to give it a go just set tank up and cycle with some goldfish as i got a tank to put them in after as thats the way ive always done it on my 10ft tank i done that one with tench and they are happy in my pond now and got relly big
regards peter

 

[kribensis12]

That is the cruel way. Here is a way to "instant" cycle a tank. Take a filter sponge (new or used) and let it sit in a mature tank for a week, then throw it into the new tank and then instantly add new fish. It works every time. It's called filter cloning.

 

[peter shogun]

OMG is it relly that bad useing goldfish as like i say i always done it that way and never lost a goldfish etc i relly am sorry and feel relly bad now ive been keeping fish for 20 + yrs and never new that if i have upset anyone buy doing that i relly am sorry

 

[kribensis12]

It's okay, I at first didn't know it was wrong. The thing is, when you cycle this is what happens:

Ammonia (fish waste ect.) turns into nitrIte which turns into nitrAte. So, Ammonia can burn the fish (who want's to sit in their pee and poop anyway?), nitrIte can poison the blood stream and suffocate them. NitrAte isn't too dangerous unless they are at high concentrations ( 60 ppm or above).

So, Ammonia is converted by the bacteria. It takes a while for those bacteria to appear. Therefore the fish are sitting in a liquid that can cause burns. Then, once the bacteria appear they turn it into nitrIte, which can suffocate them. That sits there for about a week or so, and while it's there it damages the fish. Then, it's turned into NitrAte. That stuff is removed by you through water changes and gravel vacums. So, to avoid this whole long process, why not take the bacteria (they are already in your established tank), and throw them in a new tank? It works. But you need to make sure there is a food source (fish), or they will die.

 

[peter shogun]

thanks what i have done today is got a loan of a fluval 305 of a mature tank and running that with my new fx5 and also got a load pf bogwood out the same tank and also also put a sponge out of my mates 405 in the tank so hope allis good
still need some advice on rams though

 

[bullit]

find out which rams and ask in the new world section is your best bet

 

[peter shogun]