Flag Cichlids And Kribs

[blah2]

I've read whatever information I can find about the Flag Cichlid (Aequidens or Laetacara curvicep), but was wondering if they would do fine in a 55 gallon community tank with a pair of Kribensis. I noticed a LFS has a few in stock and I was thinking of getting a pair. I might set up a small tank just for these guys, but would love to include them in the community tank if they will get along fine (besides the typical cichlid territorial behaviors). Any info or personal experiences with these cichlid would also be appreciated. Thanx in advance.

 

[severum boy]

That mix should be fine. You could try a pair of the kribs with two or three pairs of flags. Flags are more peaceful and delicate than kribs so make shure the water is soft and acidic (pH about 6.5). Both cichlids will appriciate a well planted tank with small dither fish (small fish that swim out in the open) to make them feel secure. What other fish will be in the tank? If a pair forms you could seperate them in a smaller tank just for them, say 8gal. Hope this helps

 

[blah2]

Thank you for your response severum boy.

This is actually a tank that has been running for about 6 months now. I have a mix of 5 rainbows, 6 black skirt tetras, and a pair of paradise fish occupying the middle and upper regions of the tank. Along with those guys, I have a school of 6 corycats, 1 rtbs and the pair of kribs as my bottom dwellers. The ph for the water is 6.7. Right now all of the fish are getting along fine and I haven't lost a fish since the 1st month after setup. With this additional info, would you still recommend 2 or 3 pairs of flags for the tank?

 

[severum boy]

Id add some more tetras first and check that you have some defined teratories for the kribs and flags. If you havent, u may well find that the cichlids will fight over onne teratory. How well planted is the tank, assuming it is planted?

 

[blah2]

The tank is not planted. At least not with real plants, it's full of plastic and silk plants along with a big piece of real wood and a couple rock structures. The kribs have used one of the rock structures as a spawning cave and claimed a third of the tank their territory. I guess the flags would probably establish a territory around the driftwood in the other half of the tank. I might hold off on adding more tetras for now, because the rainbows and the tetras are almost all fully grown at 3" and 2", respectively and the kribs aren't shy at all. Do you think the corys would be a factor in any of this?

 

[severum boy]

The corys should not really be a factor. They will just swim around and avoid the territorys of the cichlids. They aso rarely eat eggs or fry so if the cichlids breed they wont cause any hassel. Do you have a plec? Thay could cause a problem 'cos some will start to take up territorys, leaving less space for the cichlids. You could probably have 2 pairs of the flags.