Im Wanting To Get Kribensis

[clay]

i have decided i would like to get some kribensis. my lfs can order them in pairs so i can breed them. any info about their care, breeding, tank size, tank mates, and tank setup would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nmonks]

Kribs aren't difficult to breed. The common mistake is to allow them to spawn without first fixing the pH and 7.0; if the pH is higher than that, you get almost only males, if below pH 7, you get mostly females. So before you buy your kribs, make sure you understand how to raise or lower hardness, especially carbonate hardness, as required, and then, if necessary, use a pH buffer to fix the pH. Don't make the common mistake of changing the pH using pH buffers; that route leads to pH instability. Always, always adjust hardness first, and then stabilise pH.

Kribs have a harem spawning structure in the wild but will form pairs in captivity. Females look after the broods to begin with, and the male mostly stays outside the cave keeping it safe from predators. Once the fry are mobile the male takes on more of the parenting duties. Krib fry are large and easy to feed with finely powdered flake food and liquidfry.

The quality of kribs varies wildly. A lot of stores sell stock that are all siblings, and needless to say over time inbreeding has meant that few kribs have the really amazing colours of the wild fish. Savvy shoppers will either track down wild-caught or F1 stock, or else look out for wild-caught Pelvicachromis taeniatus or Pelvicachromis subocellatus, which are similar though their optimal pH for spawning may be different, around 7 for Pelvicachromis taeniatus and 6.5 for Pelvicachromis subocellatus.

Cheers, Neale

i have decided i would like to get some kribensis. my lfs can order them in pairs so i can breed them. any info about their care, breeding, tank size, tank mates, and tank setup would be greatly appreciated.