Is This A Breeding Thing?

[LolaLouie]

My female regular krib (pelvicachromis pulcher) and male yellow cheek krib (pelvicachromis subocellatus) seem to have paired up despite the female krib having a gorgeous male krib who she never spawned with and the yellow cheek having a nice female yellow cheek who he just chases away!

Anyway when they're near eachother they shake their heads really fast so it's almost like their heads are vibrating.. I'm guessing this is some sort of turn on in the fishy world but just wanna check it's normal because i've never seen this before?

Also what are the other signs that they are ready to spawn?

Does it matter that he is double her size?

And more importantly am I ever going to be able to sell a cross between a regular and yellow cheek krib?!?

Thanks

 

[kribensis12]

I wouldnt even considerd it corss breeding. In all reality, it's just a krib w/ yellow cheek's( ie, a woman who is tan). So, yeah you could sell the babies. It's normal, obviously she finds the one with more yellow to be more attractive. Shaking thier heads is like flirting in the human world. They will be very very defensive and they will be cleaning an area, and the female will show an "egg" tube when ready to spawn.

 

[LolaLouie]

Thanks for that!

They are defending their coconut cave at the moment but not all the time, the female spends a lot of time in the cave and the male sometimes swims by, when he does she shakes at him and then sometimes he shakes back so I don't know whether he likes her that much

I guess they need a little time because although they sometimes go into the cave together they haven't done anything yet and no breeding tubes out.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[CazThomas]

Hey,

i never knew they did that when breeding lol.

Mine just got along and then the female disappeared for around 5 days. When she emerged she had lots of little babies but only 4 have grown (they are still young)

 

[LolaLouie]

I didn't know they did it either which is why i was a bit worried! Wierdly my Angel has shook his head a couple of times since the kribs started so i hope it's not anything bad but as the kribs only do it to eachother and at no time when the other krib isn't around i figure it has to be a mating thing.... and maybe the kribs just got the angel in the mood!

 

[kribensis12]

Shaking thier heads is either a territorial marker( ex: hey get away, this is my rock!). Or it could be a mating sign( ex: hey, my room is up stairs). Or thier just communitcating( ex: hey, how are you?) . Your angel is probably trying to win some territory back. THeir fine. No dieases that i know of which a fish shakes it's head anyway!

 

[LolaLouie]

Ha ha... ok thanks for that.. just never seen or heard of it before... just hope for my kribs that it means babies are on the way!