Kribensis Or Rams?

[wildmustng87]

Hi Everyone,

I am familiar with the hobby but new to doing it all on my own (mom always had the fish tanks, now I am on my own). I need some help deciding what kind of fish to stock my tank with.

It is a 20gallon tall tank, gravel bottom (natural, no pink/blue/purple gravel for me lol). I bought it as a full kit, the lights are LED and (I have been told) I can only grow low light plants. I currently have 4 live plants and piece of driftwood in it.

Right now I have a Peppermint Pleco, a Delta-fin Betta, and 3 Cardinal Tetras. I already plan on gettting at least 2 or 3 more tetras.

Now for the questions;

1. I have been reading around and it seems that Bettas are not the fish I thought them to be. Perhaps a bit aggressive, can be problematic? We always had a Betta in our tanks and I don't remember having any problems, but that was a long time ago so maybe I am wrong. My local fish store will take it back, so even if the advice is not to have him at all, I can return him.

2. My mom always had Kribensis, and I loved seeing them herd their fry around the tank and I think they are beautiful fish. My local store has (as I was told by an employee there) a species very similar to the common Krib, pelvicachromis taeniatus that are much more colorful and the guy said they are more docile than common kribs and that I could breed them in my 20gal community tank. Is this correct? I would love to have a pair but not if it will restrict me too much on what I can have in there with them.

3. Rams: I LOVE Rams.. German Blues, Golds, etc. I think they are gorgeous! I am told that I cannot have them if I want to have the P. taenitatus in the tank. Is this true? If so, which would you suggest I get, the rams or the kribs? Do rams care for their fry as well, if I manage to breed? Can I get more than just one pair (for example, one male and 2 females, or a bunch of males/bunch of females, etc.) if I don't want to breed them?

4. Are these fish compatible with the Betta? If I need to take him back to the store, I need to do so in the next day or two so a fast response would be greatly appreciated.

5. Other suggestions for fish to go with the kribs/rams (whichever I choose)? I am very much into brightly colored fish.

Your help is GREATLY appreciated, thank you!!



~On a side note - I am aware that if I breed I will have to find homes for the babies. There are at least 4 local fish stores that take trade-ins and donations so I will have no problem in that aspect. Also, these are plans for the future. I will be getting a couple cardinal tetras and then letting the tank cycle for a few more weeks before getting any new fish. I also know that the kribs/rams will not breed overnight and I will have to be patient. Again, thank you for any advice

 

[annaw123]

get bolivian rams! i have 3, and am not sure of the sexes and they display beautiful colours and personalities! they really are so pretty and personable, i'd reccomend them to anyone! i think they'd get on with a betta, but ask a more experienced fish keeper just incase! my rams do squabble occasionally, chase eachother and lip lock but no harm has ever come to any of them, so i guess they at least like eachother a bit! get some rams in my opinion, they are beautiful

 

[kribensis12]

So, I would go with the kribs. Rams can be dainty, and do not like hard water for the most part. They will not breed (or the chances are slim) if you have a high pH. Kribs will breed in any pH ( my pH is 8.4 and I have some krib fry atm). They have a little bit more character in my OP. They are slightly more agressive, but rams and kribs will attack the betta. The tetras may be at risk for both fish. I would not suggest doing a fish in cycle per say. Go to your lfs and ask if they can give you some gravel from one of their tanks. Throw that in your tank, and then pop a fish or two in there. It will be fully cycled. Then, give it a couple days and start adding more fish. It's called tank cloning. Rams are just as good of parents, but their babies are more fragile than kribs as well.

 

[neo83]

So, I would go with the kribs.

That's a surprise coming from 'kribensis12'

Rams can be dainty, and do not like hard water for the most part. They will not breed (or the chances are slim) if you have a high pH. Kribs will breed in any pH ( my pH is 8.4 and I have some krib fry atm).

BTW, kribensis12, i'm a newbie as well, so please take my comment as a question rather than a disagreement Was your comment related to german blue ram, as i thought bolivian rams are preferred for hard water and high pH?

Thanks

 

[ZoddyZod]

BTW, kribensis12, i'm a newbie as well, so please take my comment as a question rather than a disagreement Was your comment related to german blue ram, as i thought bolivian rams are preferred for hard water and high pH?

Thanks

German Blues or Golds are the ones that are sensitive to hard water. Bolivians are much more tolerant of higher pH. They don't 'prefer' it, as such, as they come from soft water rivers, but seem to have no problems adapting to it.

 

[kribensis12]

I have a Bolivian Ram in my angel tank which has a high pH. But in my OP, they are not near as pretty as the golds or blues, and those are the ones really worth keeping ( my ram was on sale for 2 bucks). The golds and blues are the harder ones to keep. Kribs do well in a high pH and I feel that they are better looking that Bolivians. Which is why I think they are the better option.