Kribensis

[cat25]

Hi, we've just bought 2 kribensis and our little east euro ram doesnt seem to like them. He's really fighting with what i think is the female kribensis. I read somewhere that rams get on ok with them and was wondering if anyone had a clue why they're not. Ive not had my tank long so dont really know a lot about it yet.

 

[Topazlizz]

The ram, though a peaceful species, is a cichlid and is territorial. And he was there first. So he's not accepting any squatters. If he has a wife, he's definitely not happy with a foursome. The kribs will also get very territorial if they're a pair. In a largish long tank you may be able to get things to work out if you can create two territories with caves, roots, branches and the like so there's a sort of frontier for both to defend, or a fence to growl at if you see what I mean.
If the ram is single, and if the female krib has somewhere to hide for now, the ram is unlikely to win this. He may be severely stressed if the kribs breed, and may not survive. I don't know what species of ram you mean and I've only kept Bolivian rams, so I'm uncertain about size and temperament of yours.
How big is your tank and what is in it?