Mr Kribs Have Babies!

[Gilli]

OMG im so excited! After 2 years of fishkeeping I have babies! Ive had danios eggs hatch but the tiny things always disappeared in the community tank.

My kribs which I bought a few months ago have finally produced babies after laying a few times and nothing happening. She laid the eggs under a rock then decided to move them when I unknowingly went to lift the rock to take it out for my weekly gravel vac! She then moved them to another spot then finally dug out a pit under yet another rock. Incidentially the eggs looked kinda pale yellow so I thought they may not be fertilized as all the info ive read said they should be an orange colour?

I assumed that nothing had come of it until this morning when I saw 3 teeny weeny babies swimming near the mouth of the cave with mum and dad standing guard. Dad then sucked them up and spat them back into the cave! Dont know how many there are as there only looked like about 20 eggs but ive read thts normal for youngsters laying.

Im so happy! I tried to put some liquid no 1 fry for egg layers in but it just kinda fell out in a white blob? I have ordered a turkey baster from Ebay as I couldnt get one anywhere so hopefully that will arrive soon so I can give some a real good mix and squirt it in near the cave.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Good!... some fish just breed, and some you have to breed..... Kribs fall into the latter category.... Good luck on rearing those fry.....

 

[Gilli]

Well on her first try she only has 5 babies - lets hope they all survive! Mum and Dad are doing a brilliant job never leaving them alone for a second and tagging each other on watch! Heres mum with the new arrivals - just near her nose on the gravel.

 

[zoetetra]

congrats
i never bothered with liquifry i just put crushed up flake in and they are fine , they now 2 weeks old and gobbling down bloodworm
enjoy x

 

[Gilli]

Well im sorry to say that none of my first small batch of fry survived. She only produced 5 and one disappeared every day with one remaining for a week then he vanished. They all stayed under the same rock all the time.

Obviously I know there is a mortality rate, but im wondering if this is normal. Mum and dad stayed with them all the time at first, but as the numbers dwindled they left them for long periods - the fry would blend into the gravel and remain still only searching for food when one of them returned. I was under the impression that once they were free swimming they would swim around the tank with mum? I made sure I squirted liquifry and finely crushed flakes under there for them so I know it wasnt starvation.

Anyone got any suggestions?