Sexing Kribs - Moved To Correct Section

[hopkigg]

I had this in the wrong section so have moved it here. I have been informed the kribs i have are 2 males, 2 females but just had a few more questions below

I know these are not the best pictures in the world but was wondering if anyone could sex them for me. Two are behaving really funny and one keeps bending its tail and looks like it is dancing. These two photos are the two that are acting funny to each other so i was thinking they were male and female

http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000181.jpg
http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000151.jpg


And these are the other two kribs

http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000331.jpg
http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000351.jpg

Any ideas?

Post #2


First off this belongs in the African/ Old World Cichlid Section.

On the first 2 pics, they are male and female. The last 2 pics are also male and female. What size tank are then?


Post #3


They are in a 250l tank. Are they ok in that size coz i am getting a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank and was going to move all my other fish in there and leave the kribs in the 250l tank on there own. If that is not big enough for them though then i might move them instead. There is 2 pieces of bog wood that they like hiding in, also 3 black tubes and a clay pot.

Also do the females looking old enough to spawn, just wondered what the dance was for. she keeps hiding in the bogwood and the male is never too far away

 

[gzylo]

I had this in the wrong section so have moved it here. I have been informed the kribs i have are 2 males, 2 females but just had a few more questions below

I know these are not the best pictures in the world but was wondering if anyone could sex them for me. Two are behaving really funny and one keeps bending its tail and looks like it is dancing. These two photos are the two that are acting funny to each other so i was thinking they were male and female

[URL="http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000181.jpg"]http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000181.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000151.jpg"]http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000151.jpg[/URL]


And these are the other two kribs

[URL="http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000331.jpg"]http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000331.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000351.jpg"]http/i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/h...g/SNC000351.jpg[/URL]

Any ideas?

Post #2


First off this belongs in the African/ Old World Cichlid Section.

On the first 2 pics, they are male and female. The last 2 pics are also male and female. What size tank are then?


Post #3


They are in a 250l tank. Are they ok in that size coz i am getting a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank and was going to move all my other fish in there and leave the kribs in the 250l tank on there own. If that is not big enough for them though then i might move them instead. There is 2 pieces of bog wood that they like hiding in, also 3 black tubes and a clay pot.

Also do the females looking old enough to spawn, just wondered what the dance was for. she keeps hiding in the bogwood and the male is never too far away

Dead links for pics

 

[nmonks]

Sexing kribs, and indeed Pelvicachromis generally, is very easy. To start with, the males have a more elongate body shape, whereas the females have deeper, rounder bellies. The females have a plum coloured belly, whereas males are generally less colourful.* Males have elongate dorsal fins and diamond-shaped tail fins, whereas those on the females are rounder.

Wild Pelvicachromis are harem spawners, contrary to the misconception among aquarists that they form pairs. Thus males tend to be somewhat "detached" suitors, and it is often the female who initiates spawning and guards the eggs, whereas the males are more interested in patrolling the territory. So behaviour is often a good key: females keep darting inside the cave, whereas the male tends to exhibit more aggression towards other fish.

In my experience of at least two different species in the genus, females initiate spawning by doing a fluttering dance in front of the male, often exhibiting their brightest colours in the process. They seem to push their purple bellies into the faces of the males, presumably to signal that they are ripe with eggs. The females then vanish into the cave for the days immediately after spawning, only allowing the male to look after the fry once the eggs have hatched and the fry free swimming. See for example here, with regard to Pelvicachromis taeniatus.

Cheers, Neale

* Should mention that most of the commercially farmed kribs are of abysmal quality, and their colours are extremely poor compared to the wild fish, so colouration may not work as well as you'd expect.

 

[kribensis12]

First 2 links, 1m/1f

Second 2 links, 1m/1f