The Final Crunch

[meandmykribs]

Hi all,
 
Well last night was the last straw
 
My male krib has managed to kill my 2 male guppies and maimed a female
 
so I took them all out and moved them to the 65ltr
 
now left in the tank with mum, dad and the fry is a Chinese algae eater and my pleco
 
my question is will my pleco be alright in there (he is not very fast) or should I try to remove him as well (he is faster than me which is why he is still in there)??
 
Any advice is much appreciated I have never kept such an aggressive make before
 
Thanks in advance Karen.

 

[ncguppy830]

well ive never seen a cichlid kill a pleco he could stress the krib out so you might want to remove him.

 

[meandmykribs]

he is a nightmare to catch as he still only very young he is slippery little thing was hoping ya was guna say he would be fine hahaha

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

Well if it is an aggressive Cichlid, the worst thing would probably be the fin nipping, and could possibly lead the Plecostomus into hiding due to the cichlid taking over the main space. But I do not know much on your cichlid behavior. 

 

[meandmykribs]

I have checked him over and to date he has no nips out of his fins but that does not mean that he wont try
 
He was aggressive to start with and now the fry are here he is worse than ever
 
It wont be getting any better for at least 6 weeks when the fry will become the predators (not looking forward to that)
 
And then of course Mrs Krib will be ready to spawn again so the cycle will start over
 
Do you think it would be less stressful for all if I pull dad before the next batch are born and leave mum to look after them?

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

Well I don't know much about cichlids.....(saying again)....... but if he had an okay replacement home, maybe. If I were the fish though I would be thinking....Where"s my WIFE!!!!? 
 
I would wait for someone else to respond, I prefer Plecs.

 

[meandmykribs]

Ok thanks very much for getting back to me anyways
 
And you again NC ya always seem to be there

 

[Sophie]

I'd just have a home for Mum and Dad and when the babies are old enough - rehome them. Kribs are far better in a species only environment, my friend had the same - they killed all their tank mates.

 

[hensonc4098]

I personally would split up the parents after this batch is away. You will find it very hard to move the babies on as kribs are very easy to breed, but not a lot of people want them for the exact reasons that you are talking about. Overall, kribs are really more hassle than they are worth for breeding.

 

[meandmykribs]

I have 3 lfs that are prepared to take the fry on a regular basis so don't really want to stop but I am debating on swapping out my male
 
Thanks very much Sophie and Hensonc 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

I can't remember if this has been asked before or not but how big is your tank? Kribs can be territorial but only around a fairly small area. If your Kribs are killing other fish it suggests that the other fish don't have anywhere else to go.

 

[meandmykribs]

I have removed all the other fish
 
Its a 60ltr tank and in there now are the 2 adult kribs and x amount of fry
1 Chinese algae eater
and 1 pleco
 
The algae eater is doing fine an is small enough and quick enough to keep out of daddy's way
 
but my pleco is quite a slow mover and was wondering if he should be removed as well?

Are those 2 yours on your signature??
 
They are beautiful!!
 
Oooh jealous

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

So many fishkeepers get pairs of Kribs and put them in tanks that are too small for them to live in any sort of community and with tankmates that are too small or fragile to cope with their breeding aggression. What has happened here does not surprise me in the slightest.
 
A typical ~60cm long 60l tank is too small for breeding Kribs and far too small for your CAE, the Kribs need at least a 90x30cm footprint and 120cm is far better in a community setting.
 
Tankmates should be at least as big as the Krib parents without being overly aggressive themselves, for instance Congo Tetras or African Red Eye Tetras. Adult size (~7cm SL) "Debauwi Catfish" (Pareutropius buffei) are another midwater possibility, albeit I would not put these in the same hardy league at the tetras.
 
For now, I would put your Krib family in the squatest tank and everyone else in the longer tank, perhaps having the two tanks right next to each other so the parents still think they have to work together to protect the fry. Then try and source a good deal on a 4-foot tank, your CAE needs it regardless of other plans, I won a Rio400 last week for very little more than £50.

 

[meandmykribs]

I am waiting on delivery of my 400ltr
 
I did not realise they were CAE's and just how big they get until I got him home
 
I'm hoping he will be comfortable in the 400 for a while but the plan is to upgrade again to 6 footer (husband pending haha)
 
they all seem to have calmed down a little since removing the other fish he is still chasing but doesn't appear to be as aggressive a chase (he isn't chasing until he gets a nip just until out of range of the fry)