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The Loach Forum Archives (1)
Re: Question on kribs...
Posted By: Dr. Momfish <alexp@idirect.com> In Response To: Re: Question on kribs... (stephen)
Date: Sunday, 12 September 1999, at 12:06 p.m.
Hi Steven. Regarding Kribs. There are two types of Pelvicachromis pulcher. One is the red type and the other is yellow. The difference between the two variants goes beyond colouration however. Studies indicate that the red kribs mate as a pair and stay that way. The yellow kribs tend to have a dominant male with a harem and several peripheral males who take advantage when the alpha male is not around or take over when he dies.
Furthermore, in a tank with two females and one male, the odds are that one of the females will be killed prior to the pair spawning. Even other harem spawners kept in small quarters will kill the extra female. The only safe way to keep the yellow kribs in a harem setup is to have several females per male, not just two.
I don't know what types of kribs you've kept, but I can assure you that a pair with fry will mercilessly go after any other fish in the vicinity. They make no bones about the fact that they don't want anyone else horning in on their turf and eating their kids.
Given that kribs grow to a length of about 4 inches, and that they are substrate oriented fish, it is in the best interests of the fish to provide them with as large a 'footprint' to the tank as possible. This translates to a long wide tank but not necessarily a tall one. Even a 20 gallon long tank will become extremely cramped quarters once the fry start to swim around. Realistically the minimum size for this fish is a 50 gallon tank. It gives parents and fry a reasonably comfortable environment. Yes people breed them in smaller tanks, but fry development is not ideal unless major water changes are done every other day, and then every day once the fry grow significantly. Otherwise dissolved organic compounds stunt their growth.
