Stradius011

My female kribensis is really small about 1.5 inches and doesn't show much red. Do u guys think its not mature yet and if not then how can u tell when young kribensis are mature?

Nick G

No, she won't be mature at 1.5inches. By mature, I take it you mean ready to breed? Do you have a male as well?

Stradius011

By mature I mean being able to breed and yes I have a male.. its almost twice as big as the female which isnt good i think..

Nick G

Actually it is good. A male Krib will usually accept any female he's put with as a mate, but the females are far more picky, and will chase and even kill small, undersized males that aren't 'up to scratch'. If your male is a lot bigger, then chances are they'll pair off soon, when your female grows a bit. If shes not colouring up much then she's probably not old enough to pair up. But at 1.5 inches she will be soon!

Stradius011

Lol. i'm just worried bcuz the male is aggressive to the female at times. Sometimes they swim together but most of the time the male chases the female and the female spends a lot of time between my cave and densley planted area

Nick G

Don't worry about it. Mine did that all the time when I first got them. The Male was constantly chasing the female, and she spent most of her time hiding or being chased. Now they're inseparable and will be having their second lot of fry soon by the looks of things! How long have you had yours?

Stradius011

Got them yesterday

Nick G

Yeah, sounds about right! They take a while to get used to each other and pair up. Were they in the same tank at the store, with other Kribs?

Stradius011

No the female krib was in a tank with tetras and the male was in a different tank with other African cichlids

Nick G

Same as when I got mine. Give them a few weeks and they'll pair up. Remember they're still young and the male may not have ever seen a female before. But soon their natural instincts will kick in and they'll pair up. As I said, usually the only time they won't pair is if the male is smaller than the female, so you shouldn't have any problems there. Once they're used to their new home their colours will come out too. Heres a pic of mine.

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Stradius011

here were my kribs from a few years ago

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Nick G

They're great fish, probably my favorite of all the community fish I keep, and not many other freshwater fish can rival their colour!

Stradius011

yeah they're very intersting :] they're my second favorite after angelfish

NUMB3RS

I LOVE angelfish and Rams of course kribs are behind them but yet still close to my favorite!

Stradius011

I was considering rams or kribs but I really want to breed them and heard kribs are better at that so I just got them instead =/