ampermal

Hi,

I bought a male krib on the weekend.

I was wondering if he'll be happy in a community tank without a mate long term?* The pet shop owner said kribs are fine for community tanks and we could buy a mate for him at a later date if we can find one.* But according to what I've read, introducing a female could lead to a) breeding and b) aggression towards other tank mates.

Will he be okay on his own long term?

He's moved into a hidden area at the back of the tank behind a long "log" ornament that holds the air stones in place and chases the gouramis away if they come into that area, but otherwise he is very peaceful with the other fish.

These include:
2x female opaline/blue gouramis
1x small pleco
3x salt n pepper corys
10x neon tetras

Also, he seems shy and focussed on protecting his spot in the tank, so when it comes to feeding time, he doesn't come out and join the frenzy.* Later on he wanders out and "pecks" at the gravel but I don't know how to be sure he's getting enough food.* The gouramis are very fast eaters and get all the floating flake food, then the tetras catch whatever happens to float down and the corys sweep up any that lands on the gravel.* I did feed them tubifex worms on the day I got him and he got a few of those, and I've seen him have a mouthful or two of the shrimp pellets on the gravel.* But otherwise, it doesn't seem he's eaten that much.

Are kribs nocturnal?* Perhaps he's grazing when the lights go out and I should put some pellets down for him then... I don't want to end up overfeeding if the others still end up eating extra food meant for him...

Thanks

Tom

What size of tank is it?
Tom

ampermal

30 US gallons / 115 litres. It's a tallish tank, a hexagonal shape, about as tall as it is wide. I'd say its length is probably about 60cm.

simpleton

ampermal:

I did about the same as you last week but with 2 male Kribs. Needless to say, I had to return one as the other became very aggressive toward him. My lone male Krib is doing just fine. His tank mates include 3 large Rosy Barbs (males), a Cory Cat, and an Algae Eater. My Krib chases the others around and is protective of his territory. As for eating, he will not come to the surface to get anything. I feed my fish flakes in the morning and blood worms in the late afternoon. I bought some African Cichlid pellets and my Krib seems to be OK with those. he also loves the blood worms but waits for them to submerge down into the tank about half depth. He doesn't get many because the Rosy Barbs pretty much eat everything on the surface pretty fast. I have a 30 Gallon long tank. You may want to get some small Cichlid pellets that sink.

ampermal

Thanks, I think I'll do that. Awesome fish hey? Very graceful and interesting to watch.

simpleton

Yes, they are quite awesome. I love watching them. I'd been considering moving in the direction of Cichlids but did not want to give up what I current have (either via trading in at LFS or death by agressive new tank mate). I joined this forum (which is just great) and did alot of reading and asking questions about Kribs. I think the Krib is a great fit for my environment.

Stradius011

Kribs are awesome indeed but they even "more" awesome when you watch their breeding behaviours.