How many kribensis can i keep

[Mindelo]

Hello
How many kribensis pair can i keep in my tank?
Would males be ok together?
how they behave toward each other?

 

[GouramiGirl100]

What size tank do you have?

 

[Mindelo]

What size tank do you have?

55 liters approximately

 

[GouramiGirl100]

55 liters is a small tank and kribs are territorial and aggressive. I would consider another species honestly.

 

[Mindelo]

55 liters is a small tank and kribs are territorial and aggressive. I would consider another species honestly.

Ok. But i'm trying to know more about kribensis. Forget that i said "... in my tank"
Let me rephrase:
How many kribensis pair can be kept in a tank?
Would males be ok together?
how they behave toward each other?

 

[GouramiGirl100]

Ok. But i'm trying to know more about kribensis. Forget that i said "... in my tank"
Let me rephrase:
How many kribensis pair can be kept in a tank?
Would males be ok together?
how they behave toward each other?

Kribs need at least 40 gallons because they breed a lot and if you plan to keep fry you will need space to balance aggression. You should keep one pair. They are aggressive, sources online say they are not so aggressive, I do not find that to be true. They are very aggressive in my experience because they breed a lot. They need lots of hides and territorial separation. Males will fight, aggression needs to be spread out with hides and plenty of cover

 

[Redshark1]

This is what I've found true for sexually mature fish (juveniles may get on OK while immature).

Only one pair per tank. It can sometimes be difficult to get a pair to accept each other and they can get off on the wrong foot if they aren't ready to breed when introduced.

Males will not get on with other males. Females will not get on with other females.

A pair may lay eggs but fall out over parental care. I had a female that wanted to drive the male away. He wanted to help care for the eggs. So she ate the eggs.

A good pair will bring up young repeatedly. You will have to dispose of lots of young (e.g. to the LFS) as the male will attempt to chase them out of the territory and in an aquarium this is not possible.

My last pair worked as a team. They dominated my 6ft tank and drove all the other inhabitants to one end. They were terrific parents and it was a real highlight of my 54 years of fishkeeping.

 

[Janice C]

As Redshark1 has said, I usually keep only one pair per 2ft tank (easier to maintain water quality too!) and have another tank ready to separate if there are issues. The extra tank can be a community tank with compatible species.

Kribensis are quite common where I am from, so I usually wait to see pair behaviour in shop and buy those rather than trying to pick a male and female and hope they pair. It can be done, but I prefer picking a pair out of a group because they have had multiple choices and chose each other. I find that they usually have less issues with squabbling with each other, plus it's just kind of sweet!

I look for a female that is sticking mainly to one area in the tank and is allowing only one male to get close. The male may be chasing away others from that area. The female may be doing so too but I find that it is mostly the female guarding a chosen spawn site closely while the male guards the general area.

You can of course choose to do things differently, but these are the things that I find give me the highest chances of success.

 

[Mindelo]

Thanks y'all
Kribs are beautiful

 

[Bolo058]

Ok. But i'm trying to know more about kribensis. Forget that i said "... in my tank"
Let me rephrase:
How many kribensis pair can be kept in a tank?
Would males be ok together?
how they behave toward each other?

I have a pair currently in a 30 gallon tank and a pair in a 40 breeder. The ones in the 40 are not pairing up. The ones in the 30 paired up quickly and immediately spawned. As soon as they did they went from peaceful to extremely aggressive. They have pushed all the other fish in the tank to the top of the water colum. They work as a team to constantly protect the fry. It is really amazing to watch. They give the fry signals and they respond to the parents signals. They truly are amazing fish to keep. Unless you have a75 gallon or bigger tank I wouldn't keep anything else that inhabits the floor of the tank with Kribs and I wouldn't keep another krib with them. It is asking for a fight. Just my opinion from having a couple of pairs for the last few months.