Inaccessible Eggs And Aggression?

HI guys,

I have a pair of kribensis in a community 150 gallon tank with a lot of driftwood, plants and sand substrate. The female seems to have found a hole in a piece of driftwood that the male cannot fit into. She hangs in or around her hole all the time and doesn't come out to eat, but I do try to drop an algae wafer close to her at night. The male likes explore other parts of the tank, but always darts back to check up on her. I have caught him chasing other fish occasionally, but only if they're within 6 inches of his cave. I'm usually pretty good at researching my fish before I get them, but I didn't look into the possibility of them breeding and have started to do so. I have a few questions!

1. Does this mean she has probably laid eggs?

2. If she has, will they just waste away?

3. Will they continue protecting unfertilized eggs?

4. Is it possible for her to choose a new cave? The male dug a pretty large cave closeby to her.

5. I have read a few horror stories about their aggression while raising fry. Do you guys think they'd just protect half the tank (it's 6 feet long and the caves are at the very end)?

6. What are the chances that they will go on a killing spree?

Thanks!

 

I believe if the eggs are white, they are unfertilized and if they are yellow, they probably were fertilized. Not sure if you can see them or not.

 

Actually, the male does not have to get into the cave to fertilize the eggs. He will spray sperm from the opening, and she will usually fan it toward the eggs. She could pick another cave later, or she just might stick with this one. The eggs are opaque when laid, so looking for white eggs doesn't work with these species as they start out that way. After about three days, they will have turned brown, and usually hatch at that time.

They can be quite fierce when guarding fry. She usually doesn't take the fry out until they are swimming. The fact that the cave is at one end of the tank won't help much once the fry are swimming, they'll take them wherever they wish. However, they seem to be less aggressive when there is plenty of space, and will just keep others from approaching the fry.

 

She has laid her eggs under a very small leaf. There are extremely small fry. She is trying to move them back to her hole in the driftwood but they keep falling out and the father keeps putting them back under the leaf.

 

When I had mine in a community tank they never killed any tank mates, they were very protective of the fry, with a 6' tank the other fish should be fine.
They may move the fry from time to time. I have a male that ran the female off and is raising the fry alone, had to remove the female because he would of killed her.