Kribensis tank help

I have had a spawning pair of kribensis along with a pleco for just over a year. When I got them I wasn't told about the amount of time they really do just hide. I truly never see them. To attempt to get them out and swimming a little more I went ahead and got 4 Columbian tetra to try to liven up the place a bit. Still hasn't worked and now the male has bitten off the top part of the back fin on 2 of the tetra making me think they are about to spawn again. I've now added a better cave and a few plants because maybe to much open space isn't a great thing. It is getting spendy trying to get more things to make it work for these 2 fish. I'm trying to decide if I get rid of the kribensis all together, get rid of just the female or keep them and try something new. I really want to get them swimming more or get something that does swim more like a blue ram or something because I have a 1 year old who likes looking at the fish and need something she can always look at. Any advice on my situation would be greatly appreciated!

 

Hi, kribensis do spawn very frequently. However a pair can be quite active and entertaining in my personal experience. Most cichlids in breeding pairs will spend a lot of time guarding their territory though. You mentioned you got some plants.
What size and how heavily planted is your aquarium?
I always kept mine quite densely planted with big plants like Anubias nana and amazon swords, with tons of java moss as well as lots of wood, caves and coconuts. Never had any issues with them being shy, but it could be your particular pair. Are they tank bred p.pulcher?

 

I think getting more plants is definitely my first priority with it. I've been slowly adding more. I have anubias, java, and some bacopa Carolinia. I haven't been able to find a nice Java moss at my local places so waiting on that but it's must. I have a good size rock with a hole in it they like along with a long piece of wood I have lifted a bit and a domed piece of wood. I just added my coconut I made and the female seems to like that. They are super skiddish whenever they see me so adding different fish I was thinking the more fish they see it can be a comfort thing. Idk if in wild no fish means predator so I'm gonna maybe find some small top of tank region fish to add and see if that also works. If not I may need to get some different fish cause I just need something now for my kid to enjoy . Thanks for the reply

 

I think getting more plants is definitely my first priority with it. I've been slowly adding more. I have anubias, java, and some bacopa Carolinia. I haven't been able to find a nice Java moss at my local places so waiting on that but it's must. I have a good size rock with a hole in it they like along with a long piece of wood I have lifted a bit and a domed piece of wood. I just added my coconut I made and the female seems to like that. They are super skiddish whenever they see me so adding different fish I was thinking the more fish they see it can be a comfort thing. Idk if in wild no fish means predator so I'm gonna maybe find some small top of tank region fish to add and see if that also works. If not I may need to get some different fish cause I just need something now for my kid to enjoy . Thanks for the reply

And yes they are tank raised pulcher

 

I have never kept kribensis in a community tank, but have known them to be very aggressive with tank mates (no matter what they are) when they are spawning. I love columbian tetras tho and they are the bigger sized tetra that I would have picked. But again, I've known kribs to kill their mates, and any fish that gets in the way of their breeding plans.

I noticed my male krib would disappear for a week when he had eggs in the cave. He didn't even come out to eat while he was fanning and protecting the eggs. Do they raise their babies?

Does the tank get much traffic? I find the fish in my spare bedroom tank are extremely timid. I have to step away to see my gold tetras, and even then they are close to the java fern and bolt up to grab pieces of food. Idk if it's their nature, but they are the only fish I have that are timid like that.

If the dithers are not helping the kribs to come out more, I'm afraid they might be just timid kribs. Every cichlid is different. But if they are getting ready to spawn again, it makes sense to me they will hang out in the cave to themselves and wreak havoc on the tank mates when they start escorting the fry around the tank. That's if they raise the fry....

Are the columbians still tiny? I've even seen a krib kill a juvenile angel.

 

Yeah they are causing havoc on my tetras when they get close. I definitely wish I would have known about how aggressive they are otherwise I may have changed plans on making a community tank. The kribs are actually really good parents and will keep track and take care of them. But my last 2 batches have not made it through for some reason either filter getting them or my pleco getting them somehow. My Columbia tetras are pretty big and quick so handling things pretty good just the back find somehow get taken out by the kribs most likely but they are growing back fine. I'm putting most plants by the coconut to make plenty of hiding places for fry since I believe the female is pregnant