New kribs fighting, correctly sexed?

Hey I bought two kribs at a local fish store and was told they were male and female. When I got them home the female started attacking the male and hasn't really stopped. She hunts for him and then attacks when she finds him. So now I'm not sure I have a male and female? They're in a 29 gallon tank with some neons and a bristlenose.

 

Bottom is a female; top I'm not sure it is either an immature male or more likely a female. A mature male will have a distinct diamond shape tail fin. Even if they were male and female they might bicker for 6 or 7 weeks until deciding they 'like' each other and forming a pair.

 

Bottom is a female; top I'm not sure it is either an immature male or more likely a female. A mature male will have a distinct diamond shape tail fin. Even if they were male and female they might bicker for 6 or 7 weeks until deciding they 'like' each other and forming a pair.

Thanks! Yeah it's looking like he's a male, or maybe she's a confused female, cause it's doing the shimmy dance and going into whatever cave is nearby hoping the female follows, but at least they aren't attacking each other anymore.

 

Be prepared, if you get a mated pair they will try to kill everything in the aquarium.

I had a pair wipe out a fully stocked 30 gallon overnight.

Just so you know.

 

Be prepared, if you get a mated pair they will try to kill everything in the aquarium.

I had a pair wipe out a fully stocked 30 gallon overnight.

Just so you know.

I think that depends on individual fishes; my kribs were much better behaved and left most of the other fishes alone once a pair formed; yea they protected the frys but as long as everyone stayed away from the frys things worked out.

 

I think that depends on individual fishes; my kribs were much better behaved and left most of the other fishes alone once a pair formed; yea they protected the frys but as long as everyone stayed away from the frys things worked out.

Keeping kribs in a community is like keeping a betta with neons, there are times it works. Most of the time it does not go well. I am glad it worked for you. We have had quite a few members that had my experience... Shame too as they are pretty fish.

 

Keeping kribs in a community is like keeping a betta with neons, there are times it works. Most of the time it does not go well. I am glad it worked for you. We have had quite a few members that had my experience... Shame too as they are pretty fish.

It also probably has to do with how the tank is scaped and what the other species of fishes inhabit the aquarium. In my case there were lots of hiding spots in both the form of natural caves dug in soft sand as well as drift wood and dense plants. The kribs kept the frys among the plants and most of the other fishes (rasbora and similar) near the top or bottom dwellers that stayed in other areas of the aquarium avoiding the kribs. Naturally if you have lots of bottom dweller and very little scaping to allow them places to hide or avoid the kribs there will be more issues.

 

Welcome to the sight nihi1st.
Is the female larger than the male? When breeding krib's I always use a male that is larger than the female, if the male is not suitable to her she may try and drive him out of the territory in the hopes of a suitable male, which of course she cant because there in a tank. But if the male is doing the shimmy dance [it hard to tell but the first one looks like it may be a male] and she looks ready, she may decide he'll work, I've had it work many times but ready to remove him if it doesn't work. I've had females kill the male.

 

When I got them they seemed about the same size, but the male is definitely larger now. They have both been digging out the sand around rocks and both have been shimmying near each other. Female has been doing it a lot more than the male now.

 

They are probably a pair now - and are trying to dig a cave to brood.