a couple of Krib questions

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sophiecat22

New Fish
#1
Jul 25, 2006
4
0
0
St. Pete, FL
#1
Hey there! My boyfriend and I just recently decided to upgrade from our little 10gal to a 30gal tank. We'd really like to get a 55gal, but unfortunately, we don't have the room for it :( . Anyways, I was originally planning on the traditional freshwater community aquarium but decided I wanted something a little different. When I came across P. pulcher on a fish profile website, I immediately fell in love.

My question is this; could I keep a krib by itself, or are they better in pairs? and would a pair be happy in a 30gal tank? I don't want to breed them though, and I realize that 2 males would likely fight (correct me if I'm wrong) but what about 2 females? I also read on the same website, and a few others, that with caution I could keep loaches with kribs. I'd really like to have some yoyo loaches but I'm not sure how they would work out seeing as both loaches and kribs are bottom dwellers. I would like to have something other than kribs in my tank. What fish, other than another african cichlid, are compatible with kribs? I was thinking 1-2 kribs, a bristlenose plec (not too sure about a pleco now though as Ihave read some horror stories of cichlids plucking out the eyes of the poor plecos), and a school of 5-6 tiger barbs or maybe cherry barbs. Any thoughts on this mix?

On another note, slightly off topic question... I was going to get another bio-wheel filter, penguin 200B (filters 200gph, too much for a 30 gal??), because I love them oh so much lol, but have discovered the H.O.T. Magnum Canister Filter complete with a bio-wheel. It's rated for aquariums up to 50 gallons, as is the 200B, but I'm wondering if that would be too much for a 30 gallon? I've never had a canister filter and I'm a little worried that the maintenance might be a little much. If anyone has, or has had, a H.O.T. Magnum, I'd really appreciate it if you shared your experiences with these filters with me.

Thanks so much for your time!!

Steph
 

GeraldTheMouse

GeraldTheMouse

Superstar Fish
#2
Apr 1, 2006
1,508
0
0
30
Homewood, Illinois
gerald-the-mouse3.deviantart.com
#2
The reason the site said to keep kribs and loaches 'with caution' is because they both live in the bottom area, and the krbs get territorial. I never really heard about a cichlid plucking the eyes out of a pleco, so it would be fine. I think your stocking is good too.

P.S. Just out of curiosity, what 'profile site' did you go to?
 

Milo

Milo

Large Fish
#3
Jun 29, 2006
389
2
0
42
Brampton, Ontario
#3
Gerald,

Oh they pluck... Lost one that way... Never really found him again.

Sophiecat,

If your going to get a pleco, i was told that the only pleco for cichlids are the full grown armorback.
 

S

sophiecat22

New Fish
#4
Jul 25, 2006
4
0
0
St. Pete, FL
#4
P.S. Just out of curiosity, what 'profile site' did you go to?
Click to expand...
Gerald- I've been to so many that I can't remember them all. I know one of them was fishprofiles.com and I used the compatibility chart at liveaquaria.com a few times. They also have profiles for all the fish that they sell. Their chart says that loaches and kribs can be kept together with caution, but it was another site that I first read that. I'll think of it eventually.

If your going to get a pleco, i was told that the only pleco for cichlids are the full grown armorback.
Click to expand...
Milo- How big do the armorbacks get? Keep in mind we're only getting a 30gal tank. Actually, I don't think that I've ever seen one in my LFS or even heard of them. what about a couple otos? I had one for a few years and he was great. I shut down my 10gal for about 6-8 months, thinking that I didn't have any fish left in it, but I just happened to look at the right spot at the right time one day and noticed my little oto, swimming around happily eating the algae that was overgrown in the tank which was only filled to a depth of about 4 inches. I amazed that he was actually doing quite well in there. But sadly when I cleaned out the tank and got it running again, the sudden change in the water chemistry killed him overnight. :(

QQ, are there any other schooling fish besides barbs and danios (I've had my fair share of giant and zebra danios lol) that could be kept with kribs? Any thoughts on my filter question?
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#7
gerald, liveaquaria do a pretty decent job, though I think they're a bit tight on tank sizes, but then again so are most textbooks and other sites too. It could be far worse. Before being so harsh, you might want to think a bit. The obvious riposte is 'I never really heard about a cichlid plucking the eyes out of a pleco, so it would be fine' - if you've never heard about it doesn't exist? Now that's .....

'If your going to get a pleco, i was told that the only pleco for cichlids are the full grown armorback' - what, is that true for ALL cichlids - 1 inch ones, 3 feet long ones? Something of a gross approximation I would say...

Back to the original q's
My question is this; could I keep a krib by itself <<yes>>, or are they better in pairs?<<Much, much better - they do interesting things>> and would a pair be happy in a 30gal tank?<<good size. They can be pretty mean in smaller tanks>> I don't want to breed them though <<very few fry will survive in a community tank>>, and I realize that 2 males would likely fight (correct me if I'm wrong)<<you're right>> but what about 2 females?<<boring>> I also read on the same website, and a few others, that with caution I could keep loaches with kribs. I'd really like to have some yoyo loaches but I'm not sure how they would work out seeing as both loaches and kribs are bottom dwellers. I would like to have something other than kribs in my tank. What fish, other than another african cichlid,<<oh beware, jsut because kribs come form africa, they are NOT compatible with the 'african' cichlids sold en masse in shops. Totally different - read the mixing sticky. In short kribs come from W African river ystems , 'african cichlids' come from one of the big lakes in Africa, lake malawi, and have differnet water chemistry and behavioural needs.>> are compatible with kribs? I was thinking 1-2 kribs, a bristlenose plec (not too sure about a pleco now though as Ihave read some horror stories of cichlids plucking out the eyes of the poor plecos)<<not commn except in too small of a tank>>, and a school of 5-6 tiger barbs or maybe cherry barbs. Any thoughts on this mix?
<<Should be ok>>. The kribs will want to setup a territory anytihng up to 18 inches in diameter. If your tank is big enough that all other bottom dwellers can get out of the way, fine.
Don't worry about breeding too many kribs - in a community tank very few will survive, those that do,(1,2,3 in number) just give to a shop.
 

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