Kribensis Pregnant.

[Dan Steveo]

Hey guys, i just bought this kribensis pair from the LFS,

Female is HUGE, Definitely pregnant. The male has been 'shaking' in front of her a few times and they go everywhere togethter.. not quite found their own Home yet.. But it's their first day..

Tomorrow i'm adding three nice caves i made today, they'll provide good caves for all types of fish i'm sure one of them will tickle their fancy..

Although the Clown loach stole the pleco breeding cave haha...

I'll keep you all posted...

 

[Dan Steveo]

Ok so this morning i was watching them and the female was outside a cave, she sort of bent her back and tilted to show her colours, and the male did the same but i'd put some food in the tank 2 mins previous,

They either smelt it or saw it and both darted off towards it. Right now they're just foraging the tank, not in a cave or guarding =[ perhaps tonight?

New caves going in today, at least they will if i think they're fully cured and safe.

 

[HEADIN]

If they are dancing thats the best sign. Theyll pick a spot and lay their eggs. Give them time and sooner or later u'll have fry.

They are excellent parents and will take over most of the tank when the fry are out swimming.

 

[Dan Steveo]

Haha,i just hope they don't kill something in the process. and i'm hoping that the other fish leave them alone, the only fish that;d be an issue is the clown loach i reckon, or the neon rainbows.. the others are tiny slow and won't really eat moving fry methinks..

 

[HEADIN]

When the fry arrive no other fish will get anywhere close to them. They are cichlids after all. Parent kribs turn super aggressive to protect the fry. They will chase anything that moves. I Never had any deaths its more a chase to keep other fish well back.

 

[Dan Steveo]

awesome=] thanks hehe =]

 

[HEADIN]

Do urself a favour and try be preparred for the fry. I had 20 and 1st I knew of them was when the where free swimming. I fed them powdered flakes and crushed brine shrimp. They did just fine on it and all survived. I held on to 1 of them and he is about and inch n half or so now.

 

[IThinkTherefore]

Hey Dan Steveo,

You're going to want to rehome those clown loaches. They'll grow to be well over a foot long:

Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) — Loaches Online

 

[Dan Steveo]

I knew someone would say that haha.. They will be rehomed when they reach a large size, i just wanted them because of their amazing colour and entertaining nature.

 

[Dan Steveo]

And thank you headin, i'll get some foods ready.

 

[Dan Steveo]

Ok, so i put in those new caves about half an hour ago and even before i took my hand out the kribensis were swimming in and out looking for a place to lay their eggs, and they found it... The female has been inside for the last half hour and popping out to 'shake' at the male, then he watches outside,

is it normal for him to swim around and leave her for a bit while she's getting it all ready? he does keep going back and sits there for a while though.

As it's bogwood/driftwood, would she try and clean it? or would she just be laying eggs straight away? or is it not certain? and i'm guessing the male will go in and fertilize when she's finished...

 

[Dan Steveo]

Ok they answered a few questions for me, She's laid her eggs, They're guarding like crazy, and i've seen at least 60 of them on the outside of the cave, it's still a tight space though, however the female also went inside the cave and the male and her now guard inside and out by the look of it....

I have a few questions one of which is urgent...

i'm debating whether to leave the lights on or not... It seems obvious he can't see as good as it takes longer for him to react, i do however have moonlighting, not that bright though. Should i leave the normal lights on for the next couple of days non stop? I don't mind it it's just will it be better for them to guard, or are they amazing in the dark too.....

I'm a lil worried about her eating them too so i've told the family not to scare her or swing open/closed my door etc...

I hope they make it to the hatching stage...

 

[HEADIN]

The female will take them into the cave at the end of each night.

U really got nothin to worry about. They will take care of it all.

Nice find on them breeding so quick. Mine took a few months. All u gota do is feed em and enjoy watchin them do wat they do best.

Just keep to ur normal lightin schedule and dont upset the balance.

1 thing to always remember though is to give fry the best chance of survival is clean water.
A partial water change every day is the best thing u can do to keep conditions nice and fresh for them.

 

[Dan Steveo]

ok cool, i'll keep up with water changes every day, i'm off tomorrow so i could even do one in the morning and one at night, i just don't wanna scare them as i'm worried that they'll eat the eggs,

when you say she'll take them in each night do you mean she'll pick the eggs in her mouth and then move them into the cave, and does she take them back out in the morning or leave them in the cave?

Thanks so much.

 

[Dan Steveo]

UPDATE:

ok so day 2, not 24 hours yet but second day none-the-less.
Eggs are still there, male guards and every now and then the female swims round foraging for foods, i fed them all last night to stop them looking for the eggs, they all wanted to have a look when they'd just been laid, i mean EVERY single fish just grouped up in that corner and tried to get close.

Is that normal?

And these guys are good parents, I just hope they get it right.
This can't be their first time, these guys are quite big, but then again where were they before here? I have no clue (besides the Fish shop).

They are quite mature and seem to know exactly what they're doing.

EDIT: and i've literally just seen the male Picking at the female a little. It wasn't anything major, but when she went back with the eggs he left her and guarded. Maybe he's a bit annoyed with her care for the eggs.. Wandering of and all.

 

[HEADIN]

the eggs will stay where they have been laid until they hatch and the fry become free swimming. Once they are then you will start to see them out and about and the parents will sometimes scoop them into their mouth to move them about the tank if they wander off.

The female will heard them in at night to keep them safe. They'll not go too far for a week or 2 yet as they are almost like specs.

Be careful on the w/c not to cause too much movement etc in the water so that the little critters get slung all over the shop in the current etc. my female used to move them behind the castle so that the current didnt effect them when i did a w/c.

Kribs can get seriously aggressive when the fry are out swimming. You may not think so because they are dwarf cichlids but they are like soldiers on guard.

 

[nanu156]

men <<<<sigh>>>>>

 

[Dan Steveo]

Hahaha, well thanks, And yeah he's quite agressive now, The eggs are still ok, she keeps wandring from her duties and the male chases her back lol.

Like she's sneaking to the pub haha.

I can imagine them being a bit mean but i'm sure they'll all do fine.
So next day or so they should hatch.. i've got baby plus food as they should be big enough to eat that after they've had their yolk sacs.

Right?

Thanks.

 

[lauraf]

Yes, once their yolk sacs are absorbed, they'll be hungry and looking for tiny tiny foods . . .

 

[Dan Steveo]

Woop, and i'll feed em tonnes of tiny tiny foods Till they're huge.

Not really haha but i will look aftr them, i'm sure the parents will too.
I'll post when they hatch, if they've not been eaten tonight or tomorrow night that is.