..................................Kribensis
Other names:...........Krib Origin:......................Tropical West Africa, the Niger Delta Max size:..................3.5" PH:............-..............7.0-7.4 Temperature:...........72-82 F. Min tank size:..........25 gallons Food:.........................live foods, flakes, pellets |
These small cichlids are characteristic of the slightly-brackish deltas and low lying streams of West Africa.
They occur in fresh as well as slightly brackish water, and adapt well to most water conditions provided
extremes of pH and hardness are avoided. They are usually easy to breed, with large, robust fry that feed well
on aquarium detritus as well as newly hatched brine shrimps. This makes them among the easiest of all egg
laying fishes to spawn. As a rule they are territorial but not too aggressive, and both sexes have bright colours.
The common krib, Pelviachromis pulcher is a territorial fish and typical of the genus in most respects. The
males are somewhat longer and thinner than the females. Females are quite rotund, and are marked with a
plum coloured patch around the belly. Males may also have a series of "eye spots" on the upper part of the tail
fin, but not always. They settle down quickly in a community tank, if provided with a lair of some sort (half a
coconut shell, or a flower pot, make fine substitutes for the rocky overhangs they use in the wild). There is
usually little problem in identifying matched pairs, as they couple will actively burrow in front of the lair. If you
have other kribs in with them, especially males, it is best to remove them.
Once nesting, they will defend the lair vigorously; and like most cichlids are able to drive away even much
larger fishes with surprising alacrity! Mated pairs will soon spawn, laying about 100 eggs. The female tends to
the spawn, and the fry when they hatch after a few days. The male protects the female indirectly, through
keeping the territory safe. Once mobile, the fry will graze contentedly on the detritus and algae within any
mature aquarium. Anxious fishkeepers may remove the fry and rear them on newly hatched brine shrimps and
finely broken up flakes. But usually the first thing the aquarist knows of his or her new generation of fishes is
when the proud parents take the fry for feeding excursions around the tank!
All in all the krib is a delightful fish. But it does have some drawbacks. Firstly, it is territorial. In a small tank
the other fish may not be able to retreat and can be hurt. Secondly, broods of fry often have a gross
preponderance of one sex. If left in the tank, only the fastest growing, biggest fry will survive (usually males).
Even if raised artificially, an excess of one sex may remain. The reasons for this are not clear, but pH and
water temperature may be involved. A neutral pH may be the ideal; very alkaline systems tend to have more
males, and very acid ones more females. Trial and error with successive broods may be one solution. The
temperature of breeding tanks is often elevated to encourage spawning, with cichlids this may not be required,
and in the case of kribs lead to sex ratio problems. About 22 to 25 degrees-C is fine for maintenance and
breeding. Batches of just one sex are not desirable to pet stores, who prefer to sell pairs of cichlids.
Many thanks to Neale Monks for this info!
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