Scared Male Krib.

[WeedCali]

I got a pair of Kribs a few weeks ago and i love em! the female warmed up to the tank nicely within a week. the male however... isnt. right now he just chills in the back corners of the tank hiding in the plants or equipment. he very jumpy and skittish at times. and when the female tries to go near him he runs and the female chases him trying to nip at his tail.

does this mean their not going to pair up? is there a male/female ratio like guppies with these fish? and should i exchange my male for a different one or add another male to the two i already have?

Additional Info: 36 bowfront tank, 6 harlys, 2 guppies, 2 glass cats, 1 kuhli loach, 1 oto, 1 GBR and 1 cory

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help :)

[Treefork]

Hrm. Well, males tend to be the more skittish with kribs. They basically just like to hang out and defend their little area. Does he come near the surface at feeding time? Mine will only come near the surface if he has to compete for his food. He was until recently housed with 7 Rosy Barbs and his lady friend Mrs. Krib. He would come up just under the barbs during feeding time, whereas the female would be right in the mix getting her food along with the barbs. Kribs usually aren't too hard to pair off, when I got my first krib I got a male and a female and they spawned within 2 weeks of getting them home. I would think by a few weeks he would be acclimated enough, how big are these guys? Is the female trying to get his attention or just beating on him? I know some people get a group of young kribs and wait for them to pair off, but typically it shouldn't be that difficult. Keep us updated.

[WeedCali]

There about 2.5-3". what she does is she'll sneak up behind him and charge. he runs (or swims, more so) away from her and she eventually goes back to doing her own thing.

Heres a pic just for kicks.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1872&pictureid=21757

you can see her sneaking up on him
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1872&pictureid=21759

[spacefish34]

They will pair up.Don't do anything.Kribs are a great introduction into Cichlid breeding and a great example of their excellent parenting skills.Just give them a little time.If you want to help things along,feed some good frozen foods like glassworms,bloodworms,and spirulina brine shrimp.And keep your water quality tip-top.Good luck...

[WeedCali]

what about some freeze dried bloodworms soaked in garlic guard? thats the best i can do :P

[spacefish34]

That'll work...

[Haydn24]

Mine were the opposite... My male beat the female terribly but she came around and paired up with him :)

[nguyendetecting]

I think they will pair up too. Add more cover to the tank so that they won't be in direct sight of each other all the time. Many times if one wants to spawn and the others don't they will begin to do the chase. great looking couple you got. I see pink belly already

[WeedCali]

So i woke up this morning and looked at the tank and saw my male with a pink belly doing the spawning dance with the female!! AAAHH! im so exicted! its really cool watching her do the sigmoid display!

[spacefish34]

FYI,the female gets the pink belly.

[WeedCali]

The male gets it when hes ready to mate. but the female pretty much always has it.