angels

[O-man21]

this is a kinda stupid question...because I expect the answer is no...
but..can I put a black marbled angel (8" tall 4" long) on with kribs?

[Darkangel]

Sure you can. I have three large Koi angels in with my pair of albino Kribs in a 110. Tank size and relative fish size will be the determining factors. Just don't expect any fry to survive with the angel around.

[O-man21]

hmm.well I want the fry.. so I assume the kribs can't guard the fry from teh angel..I dunno..I had to take a clown pleco out cuz his caudal fin was almost gone.

[Darkangel]

The krib parents will guard the fry. They will be able to keep them for 2 to 3 days once they are free swimming. After that the fry move around too much for the parents to guard them well enough. If you take the fry before then you will have no problems. This is actually what I do. I siphon the fry out once they leave their tank.

[O-man21]

I decided no tot put the angel in...I want to keep the fry in the same tank and raise them big enough so I can sell them..I don't have anywhere else to put them in. So I'm just gonna leave them there.

[O-man21]

How about this arrangement...
Can i put 4 full grown congo tetras in with the kribs?
or would they eat the babies too?

[Darkangel]

A simple rule of thumb with fish: If it can fit in the mouth it will be eaten. Yes congo's could eat the fry. For almost any fish if you intend on breeding and raising the fry the very best option is a tank to themselves. Anything else is just a risk. While I have one pair in with my angels I also have two other pairs in their own 20 gallon tanks. Best to keep them alone for the easiest way to raise the fry.

[ChilDawg]

Now I had read somewhere (and I wish I remember where, but I think it was The Cichlid by M.E. Sweeney) that target fish are sometimes a good idea for breeding pairs of Cichlids (to maintain harmony by providing a conduit for behavioural displacement), but they should probably be something more expendable than Congos. Plus, I am not sure how aggressive Kribs get when breeding, so they might be okay without them, and, indeed, if they don't kill the target fish, said fish will snack on little Kribs.

[Darkangel]

ChilDawg, you are correct about dither fish. They are often used as you describe as well as being used to make really shy fish feel more comfortable. For Kribs though I find they are not needed. Also you want to size the dither fish according to the fish they will be going in with. Congos can get as big, perhaps bigger then Kribs. Something somewhat smaller would be much better. Myself I like to use fish that are just big enough not to be a meal for the prime fish as a dither. So for Kribs that would be something in the neon size range although I am not recomending neons. White clouds would be good. The exception here would be with very large very aggressive fish. Here you want something that can take it and dish it out but will not actively hunt down the small fish that are born in the tank. You also do not want the dither fish to compete with the prime fish for living spaces.

[O-man21]

the biggest congos are about
[.................................................. ..........................]
long....he's a male with great colors....I need a digital camera....
I need to go to my lfs fer filter cartriges anyways..I might get some small fish...how about some gouramies....gold....blue??
they stay at the top of the tank and kribs at bottom..need answers

[O-man21]

I'm using this thread instead of starting a new one...but I'm changing the topic.

I had eggs again in my krib tank, but again they ate the eggs. I decided to add some dither fish to the tank...Instead of congo tetras or groumies I got paradise fish...A happy medium..qualties of a groumie..but as hardy as a congo..They really contrast the kribs colors..What I wanted to know is if this arrangement will be ok for breeding kribs, is it?.
If it's not my lfs owner said he would gladly take the fish back because he knows I'm TRYING to breed the kribs. I'm gunna sell the babies to him.:D

[Wulfy]

When fish eat their eggs its usually because they
either;
a) Dont know how to rise them (unlikely)
b) Because the water quality is wrong (most likely).

If its (b), remember this.
To breed the fish the water must be as close as possible
to original water where the fish come from.

This is because fish can get used to different
water quality (diff PH, diff TDS) but the EGGS MEMBRANES
can not get used to it since its a design feature.
The fish can tell that the eggs are somehow wrong
and they destroy them to avoid affecting the species
with mutated, sickly specimens.
This is not a concious decision but an evolutionary trait.

[ChilDawg]

Paradise fish are not good in pairs (AFM, Feb. 2003).

I have also known cichlids to eat their first couple of batches of eggs because of gross inexperience. It may be nothing to be concerned about, but if it happens more often than two or three times, get a new pair, or much better water quality (if that is applicable/possible to do).

[O-man21]

Why not in pairs?
They hang out together like they feel more secure with each other.
And this was the 3rd time they ate their eggs.