I was just at my LFS. I asked if an albino krib and a kribensis pulchra would mate. They said yes, but something about the way they answered made me wonder. Will they and if so, what will these mutts look like and is it unhealthy for the fry?
Albino krib
- Thread starter grottosandfins
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I've never kept albino kribs but from what I know they are the same species and would not produce mutts although sometimes albino fish are less healthy due to selective inbreeding to increase the number of fry that express the albino trait. Apparently males prefer albino females and females prefer regular males.
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I followed you til the last sentence. Are you saying a non-albino male prefers albino females over non-albino females?
I think he meant albino male prefer albino females and albino females prefer regular males...silly fish racism
No its just like he said, All males(regular OR albino) prefer an albino female. This is because of thier communication system, in this case change of coloring. Females bellies turn bright pink when ready to spawn.The albino females' belly coloration will stand out more against a white backround, so males are more attracted to them. I am not sure if the opposite is true however(females prefering regular males).
Sorry, I guess that I should have merged the two bits of info with another sentence. Don't know for sure but apparently all males will generally choose an albino female over a regular female, I guess the orange belly with a white body stands out more than a red belly with a striped body and is more seductive, and all females would prefer a regular male. Again I've never had albino kribs and my experience with breeding regular kribs is limited but I have read somewhere about the color preference.
There are several species of "kribs". The name is USUALLY applied to Pelvachromis pulcher, but can sometimes be used for other species (P. humilis = "yellow krib", P. taeniatus = "The Other Krib". There should be no problem with an albino form and wild form of a species breeding, but make sure both fish are indeed the same species of "Krib". Different species within the genus will most likely spawn and produce hybrids that should NEVER leave your care (even if you tell the person what they're getting). Just ask any Central American cichlid enthusiast about the mess that hybrids have caused in that wing of the hobby. Sad really.
The only commonly available krib is Pelvachromis pulcher, I've only seen the others in books, and if grotto had one of the other kribs he would know because the lfs would label it as such and charge more. Unless someone knows otherwise, I would think that it is safe to assume that the albinos are Pelvachromis pulcher also.