I have a 25g tall stocked as follows:
5 Rosy Red Minnows
11 Serpae Tetras
2 Kribensis Cichlids (Male/Female Pair)
1 Otocinclus
Over the past few weeks, the female kibensis (who is showing the bright red stomach of mating season) has been getting increasingly aggressive towards the male, chasing him around the tank mercilessly anytime she spots him. From what I've read, this is indicative of a female ready to mate and a male who just isn't quite there yet (he's a little smaller, so I'm guessing he's a little younger). I haven't noticed any fin damage from nipping, but occasionally the poor little guy takes a bit of a beating when he gets cornered.
My question is this--everything I've read says you should keep kribensis in a 3:1 female-to-male-ratio. Will that calm the one female down as she will have competition, or will that lead to a dead (or at least further harassed) male?
5 Rosy Red Minnows
11 Serpae Tetras
2 Kribensis Cichlids (Male/Female Pair)
1 Otocinclus
Over the past few weeks, the female kibensis (who is showing the bright red stomach of mating season) has been getting increasingly aggressive towards the male, chasing him around the tank mercilessly anytime she spots him. From what I've read, this is indicative of a female ready to mate and a male who just isn't quite there yet (he's a little smaller, so I'm guessing he's a little younger). I haven't noticed any fin damage from nipping, but occasionally the poor little guy takes a bit of a beating when he gets cornered.
My question is this--everything I've read says you should keep kribensis in a 3:1 female-to-male-ratio. Will that calm the one female down as she will have competition, or will that lead to a dead (or at least further harassed) male?