krib questions

I've used a H.O.T. Magnum on a 30 gal before with excellent results. If you are going to plant the tank however you would not want to use the bio-wheel as it causes too much surface agitation. I think you've chosen a good fish list for this size of tank - two suggestions though - bump up the school to 10 and add a few 2-3 ottos.
Best of luck in this endevour,
ROY
 
The colony of snails happened more by luck than anything else. I was slowly introducing dither/schooling fish and noticed my sand darkening (possibly turning anaerobic which is bad) so I got some malaysian trumpet snails to turn the sand over. They're live bearing and only come out at night. Some mystery snails hitch-hiked their way into my tank and have bred faster than the MTS's, and I still see eggs amongst the plants. After a month or so I had in excess of 100 snails, so got some clown loaches (couldn't find any Botia striata). Now the snails population has declined rapidly, but they seek refuge in my filter (a large internal Juwel one) and the loaches in the log. The snails now come out in daytime, with the clown loaches only venturing out at night, so there seems to be a balance there.

Taking heed of everyone's suggestions, I think the following would be good:
1 SFF (M)
10 schooling fish (tetra's,rasbora's, or 6 madagascan rainbow's)
2 Kribs (1M,1F)
3 Yo-Yo loaches (or Botia striata, as they look even nicer imo too, harder to find though)
2-3 oto's


If your new tank isn't cycled, either get some ammonia and do a fishless cycle, or some hardy fish, perhaps black neon tetras, if doing the fish cycle. Don't forget to add gravel and filer media from your 10 gallon too, in either case. Flaoting plant's also help by absorbing excess nutrients and providing cover for the fish.

Snails didn't seem affected during my cycling, but they won't add much to the bioload (unless you get a big one I guess).
 
My new tank isn't cycled yet, mainly because I don't have it yet lol. I'm simply planning anything and everything before I make any final decisions. Although I have made some final decisions about the fish I will be housing in my tank, thanks to your help :bowing:

I'm definitly going with your suggestion:

1 SFF (M)
8-10 schooling fish
2 Kribs (1M,1F)
3 YoYo loaches
2-3 oto's

I'm most likely going to go with yoyos instead of the zebras because I've never seen botia striata in any of my lfs, but then again, I very rarely see yoyos so I may just get whichever loach I see first, B. striata or B. almorhae. I've also decided to go for tetras as my schooling fish (either buenos aires, glowlight, red-eye, or cardinal, leaning more toward glowlights).

I can't wait to get started!! :dive2:
 
I've kept B-A tetras in they past. They didn't really school for me, they were constantly nibbling my plants, and they were a litle nippy toward my other fish. I did not care for them at all.
ROY
 
I'd agree with Roy about the B-A tetra's. Stick with the glowlights and you won't be disappointed.

Post a pic or 2 when it's all setup, as it sounds as if it'll be quite a nice tank

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask any questions about cycling your tank.
 
I've kept B-A tetras in they past. They didn't really school for me, they were constantly nibbling my plants, and they were a litle nippy toward my other fish. I did not care for them at all.
Click to expand...

I went to my lfs today to take a look at their fish and noticed that their B-A's weren't really schooling. Nibbling the plants wouldn't be a problem because I'm not going to have any live plants except for maybe a couple of floating bunches of anacharis.

What about cardinal tetras?

Post a pic or 2 when it's all setup, as it sounds as if it'll be quite a nice tank
Click to expand...

I'll be sure to do that, I'm not sure how long it will be though. I'll definitly keep you guys posted on the progress as soon as we get started on it.

I have another question on stocking my tank. I am a member of an all-cichlid forum and this is a reply I got on that forum regarding kribs in a community setup (I got 2 different responses from the same person in 2 different threads):

"erm... if you get a pair of mated kribs, you've turned your fish tank into a blender. I've had pairs in their own tank, the female ripped the male to shreds within a couple hours of mating, i had to rescue the poor little guy. If you put them in a community tank mated, or even just a sole female, you'll likely have problems for your loach. Kribensis aren't just "cute little fish" on their own they can be very dominant for their size, and in pairs... keep the tank clear. I own 3 kribs currently, there's a reason each one has their own tank. As for the bristlenose, my sole female krib tore one appart along with a blue gourami. The barbs should be fine."

and here's the other one:

"i don't mean to sound rude on this one, but i have to be straight foreward here. If you put a pair of mated kribs in your tank, you will kill everything off, except maybe the female krib. I've bred kribs, i have 3 adults hanging around, and i've made many mistakes with them in community settings. Tetras would make a good dither for one male or female. They will not manage to catch the tetras, simply bluff charge the school, that will keep your otto's alive with any luck. As for the yoyo's, i haven't mixed kribs with the ones i've gotten recently, so no clue there. I'd reccomend going with glowlights, they'll hopefully stress less than cardinals.

*edit PS*

by SFF do you mean a betta? i'de strike that one off the list of possible fish to survive a krib encounter... i've had a kribensis swim to the top of the tank to pick on an angel fish twice its size."

What's the likelyhood of a pair of kribs actually killing all of their tankmates off? This guy has me wondering if I should go ahead with a community setup with kribs. Won't they be alright with other fish as long as they have plenty of caves and hideouts?
 
I had a breeding pair in a 29 gallon tank (30"x12.5"x18") and had no problem with them killing tankmates. When spawning, they did keep the bottom of the tank clear of other fish, so I'd stick with midwater/upperwater types of fishes. From people I know who've kept them in smaller tanks...that's when the murderous behavior comes in.

Eric
 
When spawning, they did keep the bottom of the tank clear of other fish, so I'd stick with midwater/upperwater types of fishes.
Click to expand...
Do you think a couple of yoyos would be ok since their a little bigger than the kribs? Would they be able to hold their own? And what about the ottos, they're pretty good at hiding and they are very fast swimmers.

I'm sorry for all the question but I want to be 110% positive that I'm getting the right fish
 
Id get about 5 colorful mbuna cichlids or one frontosa for a growout tank :idea:
 
I did keep mine with otos and a clown pleco and there were no problems. Most of my fish ignore those guys...loaches can be tough, but kribs can be right little buggers - I'd not risk it unless your tank is 36" long or longer.

Eric
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom