Bought my first cichlids today! (kribs)

[Jeddi]

I bought a pair of kribs today, and I'm already loving them. I'm pretty sure I bought a male and a female, but I just want to make sure.

The male is larger, more streamlined without that huge belly, and duller in color. Only reason I'm doubting myself is because its stomach is still pink, just not like the (I think) female.

And the females have large, bright pink bellies and are smaller.

Also, I don't see the "eye spots" on either of them. Does a certain gender get them or is it possible that they just don't have them? I'm thinking its either that or they need to get more coloration still. They couldn't have gotten the best care at the lfs (about 20 kribs in a 20-30 gal aquarium) so that's a possibility.

So anything else I should know about these guys? They're doing pretty well after the acclimation process it seems. I'm also wondering what food do you guys feed yours/what should I feed them? I feed my current fish nls pellets, omega one flakes, freeze dried bloodworms and the occasional live brine shrimp.

[Jeddi]

I also just noticed the larger (male)'s caudal fin looks like it make have been a little tattered. :( He seems fine, though.

[rich311k]

How big are the fish? They may still have some growing to do.

[Jeddi]

How big are the fish? They may still have some growing to do.
Pretty big, actually. I can't be certain but I'd say they're at least 3 inches.

And perhaps I'm just seeing what I want to see, but the two of them already seem to be pretty close.

I've also noticed a strange behavior in what I believe to be the male, he turns over about 45 degrees and shakes a little.

[promise]

rolls on his side and shakes, you my friend may have a courting pair of kribs.

[Jeddi]

rolls on his side and shakes, you my friend may have a courting pair of kribs.
Heh... In just a few hours after getting them? I highly doubt it, but that would be awesome! Only thing I worry about is my dwarf gourami-- He's been peaceful before now but I've noticed him chasing the kribs away as well as other fish. I suppose he may feel threatened by them. I only hope this doesn't make the kribs feel too uncomfortable to breed and it stops soon. I've only seen chasing, but its like whenever the pair finds a spot to stay, he breaks them up. Its annoying but oh well, what can I do. I'd rearrange the tank but all I have is a piece of driftwood, all the rest is plants.

[rich311k]

Gouramis can be like that. Keep an eye on them. They hopefully will settle down, but if not you will have to decide what you want to do.

[bmajestic]

very nice my friend.
you will find they have awesome attitudes. Specially when courting.

[waack]

i recntly got some to and straight away noticed the one i thought was male doing his shaking thing :) i bought 4, 2 have taken up residence in an overturned mug and seem to be thinking about spawning i think, the other 2 are outsiders but one is colouring up to be a female i hope. anyways about the gourami dont worry once my kribs settled down in their mug they were chasing a male 3 spot away (he is big and in breeding mood at the moment very agressive) so they can hold their own patch of water dont worry about that

[Jeddi]

The gourami isn't acting out too much today. If they get too close he'll chase them off but it's not like he's actually looking for a fight.

As for the torn fin on the male. Anything special I should do for that? It's just the end of his caudal fin is a little tattered. Any ideas for helping that heal faster are appreciated.

[promise]

Clean water will heal it up fast, so keep those water changes up.
they will heal fairly quickly.

[Jeddi]

Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. Maybe now I'll actually get some nitrates with two extra fish, instead of going a month without a water change and 0 ppm of everything, lol.

I've thought about getting one of those things like melafix, but I'm not too sure.

And what about diet? I feed my cherry barbs and gourami NLS pellets and Omega One flakes and freeze dried bloodworms, but the kribs don't go to the top to eat so I have to hold the pellets in the water a bit so they'll sink.

[Jeddi]

Is it likely for them to pair up but not breed until they find a suitable spot? I have two cave-like areas in my tank with driftwood but they aren't very suitable, but I haven noticed they like to stick together most of the time. Hopefully I can get over to home depot this week to buy some pots. I tried making a cave with rocks but... my perfectionism got the best of me. If it's not perfect, I can't stand it. Lol.

[Jeddi]

I suppose its a little early to attempt breeding, but it can't hurt, right?

The male and female are both coloring up slowly but surely. Instead of being completely clear his dorsal fin has some black on it and their little shiny "cichlid marks" as I like to call them around their mouths are starting to show more. I'm also starting to notice a spot appearing on the female's dorsal fin. Hopefully in the next week or so they'll start to look even better. :)

Alright, now for breeding. I put a flower pot about 2-3 inches in diameter in there, but should I bury it in a little so the opening is smaller? I also hatched some brine shrimp but I guess they were too small for them to even rcognize as food so it was sort of a waste. :spam:

One thing I'm worried about is my BN pleco. He just minds his own business usually so I don't want him venturing over there and they bite an eye out or something. Is this likely?