Kribensis Attack

[eroc1085]

I just got a pair of Kribs they're two males that came from the same tank at the pet store. They live with 7 tiger barbs and 4 brilliant rasboras. There is lots of hiding places and plants. Within two days one Krib became EXTREMELY aggressive with the other one. Its to the point where the other one cannot come out of hiding without being attacked. The krib is clearly stressed and miserable. The tank is a 28 bowfront... The aggressive Krib isnt mean to any other fish.. just the other male krib. Im afriad he's going to kill him... that's how vicious it seems...

Any suggestions as to why this might happen..
should i return the weak one and try another krib?
am i sooo over stocked it would cause this type of aggression?
Any help would be appreciated.
2 Kribs
7 Tigers
4 Brilliant Rasboras.

[smaug]

You would be far better served to get rid of one of the kribs.I usually kick out the nasty.Take him back and dont get another one,if they have a fem you could try that and see if there is harmony but there is no guarantee it will be.Worse case just keep one,they do fine.

[smaug]

Just one more question for curiosity sake.How long has this tank been cycled?

[Taurus]

Lesson learned...that's what happens when you put two male kribs (cichlids) in a relatively small tank together. They fight to the death over territory.

[eroc1085]

its been completely done for about three weeks...

tauras: lesson learned is right. Now the questions is should i just keep one? or will he become more aggressive being by himself? How about adding a single female?

anyone else, any input?

[rich311k]

One by itself would do well. He will happily patrol is turf. As long you add no other small cichlids he should be quite peaceful.

[Taurus]

Agree with Rich here. Even if you tried putting a female in the tank with a single male, they may not be compatible. Then it'll be a fight to the death all over again. I wouldn't risk it. I've kept singles before and they do just fine.

[Sandz]

To add... even if they do pair, your other fish in the tank may suffer because the attitude may be doubled if the two are defending a nest of eggs.