Kribs, doing "The Dance"

[betta4me]

Good morning everyone. About 3 weeks ago I bought a male and female Kribensis (which are some of the neatest fish I've owned). They are in my 55 gallon with the tank mates mentioned in my signature, I also purchased two clay pots, one is now occupied by my pleco and the other by my three cory cats so I bought a cichlid stone that is ignored most of the time. My Kribs have been digging under a lace rock which is cool if that is where they are comfy but I see them going in and out, spitting rocks and what appears to be making a breeding pad for themselves.
My questions are, if they lay eggs and the eggs hatch, would a tank divider be the best way to keep them from being gobbled up by other fish and my filter intake or will they still get through? Any other suggestions? Should I get a sponge filter and put it in the tank to cycle it and have it ready for a move out 10 or 20 gallon for when the fry become too big to hang with ma and pa?
Also, I do not have live plants in the tank, should I add a moss ball or some java moss some where near the "love cave"?

Thank you in advance!

 

[LyndaB]

I kept kribs in my community tank and didn't separate anybody out. The krib parents get really aggressive when it comes to keeping their fry safe. That said, the krib parents eat the first few spawns. I kept my fry in the same tank until I brought them to the lfs at 5 months.

Be sure to have lots of hiding places in this tank. In my tank, mrs krib would bring all the fry back to the cichlid stone to keep them overnight. Then, first thing in the morning, she'd hustle them all back out into the tank.

 

[betta4me]

Thanks Lyndab, so I'm over thinking this process. The lace rock that they are adapting to is pretty close to the filter intake, do you recommend I cover that with a sponge of some sort?

 

[LyndaB]

I didn't have to cover mine. The fry would actually cling to the filter intake to grab micronutrients. They never got sucked in.

 

[betta4me]

I have baby Kribs! So excited, I hope they don't become lunch. The parents are being very protective though I believe I spotted a cory snacking on one or two yesterday. They are a day old and I've been spot feeding golden pearls and first bites. They decided they liked the cichlid stone after all so that is where they are at the moment.

 

[meegosh]

Congrats on the successful spawn! Is this the first batch of fry? If so, don't be discouraged if the parents give up and eat the fry. It took a batch or two for mine to get going. Now they have it down to a system. I never fed anything special other than flakes. The parents would catch some flakes and chew them up and spit them into the cloud of fry.

 

[LyndaB]

I have baby Kribs! So excited, I hope they don't become lunch. The parents are being very protective though I believe I spotted a cory snacking on one or two yesterday. They are a day old and I've been spot feeding golden pearls and first bites. They decided they liked the cichlid stone after all so that is where they are at the moment.

The parents will like an enclosed space, like a cichlid stone, when the fry are free swimming. As was said above, the parents tend to get overexcited and consume the first few spawns. But they get the hang of it eventually.

Congrats, well done!

 

[betta4me]

Thanks! It is - to my knowledge the first spawn. I hope they don't eat them, but if they do, there will be more. I'm just letting nature take its course (for the most part). I felt like a new mom when I flipped on the lights and seen all the little wigglers in and around the stone. So cool!

 

[betta4me]

8 days old now and the parents haven't eaten them. Hope I'm out of the woods. I did cave in and buy a tank divider. Ma and Pa seem way less stressed out. I'm a sucker.

 

[LyndaB]

Now, the important question. What are you going to do if those krib reach adult size?

 

[betta4me]

I have several friends and acquaintances with tanks who are looking forward to a few and local fish stores who rarely (oddly) have kribs. I was lucky finding these but had to drive a long way. If there are some left...Craigslist I suppose.