Info on Kribs?

[dxs2104]

So I had planned on getting a Krib for my 29g tank that currently has 6 Tiger Barbs and 6 zebra danios since the bottom of my tank is a bit lonely. Now im a bit new to aquariums so I wanted to come here and get some advice before I go out and get the krib.

• I want to make sure mixing a krib with tiger barbs wont open a war in my tank. The tiger barbs mostly like to swim/school at the top and middle and usually stay away from the bottom. The zebra danios are almost always at the top and are just so fast so im not too worried about them.
• I will be adding more decorations/hiding places/plants to the tank to give the krib additional hiding space. With this will I be able to "coerce" the krib into a specific territory by setting it up a certain way or will he just pick out whereever he wants? I would be completely rearranging the tank before I add in a Krib (heard this would help with territories), since its a little empty right now but I have mopani wood, rocks, and a flower pot ready to be added to the tank.
• Finally I have heard at one point Kribs like sand because its easy to move around in their territory. Is this true and would I be able to set up say the left portion of a tank with sand (away from filter) and the right portion with gravel (side with filter)

I would really like to get a krib for this tank, they seem very interesting, but I dont want to force it. My backup plan is to get a bunch of cory catfish for the bottom but I might be running into my tanks capacity with those guys.

 

[Crepe]

I think it would be alright to have a krib there. They like caves for hiding so if you set up a particularly inviting cave in a corner of the tank he'll probably set up shop there.

 

[spoonman]

The krib might be a little timid for the more aggresive barbs. I would keep a close eye on it.

 

[dxs2104]

Thanks for the response, unfortunately it was a bit too late. I believe the tiger barbs went after him one day and came back and large chunks of him were gone. He died the next morning

 

[spoonman]

Sorry, I didnt notice the date on your post. Sorry for the loss. I have 3 kribs in my 140G cichlid tank and they are doing well. I also have about 200lbs of lace rock in there for the fish to hide in though.

 

[maxima423]

oh wow, sorry for your loss, thats harsh >___>

thnx for sharing your experience though, now we know that wont work out lol, experimenting does have tons of downs =P

 

[dxs2104]

The krib was much more calm than I had expected. After reading so much about them being territorial and killing other fish near their territory, I was actually worried for the Tiger Barbs.

The Tiger Barbs are still very aggressive though and I just dont think they are the right fish for me. Im starting to see marks on 2 of them that look like serious fighting scars, however not so much for nipped fins. Im debating if I want to see if the LFS would take them off my hands.

Not sure if I want to try kribs again, but maybe. For now Im planning on swapping substrate (to sand) and buying lots more plants.

 

[DragonFish71]

Kribs do better in pairs. But, with pairs you will get the aggression when they start spawning. They really are very mellow (for cichlids) until then. You might see some random aggression if another fish gets close to a territory that a single has picked out (if you keep a single instead of pairs) Barbs are known to gang up. If you go with kribs again, I'd suggest pairs.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Kribs do better in pairs. But, with pairs you will get the aggression when they start spawning. They really are very mellow (for cichlids) until then. You might see some random aggression if another fish gets close to a territory that a single has picked out (if you keep a single instead of pairs) Barbs are known to gang up. If you go with kribs again, I'd suggest pairs.

+1

ive had kribs for almost a year now and they are awesome fish. very timid unless you have a breeding pair then they are very aggressive parents. they are in my 36 gal bowfront and are with numerous community fish and breed like crazy and i mean like crazy. i have new spawn about once every two months so keep that in mind.

 

[Aqua-fan]

I had a pair of kribs starting about 2 years ago, in a community tank. They got along fine till suddenly the female started chasing the male relentlessly. I took the female back to the LFS leaving just the male to himself. He soon got all his strength, energy and color back and I gave him a nice cave of his very own - which he does 'own'. He makes sure everybody stays away from his cave. Mostly just the cory's. He's pretty tolerant, and will eventually come out and swim around the bottom of the tank for exercise, I suppose. He is a fine character and one of my favorites. He's over 2 years old and is a fine community member. His colors have always been so vibrant. He'll flare his gills at the Cory's now and then as a show of force, but he never attacks. There are 4 Serpae Tetras in the tank and they have never clashed, mainly I think because Mr. Krib never leaves the bottom area of the tank, and the Serpaes stay mainly in the mid area.