Re: kribensis spawning and care of young

["Alicia and Simon Voorwinde" <svavev@hunterlink.net.au>]

Hi Russell,

Finally a subject that I know plenty about - Kribs are my favourite dwarfs !
I've just managed to get a pair of albinos and a pair of taeniatus ( variety
unknown - see other post by me if you know what it is ) to add to my
collection.

Firstly - you said you had them in a 10 gallon tank and there were about 200
of them - You'll need a bigger tank ! I wouldn't go anything smaller than 30
gallon for them. Commercial growers/breeders use upwards of 75 gallons to
try and speed up their growth rate ( i.e. turnover ). Krib fry grow slow
enough as it is but when they are cramped together they become even slower
growing, not to mention the exponential increase in the bioload in your
tank. This is why you often see 'stunted' krib in many fish stores. It may
be better to practice culling procedures to thin out the babies to about 50,
because;

1. You are going to have to get rid of them all at some stage when they are
big enough and not many places will take 200 at a time.

2. You'll get better quality fish because of reduced competition for food
and space.

3. The water quality in your tank will be easier to manage.

4. Most of the babies will survive - In my last lot, I counted 51 wrigglers
and I sold 50 babies 6 weeks later.

5. It won't be such a big strain on your krib parents. Spawning is a
stressful event in the lives of any fish and at these times the fish may
succumb to ailments that they would normally be able to ward off - so any
reduction in stress level has to be good.

Which brings me to the next point - the parents.

Every single time I have spawned kribs the male has always been driven away
after the fry have been free swimming for about 4 weeks. In one case the
female was so insistent that the male vacate the premises that she killed
him ! The mother is perfectly able to raise the fry ( so long as it is not
200 of them ! ) by herself and seems to prefer it this way. The male will
continue to defend the young but his efforts will not be appreciated by the
female and his duties will be reduced to perimeter patrol. So I'd remove
him, especially in a 10 gallon tank where he'd only get in the way - my last
lot were ok together in a 30 gallon and they had 50 odd fry.

Hope this helps - if you'd like to know more - you can email me or visit me
web site ( shown below ) to see my kribs and how I do it.

Regards,
Simon Voorwinde
=========================================================
svavev@hunterlink.net.au
http://thecichlidtank.cjb.net
=========================================================




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