# Krib tankmates



## FishesRDelicious (May 18, 2011)

Hey everyone, I have a 29 gal tank Im setting up sometime soon and I'm pretty sure I want a couple kribs and about 5 or 6 cherry barbs. I already have an adult bristlenose pleco in a different tank that i will be moving to the new set up. I know about environment set up and species care and cycling and everything already and I dont want to breed anything. I just wanted to be sure I have enough room. Opinions are very appreciated!


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Kribs breed quite easily so try not to get a pair. Kribs need good water quality so do fequent water changes. Kribs are one of the more laid back Cichlids, except when breeding so you shouldn't have any bullying problems.


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## fishboy (Jul 15, 2012)

maybe a angel


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Kribs are mildly territorial and I would get a pair. You don't have to raise the babies, but they are something to see when they care for their young - it is outstanding to watch.
If you give them the bottom, you'll be okay. The cherry barbs like the bottom too, but in a 29 with a few thoughtfully placed rocks and live plants, they should be able to stay out of the way.
I'd go for a shoal of mid to upper water column tetras to keep with them. I wouldn't suggest angels, as the tank's a bit small.


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

FishesRDelicious said:


> Hey everyone, I have a 29 gal tank Im setting up sometime soon and I'm pretty sure I want a couple kribs and about 5 or 6 cherry barbs. I already have an adult bristlenose pleco in a different tank that i will be moving to the new set up. I know about environment set up and species care and cycling and everything already and I dont want to breed anything. I just wanted to be sure I have enough room. Opinions are very appreciated!


I am keeping Kribs and breeding them. I added a pair to my 29 g community tank, but when they occupied their coconut shell and wanted to breed, they chased away other fish. I did not like that and set a 10 gallons tank specifically for them. They produced healthy young two times. I thought it was enough and returned them to the 29g tank. Everything was fine until I noticed a badly wounded tiger barb female. It died in a few days. Then, a male tiger barb was injured by the Kribs and died as well. I returned the Kribs in their 10g tank, where they live permanently since; they breed there, look beautiful and happy; I have plenty of young out of them right now. They love live food.


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

NeonShark666 said:


> Kribs breed quite easily so try not to get a pair. Kribs need good water quality so do fequent water changes. Kribs are one of the more laid back Cichlids, except when breeding so you shouldn't have any bullying problems.


By the way, I did not change water in my 29g community tank more then one year, only added as needed. My 10g tank with a pair of kribs is kept the same way. No water changes even partial for at least a year; they are happy and they breed. Plenty of live plants help, of course. I am adding water from our outdoor pond with lilies, catfish and goldfish, "live water".


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

At that age, the male should be 3.5 to 4 inches long, tail to nose. How do you keep him in a ten? I've never been able to keep them in tanks that small for long.

Is it a question of slowed growth or stunting from the lack of water changes? In the era before water changing was "in", I kept a lot of fish the way you do and they bred as well, but their body sizes shrunk in response to their environment. 2 inch kribs were common in the hobby then - I had a beautiful strain of maximum one inch Xiphophorus variatus. We dwarfed a lot of fish before we started on water changing.

Then again, maybe it works with the plants and the soft pond water top ups. If I had year round access to a rainwater fed pond's water, ah, the things I could do... things like you are doing. I hope you appreciate what you have there!


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## ufimych (May 9, 2011)

My older pair is female 3 inches long and male is close to 4 inches long, both are at least one year old by now; they reproduced two times. They became too big for the coconut den I gave them and I had to replace it with a bigger ugly looking ceramic flower pot. I had to drill a larger hole for them. They adopted it and will probably breed again as soon as I give them live worms again. I have Cryptocoryne beckettii and Cryptocoryne wendtii, plus floating hornworth, plenty of light and a power filter. Algae stopped growing, actually, almost completely gone, because top plants took most nutrients out of the water. I turn the power filter only overnight; in a day time, when plants produce oxygen, I unplug the filter. I feed them grindals, some mealworms, earth worms (cut into convenient pieces), chicken spleen, some raw fish muscle, when available and, of course tetramin flakes, when nothing better is under hand.


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