How often do Kribs breed?

[Chickieepooh2u]

I had some babies about 3 weeks ago. I ended up taking the survivors (about 15) out because of tank tensions. Ya well, they're doing great in their little fry tank. Now Mommy and Daddy are digging pits all over the tank, and displaying for each other again. I figure I'll end up with more fry in a couple weeks.

Question is, how often do they breed? I'm starting to think I'm going to be over-run with Kribs before I know it, and that I better learn how to ship fish. lol

 

[lucky777ca]

Some say that they are ready to breed every 4 weeks, when the fry are about 1/2" and removed from the breeding tank and placed into the grow-out tank. In my case, the female has spawned after 7 weeks (6 weeks when I placed her with the frys in the grow-out tank and tiger barbs and removed the male, due to symptoms of disease resulting an eye protruding from the eye socket). I rearranged the decor of the aquarium and then added both the female and the male, and they spawned in about 2 or 3 days (the fry were swimming around when they came out of the cave and seems like they have used up their sac) on October 4th or the 5th. (the female lead them out on October 15)...

As I said at the start, on average, they would spawn every 4 weeks (once the frys have reached a length of 1/2" and are removed from the pair)... But also, you shouldn't remove the frys too early, as the pair could blame each other for the loss of the frys (I'm not sure if this is true as this is only the second spawn I have gotten, no spawns have been eaten since it was only a short time period between the time that I removed the frys and the time that the second batch of frys showed up).

I too might need to get another tank as a grow-out for the fry as there are already some frys that are as big as the ones that they sell at the LFS (probably 3/4") some are still around 1/3"... 44 frys (2 have died) from the first spawn and 70+ in the second spawn.

Anyways, hope the information that I have given is correct and that it will help you in your quest .

 

[Chickieepooh2u]

Yes that helps alot. Also explains a few things that happened. I have 4 Serpae Tetras in with them to act as dithers. They were great parents....at first. Then I noticed that some of the fry were missing. I started out with around 40 (hard to count them). I figured that the dithers were eating them so I moved the tetras out of the tank. Um, not a good idea. Fry still went missing AND the Mommy started chasing the Dad away. Ok, so I took out the babies and put them into the fry tank. They were about a week out of the cave at that point. I missed 1 but it vanished later that day, a snack I think. Ok, I did feel like a heel, because I swear he Mommy went into mourning. She looked so bummed. She was still chasing the father, and that went on for about 4 days (he hid most of the time. I put the dithers back in, then the tide turned and it was Mommy that went hiding for a few days. ~sigh~

Well, they eventually got over their marriage spat because they are both digging pits all over and are cozying up to each other again. I figure fry will follow in another couple weeks. So for the moment all is well, and the fry are growing fast. I ended up saving 9 of them. Honestly I don't think I'll mess with them next time. If they eat the fry...well... then I won't have to find homes for them I guess. **The reason I moved the male was because I had heard the female will sometime take over fry rearing and kill the male.

 

[Jayhawk]

I just leave my kribs in with the fry. So far, none have survived although them seem to be living longer with each spawn (I'm on spawn no. 4 at this point, and it is about monthly). However, I have red eye tetras, three platy's, a synodontus and a clown pleco in with them...At first, I think it may have been the parents who ate the fry, but now I'm pretty sure it's only the other fish. However, I really don't need to be raisng batches of fry, so letting nature take it's course seems best. Still, they're fun to watch when they have a small swarm of fry they take around the tank!

Eric

 

[lucky777ca]

I assume that's its normal for them to eat the frys of the first few spawn, but then they'll get the hang of it, hopefully. I'm pretty sure the loss of some of the frys was due to the fact that I had them with a Hypostomus plecostomus (common pleco, about 3") and 2 Synodontis nigriventris (Upside down catfishes), both of which was trying to enter the cave of the kribensis fry when they got scared.

As for dither, I just have the grow-out tank near the breeding tank with a female kribensis that's about 1.25"... They bump the glass trying to scare the female away, but the female just swims near the glass and tries to make them madder. Anyways

Jayhawk, I know what you mean. I just enjoy them swimming around in a school/cloud around the parents, but the second spawn hasn't been doing that lately. A large portion of the frys keeps heading off at the other side of the tank (where the pair isn't). It must be due to the fact that there is a large number of frys in the batch... maybe. Although, it is still enjoying to watch them