I was observing my female krib today and she was behaving really strangely, attacking the male every time they made eye contact. She was also going after the African butterfly fish whenever she saw him swimming around. So, I decided to investigate her plant pot with a flashlight and found around 20-30 eggs on the side wall.
First off, is it best to remove the male from the tank since he seems to be having a tough time, or does he still have a role to play? Secondly, how can I tell if the male has fertilized the eggs? She rarely leaves her pot unless she's chasing off another fish. Any advice would be appreciated. I've also attached a few pics.
desperate for help with eggs
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coltin - Posts: 1043
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:07 pm
Re: desperate for help with eggs
Leave the male in with the female unless he starts to get injured. The female's unlikely to damage him.
The male's job is to guard the outside of the nest, while the female sits in the cave and fans the eggs.
If the Kribensis have bred, you can be pretty sure the eggs are fertile.
For when the eggs hatch, you'll want to have some food ready for the babies. Baby cichlids can eat newly hatched brineshrimp as a first food, and they'll also eat microworms. There's a good thread on FishForums about culturing food for baby fish, you can check it out here: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back- ... sh.448304/
The male's job is to guard the outside of the nest, while the female sits in the cave and fans the eggs.
If the Kribensis have bred, you can be pretty sure the eggs are fertile.
For when the eggs hatch, you'll want to have some food ready for the babies. Baby cichlids can eat newly hatched brineshrimp as a first food, and they'll also eat microworms. There's a good thread on FishForums about culturing food for baby fish, you can check it out here: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/back- ... sh.448304/