kribs spawning again

[coldheart]

Think my Kribs are spawning again, title says it all really. Got a breeding pair, they've spawned before and I managed to save 8 of the fry last time, but lost them one by one to the other tank mates.

Had them in a community tank initially, but pulled them out when I thought they were spawning again. Put them in a small tank on their own, but that was a mistake - all they did was hide. Later found out they need dither fish to feel secure, but the small tank was too small for that.

Moved them to a larger tank with 5 Danios, which seemed to work - they were all over the tank, exploring. Added a few caves for them and now they've picked a spot that's theirs. Going by their behaviour, it looks like they might have eggs - the female's staying in the hiding place, but comes out occasionally while the male stands guard. He's not chasing the Danios away much, but they're keeping their distance, holding up in the other end of the tank. When one comes near, he just makes his presence known and they swim off.

Fingers crossed, really hoping it works out this time.

(Side note) The 8 fry from last time are doing great, by the way - about 2 weeks old now and starting to look like baby Kribs.

[ladydawn]

I think I've got a similar situation on my hands, my Kribs are probably spawning for the first time, so we'll see how it goes. What's your fry feeding routine like? What did you start feeding them and when? I've only had mine for 2 weeks, wasn't expecting them to get down to business so soon.

[coldheart]

Hi Donna, I'm no expert but I'll share my experience with you. My first time with Krib fry was a learning curve, they were tiny when I separated them. I used 'Liquid Fry' from the fish shop, it's a small plastic bottle, you mix it with tank water and it clouds the water for a minute, but the fry eat the tiny white particles that appear.

I was told they eat bits from the substrate initially, but since I separated mine, I had to look for another food source. Now I use crushed flake and also feed them brine shrimp, I was going to try Daphnia but haven't seen it in the shops lately.

To separate the fry, I used a siphon hose, waited for the mother to come out with them, then slowly moved the tube over and sucked them into a bucket, before transferring them to a small tank.

The eggs are usually laid in the roof of the cave, so you might not see them until they're hatched. When they're nearly hatched, the female will stay in the cave most of the time, and when they emerge, she'll take them around the tank with the male protecting them.

You might see her picking up the fry in her mouth to move them to safety, at first I thought she was eating them, but that's not the case. Good luck, and please keep us updated on your Kribs.

[swiftfly]

When it comes to feeding the fry, I found that crushing up the same food as the adults works a treat, just make sure it's nice and fine, almost like dust. Feed them a little at a time, 2-3 times a day, just be aware that the more you feed, the more often you'll need to change the water to keep everything healthy.

I've had great results with keeping nitrates under 10ppm, it really does make a difference in growth rates. As for catching the fry, I swear by my trusty sipLion, it's been a lifesaver.

[coldheart]

I think that's exactly what I mentioned earlier, same thing.

[swiftfly]

Think my Kribs are spawning again, title says it all really. Got a breeding pair, they've spawned before and I managed to save 8 of the fry last time, but lost them one by one to the other tank mates.

Had them in a community tank initially, but pulled them out when I thought they were spawning again. Put them in a small tank on their own, but that was a mistake - all they did was hide. Later found out they need dither fish to feel secure, but the small tank was too small for that.

Moved them to a larger tank with 5 Danios, which seemed to work - they were all over the tank, exploring. Added a few caves for them and now they've picked a spot that's theirs. Going by their behaviour, it looks like they might have eggs - the female's staying in the hiding place, but comes out occasionally while the male stands guard. He's not chasing the Danios away much, but they're keeping their distance, holding up in the other end of the tank. When one comes near, he just makes his presence known and they swim off.

Fingers crossed, really hoping it works out this time.

(Side note) The 8 fry from last time are doing great, by the way - about 2 weeks old now and starting to look like baby Kribs.

Hi Donna, It was my first time with fry, they were like tiny tadpoles when I managed to separate them and I got some 'Liquid Fry' stuff from the fish shop. The fry were eating tiny white particles after adding 5 drops of this liquid to a cup of tank water.

I asked about this when I first got the fry and someone said they eat bits from the substrate till they get bigger, but since I separated mine, I had to look for another source. Now I use crushed flake and I've also fed them on brine shrimp. I was going to try Daphnia but I think it's out of season.

As for separating them, I used a sipLion - got some water from the tank and waited till the mother came out in the open with them, then I slowly moved the tube over them and sucked them in to the bucket, transferred them to a small tank I had already waiting.

They lay their eggs in the roof of the cave, so you probably won't see them till they're hatched. When they're nearly hatched, the female will spend most of the time in the cave and hardly come out, then she'll emerge with the fry to take them around the tank - she'll be protected by the male at all times, he'll defend with his life and scare off much larger fish, they're great parents.

Sometimes you may see her get the fry in her mouth to carry them off to safety - at first I thought she was eating them, but I was wrong.

[coldheart]

Cheers