Observations of kribensis behaviour

[fisher_2]

I've posted on here a few times about kribs and I'm just wondering if they calm down after a few days in a new tank. I've got 3 kribs, 2 females and 1 male, and to be honest, the one female is a right bully, constantly chasing the other two off. However, I did notice something interesting the other day - the other female was doing this little dance thing in front of the male, and she did the same thing to the aggressive female, and for a short while at least, she left her alone.

[rivelo]

Cichlids can be a handful, but they usually settle down if the ones being bullied have a safe spot to retreat to. I'm curious, what's the layout of your tank like? Having a few caves around can really help the Kribs establish their own territories. That "dance" you mentioned can be a sign of breeding behavior or intimidation - it's often tough to tell. If they do end up breeding, you might notice the male and female spending a lot of time together, usually near a cave. Then, you might not see the female for a few days, and the next thing you know, she'll be swimming around with a bunch of fry in that same cave.

[fisher_2]

Cichlids can be a handful, but they usually settle down if the ones being bullied have a safe spot to retreat to. I'm curious, what's the layout of your tank like? Having a few caves around can really help the Kribs establish their own territories. That "dance" you mentioned can be a sign of breeding behavior or intimidation - it's often tough to tell. If they do end up breeding, you might notice the male and female spending a lot of time together, usually near a cave. Then, you might not see the female for a few days, and the next thing you know, she'll be swimming around with a bunch of fry in that same cave.

I've got plenty of hiding spots in the tank, I've added some pics below. Do you think the layout is alright for my kribs? The male's been spending more time near the cave now, is that a sign they might breed?

http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/img0432jh.jpg/

http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/802/img0433jw.jpg/

[rivelo]

How big's your tank, by the way? If the female's holed up in the cave and the male's hanging around the entrance, it's possible they've got eggs. Keep an eye on them for the next few days - if neither of them leaves the cave entrance, that's a good sign. If they do breed, just be aware that they'll probably start giving the other fish in the tank a hard time while defending their young.