Hey guys,
I've learned to give all the info upfront so you don't have to ask, sorry if it's a bit lengthy.
So I recently moved my 2 kribs to a breeding tank - the female was really trying to get the male's attention, but with the other aggressive fish in the tank, he was just too scared to show interest. The move was pretty stressful for him, whereas the female seems completely carefree - he's just a stress ball in general.
They're now in a 72 litre tank with neons, lots of plants, and hiding spots. The female is super eager, shimmying and shaking in front of the cave the male's taken over, showing her belly and all. He just stares at her, and if she gets too close, he nudges her away - not aggressively, just enough to keep his space. She then just sits there, covering the entrance to the cave with her belly.
Is this just a case of the male not being interested in the female? She seems like she'd be perfect for any male, but he's just not having it. I thought giving them their own space would help, but now I'm thinking it might be a bad match, and poor girl must be feeling pretty humiliated. It's only been a week, so he might still be stressed from the move - the female's bounced back already, though.
P.s. water parameters are all good.
Any advice or info would be great.
Normal kribensis courtship habits
Re: Normal kribensis courtship habits
I had a similar experience with my kribs - they were showing breeding behavior in my larger tank, but when I moved them to a smaller one to try and contain things, it all fell apart. The male took over a cave and would get aggressive whenever the female got too close, attacking her sides. Needless to say, they didn't breed in that tank.
I ended up moving them back to the larger tank and, funnily enough, they spawned later that day. I'm thinking your male might just be stressed out about something - could be the new tank, the neons, or even the plants. If he's feeling threatened or anxious, he might just not be in the mood for breeding. And if the female keeps pushing him, he could get aggressive and hurt her.
I ended up moving them back to the larger tank and, funnily enough, they spawned later that day. I'm thinking your male might just be stressed out about something - could be the new tank, the neons, or even the plants. If he's feeling threatened or anxious, he might just not be in the mood for breeding. And if the female keeps pushing him, he could get aggressive and hurt her.