I've decided to give my kribensis tank a makeover.
I've already got a couple of coconut caves in there for breeding purposes.
To make it as natural as possible for them, I've got a few questions:
1. What kind of substrate do kribensis typically live in in the wild?
2. Would you recommend adding a piece of driftwood or a large rock to the tank?
3. Are there any attractive, easy-to-grow plants that kribensis will appreciate without destroying?
4. Do they prefer swimming in open water or having plenty of plants to hide among?
Thanks in advance for the advice from Tom
designing a kribensis tank
Re: designing a kribensis tank
Not a Krib expert by any means, but I'll give it a shot since I've got a pair in my tank.
1. For substrate, I'd go with sand or fine gravel - nothing sharp, that's what you'd find in their river delta home.
2. I personally think a nice piece of wood or a big rock would look great in the tank, and the Kribs would appreciate the cover. Mopani or some nice roots/driftwood would work well.
3. Plant-wise, I'd recommend Anubias, Java Fern, or Crypts - anything with harder leaves, really. Echinodorus and Staurogyne are also good options. Just avoid anything with bright green, squishy leaves - my Kribs love to munch on those.
4. As for open water vs a well-planted tank, I think a mix of both would be nice. But if I had to choose, I'd go with a well-planted tank - just seems more natural that way.
1. For substrate, I'd go with sand or fine gravel - nothing sharp, that's what you'd find in their river delta home.
2. I personally think a nice piece of wood or a big rock would look great in the tank, and the Kribs would appreciate the cover. Mopani or some nice roots/driftwood would work well.
3. Plant-wise, I'd recommend Anubias, Java Fern, or Crypts - anything with harder leaves, really. Echinodorus and Staurogyne are also good options. Just avoid anything with bright green, squishy leaves - my Kribs love to munch on those.
4. As for open water vs a well-planted tank, I think a mix of both would be nice. But if I had to choose, I'd go with a well-planted tank - just seems more natural that way.
Re: designing a kribensis tank
Thanks for the help, really appreciate it.
1. I was pretty sure I'd go with sand, just seems more natural for my kribensis.
2. Yeah, I think wood is the way to go, maybe some nice roots or a piece of driftwood.
3. I'd probably mix it up a bit, maybe some small rocks and small bits of wood here and there, just to create some interest.
4. Exactly, that's what I was thinking - plants around the sides and back, and then some open water at the front for swimming.
1. I was pretty sure I'd go with sand, just seems more natural for my kribensis.
2. Yeah, I think wood is the way to go, maybe some nice roots or a piece of driftwood.
3. I'd probably mix it up a bit, maybe some small rocks and small bits of wood here and there, just to create some interest.
4. Exactly, that's what I was thinking - plants around the sides and back, and then some open water at the front for swimming.
Re: designing a kribensis tank
2. Honestly, it depends on the type of big piece of wood we're talking about - a big lump or something with character, full of holes and nooks.
3. Adding some small, rounded stone pieces or tiny bits of wood here and there could really enhance the natural look.
4. To be honest, I think you can have open space wherever you want, but personally, I like having it more towards the front and center. I'm also a fan of placing the breeding caves in a spot where you can see them, with plants covering the sides and top if you want, but still allowing you to see them when they're sitting in the entrance, guarding their fry - it's a bit less natural, I know, but it's nice to be able to watch them.
3. Adding some small, rounded stone pieces or tiny bits of wood here and there could really enhance the natural look.
4. To be honest, I think you can have open space wherever you want, but personally, I like having it more towards the front and center. I'm also a fan of placing the breeding caves in a spot where you can see them, with plants covering the sides and top if you want, but still allowing you to see them when they're sitting in the entrance, guarding their fry - it's a bit less natural, I know, but it's nice to be able to watch them.
Re: designing a kribensis tank
I think the wood and sand combo is a winner, the contrast looks great.
I'm with you on the small rocks and wood bits, just pushing them into the sand here and there.
Open space in the middle is a must for me, I love watching them swim around up front.
And yeah, having the caves where I can see in is a big plus, just for peace of mind.
I'm thinking of putting one in each back corner, diagonal to the front, so I can get a good view. Then I'd surround the sides with some plants and dwarf hair grass - what do you reckon, would that work?
I'm with you on the small rocks and wood bits, just pushing them into the sand here and there.
Open space in the middle is a must for me, I love watching them swim around up front.
And yeah, having the caves where I can see in is a big plus, just for peace of mind.
I'm thinking of putting one in each back corner, diagonal to the front, so I can get a good view. Then I'd surround the sides with some plants and dwarf hair grass - what do you reckon, would that work?
Re: designing a kribensis tank
Sounds like you're on the right track.
One thing I didn't mention earlier is to be careful with the size and placement of stones/rocks. When they're breeding, they tend to dig next to or under them, and I've had a female dig out so much sand under a large pebble that it fell on her. Luckily, she managed to free herself and was fine, but it was a close call. I thought I'd mention it since you've probably not seen them in full digging mode before, having kept them on gravel.
One thing I didn't mention earlier is to be careful with the size and placement of stones/rocks. When they're breeding, they tend to dig next to or under them, and I've had a female dig out so much sand under a large pebble that it fell on her. Luckily, she managed to free herself and was fine, but it was a close call. I thought I'd mention it since you've probably not seen them in full digging mode before, having kept them on gravel.
Re: designing a kribensis tank
I've decided to go with coconut caves instead for safety reasons. The gravel I've got is quite fine so I've seen them move it around a bit. I'm curious, they've done this to the coconut cave with gravel - do you think they'll do the same with sand or will their behaviour change from Tom
Re: designing a kribensis tank
Kribs can be quite the diggers when they feel like it - not all the time, mind you. They can create little pits in minutes, often right next to a piece of stone, rock, or wood that seems to have caught their eye as a potential backup spawning site. In sand, they're not afraid to use their whole body to get the job done - I've seen my crazy Mrs Krib dive headfirst into a small gap next to something and then use her body to push sand out of the way.
As long as a piece that's big enough to hurt them is positioned in a way that it won't topple over if they decide to dig around it, you're good to go. My problem was a big pebble that was angled just right, or so I thought - it was fine for months until Mrs Krib dug it out partly and it fell on her. Luckily, she was okay, partly because the pebble was only a bit over double her size and partly because she ended up trapped in the pit she dug, with the pebble as a lid. She freed herself in seconds but acted weird for a bit afterwards, flopping over sideways before returning to normal within 30 minutes.
It's just something I consider now when placing decorations in the tank. For example, if you had a rock like the one on the left side of your pic in sand, would it fall over if you dug around in the sand next to it? If so, I'd position it differently or anchor it with something under the sand. Don't worry, I'm not trying to scare you into thinking they'll dig out everything in the tank and it'll all come crashing down - it just happened to me once.
As long as a piece that's big enough to hurt them is positioned in a way that it won't topple over if they decide to dig around it, you're good to go. My problem was a big pebble that was angled just right, or so I thought - it was fine for months until Mrs Krib dug it out partly and it fell on her. Luckily, she was okay, partly because the pebble was only a bit over double her size and partly because she ended up trapped in the pit she dug, with the pebble as a lid. She freed herself in seconds but acted weird for a bit afterwards, flopping over sideways before returning to normal within 30 minutes.
It's just something I consider now when placing decorations in the tank. For example, if you had a rock like the one on the left side of your pic in sand, would it fall over if you dug around in the sand next to it? If so, I'd position it differently or anchor it with something under the sand. Don't worry, I'm not trying to scare you into thinking they'll dig out everything in the tank and it'll all come crashing down - it just happened to me once.
Re: designing a kribensis tank
I'll make sure to secure everything properly, just in case they decide to dig around. I'd hate for anything to fall over, so I'll position things in a way that should prevent that from happening.