I've got a male and female krib, they're an established pair and supposedly bred before I got them. Initially, the male claimed a stone cave and the female a terracotta plant pot. Then the female joined the male, and they were always active, swimming around. But after that, they just stayed in the cave, taking turns to come out, which made me think they might have eggs. Now I'm not so sure.
The female's moved out of the cave now. For a few days, she was obsessed with a live plant next to the cave, constantly cleaning it, while the male wouldn't let any other fish near. Today, she's hiding at the back of the tank by the heater, occasionally coming out to visit the plant. I'm wondering if the male's suddenly bullying her or if something's stressing her out. This behavior started just a few days ago. She's still eating when I feed them, swimming to the surface with the other fish.
My tank's 190ltr, and they're with neptunes, 2 baby BN plecs, cory catfish, 2 apple snails, and a mystery shrimp that came in with my corys. I haven't seen any other fish bothering her, and nothing's been added or removed from the tank. The temperature's been a bit up and down due to the heat, but it's been between 23 and 26. None of the other fish seem distressed or acting out of the ordinary. I haven't seen any signs of injury on her either.
My female kribensis is in hiding
Re: My female kribensis is in hiding
I've got some concerns about your tankmates, specifically the corys and plecos. They're not ideal for a male krib guarding eggs - those guys are super aggressive when it comes to defending their territory. I can see why the male's being super protective, but with a 190ltr tank, it's only a matter of time before the corys wander into the wrong area and start stressing him out. He's gotta constantly chase them away, which can't be good for him.jinglebly wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 1:25 am I've got a male and female krib, they're an established pair and supposedly bred before I got them. Initially, the male claimed a stone cave and the female a terracotta plant pot. Then the female joined the male, and they were always active, swimming around. But after that, they just stayed in the cave, taking turns to come out, which made me think they might have eggs. Now I'm not so sure.
The female's moved out of the cave now. For a few days, she was obsessed with a live plant next to the cave, constantly cleaning it, while the male wouldn't let any other fish near. Today, she's hiding at the back of the tank by the heater, occasionally coming out to visit the plant. I'm wondering if the male's suddenly bullying her or if something's stressing her out. This behavior started just a few days ago. She's still eating when I feed them, swimming to the surface with the other fish.
My tank's 190ltr, and they're with neptunes, 2 baby BN plecs, cory catfish, 2 apple snails, and a mystery shrimp that came in with my corys. I haven't seen any other fish bothering her, and nothing's been added or removed from the tank. The temperature's been a bit up and down due to the heat, but it's been between 23 and 26. None of the other fish seem distressed or acting out of the ordinary. I haven't seen any signs of injury on her either.
Also, guppies and corys have different water parameter needs, so that's something to consider.
Re: My female kribensis is in hiding
It's not uncommon for pairs to turn on each other after a failed spawning. They can become pretty aggressive, each one blaming the other for the loss. I've seen it before, they start questioning each other's viability as a breeding partner. In my experience, it's usually the male that ends up on the receiving end, but things can go either way if they don't sort it out. A failed spawning can be a real danger time for a pair, and it's possible that's what's going on here.