corries with kribs?

[pest control]

hi, i have a 4ft 216l tank. it houses 20 Trigonostigma hengeli, 1 breeding pair of kribs, two female kribs (i intend to sell the two females, so i just have the pair), 5 SAE's, 3 ottos, 6 cardinal tetras, 6 rummynose tetra, 8 cherry barbs and 4 serpae tetras. the cardinal tetras and rummynose tetras are really old now, and are slowly starting to drop off, and i won't be replacing them, but i intend to get some more serpae tetras. although the kribs keep breeding, they are still always very peaceful, and never injure any other fish. i would like to keep a shoal of corries, possibly either sterbai or trilineatus. would you recommend adding the corries, bearing in mind that the kribs are always very gentle?

and which do you prefer out of the sterbai and trilineatus?

also, which would be most likely to breed?

thanks

[Richard B]

Personally i wouldn't add corys. Serpae tetras can be frequent fin nippers if they get the desire (not that they definately will or wont).

The kribs may have been peaceful so far, they may well continue to be so, but you haven't really got any specific bottom dwellers to upset the kribs when they are guarding fry. There is enough tank space to add a small shoal of corys if you really want to - the best species may depend on the temperature, personal preference, availability, & price

[pest control]

hi, the serpae tetras just chase each other, they seem to ignore the other fish. i am slowly lowering the temp to 24c from 26c, so would the sterbai and trilineatus both be ok at that temp? they are my 2 favourites, i think that my favourite is the trilineatus, but i don't know what price they are. and would either of them breed?

thanks

[Richard B]

Sterbai prefer warmer water, trilineatus prefer cooler water - see the cat-e-log pages for details. Both could be bred - Sterbai probably easier. See "Shane's world" for the breeding article

Serpae tetras seem to be prone to nipping when kept in small groups as opposed to large shoals - they seem attrcted to prominent dorsal fins of slow moving fish - like corys - some other tetras are like this like red-eyes. Some species which are closely related are totally fine, like lemons, phantoms & roberts.

[pest control]

thanks, i think i'll bring the serpae numbers up to about a dozen, as i really like them, and then they won't annoy the other fish. i'll have a look at the cat-e-log, and "shane's world"

cheers

[wrasse]

Its worth hunting around for C sterbai and C Trilineatus. I find the quality and size available can vary a good deal in both species. And the price too..... especially if they are wild-caught.
Just looking in 'Breeding Corydoradine Catfishes', Sterbai bred at 25degC, Trilineatus at 24.4degC.
So I wonder about the temperature that C Sterbai are happiest at. They definitely tolerate warmer water - lots of people keep them with discus. But would they be happier, long term, in cooler water?
I hope your plan with the serpaes works out. IME they will nibble on the dorsals of corydoras.

[pest control]

hi, thanks for the info, i'm not sure if i should stick with the kribs, or get the corries. i've decided not to try and mix them. i have posted this question on a couple of other forums, and the verdict appears that it isn't a good idea to mix the two. so, do you think that i should keep the kribs, or sell the kribs, and get the corries?

thanks

[Richard B]

hi, thanks for the info, i'm not sure if i should stick with the kribs, or get the corries. i've decided not to try and mix them. i have posted this question on a couple of other forums, and the verdict appears that it isn't a good idea to mix the two. so, do you think that i should keep the kribs, or sell the kribs, and get the corries?

thanks

Oooooo - it's gotta be up to you! What are your aspirations? Breeding a species of fish? Keeping cute lil catfish? As a catfish site i think peoples answers might be a tad biased!

[pest control]

hi, i really want to keep both. but i've just realised that lots of small tetra deaths were the kribs doing, and not the airstone as i originally thought. there were a few cardinals that had their faces torn apart, and a copper harlequin is now missing an eye. it has been suggested on another forum that i get another tank for the kribs, and put the corries in my current tank. i think this is the best option, if i am allowed another tank that is.

i will keep you updated.

thanks

[MatsP]

Just looking in 'Breeding Corydoradine Catfishes', Sterbai bred at 25degC, Trilineatus at 24.4degC.

I have never kept C. trilineatus, but C. sterbai breed in my 28'C RIO400 tank, about three days after a water change that drops the temp to about 25'C (a bit lower if it's really cold outside, like the last couple of weeks it's probably gone down below 24'C, as the hose goes from the fish-house, out over about 5m of outdoor paving and then in the back door of the house, which cools down the water a fair few degrees, and the water is "fish-room temperature", which is probably in the mid-20'C at most during winter).

Another group is in a 25-26'C 200 liter tank and spawn semi-regularly in that tank - I find more eggs there as the tank-mates are less aggressive ovophiles.

--
Mats

[wrasse]

Once kribs pair-up for breeding they take over about 3/4 of the tank, shoving all the other fish up to one end. Yours sound like a right nasty pair!
Go 4 corries, I say.
A more peaceful cichlid of the same size you might consider is Laetacara Curviceps.

[pest control]

yes, i have noticed that when the kribs have the fry, al of the other fish are squashed in the corner. what sort of tank size would be needed for a pair of kribs on their own? and i like the Laetacara curviceps that you suggested, but i'm not sure i want any cichlids in my tank ATM.

thanks

[wrasse]

A pair of breeding kribs would need a 3' tank. If I remember correctly, they stop co-operating once the eggs hatch and the female won't tolerate the male - so provide plenty of cover for him to hide.
Your above plans would be fine if you added just one krib to the other fish. But keep an eye on those serpaes.....

[pest control]

hi, when the eggs hatched, both the make and the female guarded the fry. i'll have to see if i'm allowed another tank

cheers

[pest control]

hi, i'm not allowed another tank, but i've thought that because i like the dwarf cichlids so much, aswell as the corries, then the best option would be to sell the kribs, and then buy a pair of bolivian rams and a group of corries. would that work? i will be sad to let the kribs go, but i'm sure that the lfs will find them a good home, and i think that they are getting too aggressive for my tank.

thanks

[MatsP]

That does sound plausible.

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

A pair of breeding kribs would need a 3' tank. If I remember correctly, they stop co-operating once the eggs hatch and the female won't tolerate the male - so provide plenty of cover for him to hide.

that's apistogramma and nannacara.
in pelvicachromis the pairbond stays, given the fact that the pair displays regular behaviour.

I'd be very careful. i've kept a lot of cichlids, including several speciesof pelvicachromis, and they can be quite nasty when the fry starts to roam the tank.

when there are eggs or fry in larvae state, the kribs stay close to them. but once the fry starts to feed, the parents 'take them out" and roam the entire tank.
they can and will attack any catfish once they start roaming.

smaller african catfishes have evolved with kribs and tend to hide higher up into the plants than corydoras. small synodontis or mochokiella are a better match for the kribs than corydoras.