Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Kribs and GBR

21 Dec 2011 13:25 #1 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Kribs and GBR was created by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

So I got myself some Kribs (P.pulcher) - male and female - yesterday. Got them into the tank and were grand for the first half an hour. Then my GBR male saw them and all hell broke loose! He is chasing one or the other of them non-stop, trying to nip at them. I have not seen him so active in a while! Now every now and again the male Krib squares up to him and has a go back but usually backs down in the end and gets chased a bit. I am just wondering can I expect to have this all the time or are they just sizing each other up and deciding territories? He is a lone GBR by the way, the female unfortunately passed away a couple of months ago.

Thanks
Bill

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21 Dec 2011 15:19 #2 by igmillichip (ian millichip)

Replied by igmillichip (ian millichip) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

I'm not too sure what a GBR is.....is that some sort of new name for Rams?

If it is then the problem is that fish will not naturally recognise each others territory claim.
Both are cichlids, both are territorial, but the 2 do not quite speak the same language.

You may find that things even out, but a natural order will never occur with these 2 species as no natural territory order exists in the world.

Rams are quite aggressive little creatures, but if a krib decides it's had enough then, as with many african cichlid, it has a better potential to kick hells-bells out of a Ram (unless the ram does manage to get the upper hand at all times).

ian

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fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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21 Dec 2011 15:31 #3 by fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)

Replied by fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Short for german blue ram ian

craig

at the end of the day it becomes nite

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21 Dec 2011 15:48 #4 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Yeah sorry Ian,its the German Blue Ram as craig said. Damn, was hoping that they would get on! Sure I'll keep an eye for the next few days, and if not something will have to go!

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21 Dec 2011 16:37 #5 by igmillichip (ian millichip)

Replied by igmillichip (ian millichip) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

I was battering my head to see if I could work out what GBR is, and came up with 'german bred ram' (not a bad guess, I guess).

With both of these, there is some unpredicatbility with them.
I have some big Rams in one tank who thought they were boss, but one of the large hatchet fish kicks crap out of the rams now (yep, the hatchet ventures down into the cave system to sort out the rams).

In another tank, I have croaking gourami giving the Rams a second-place seat.
But I also have another tank with Kribs and croaking gourami.....were the kribs are clear bosses. However, the gourami just 'laugh' at the kribs zattempts to dominate the tank and keep teasing the kribs.

As for mixing the kribs and rams....it is the same problem of mixing any cichlids: there is a bit of hit-n-miss.
With some other african cichlids closely related to the kribs you often find that you can place other cichlid species in the tank so long as you don't place the same species (ie one specimen per species).

If you want to try leaving them together, then I'd suggest adding a few additional visual barriers and a new cave/territory system.
Maybe having a cave system that is visibily lower in the tank than anywhere esle might favour the Kribs feeling comfortable; you could also alter the water flow to have a more of gush in that area as well.
Then allow a spare retreat area for the fish who might start be bullied.

Ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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21 Dec 2011 17:36 - 21 Dec 2011 17:38 #6 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Iv had 'GBR'S' with kribs with no problems but I'd say it's because the rams were young so didn't bother try to take over.

Mark

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...planted-tank-journal

Last edit: 21 Dec 2011 17:38 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill).

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jeff (Jeff Scully)
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21 Dec 2011 21:55 #7 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

Replied by jeff (Jeff Scully) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

i have them together now in a 240 about 6mts never had a prob but i will say that i left my lights off for 2 days till the rams found their spot, and they did go for a cave the other end of the tank, but now they swim past each other not a bother. would like to add that anytime i add a new fish the kribs are the first to say im incharge and really show off their colour

so id leave the lights off for a couple off days before their is to much stress to the rams and end up with ws, wich will wreck anyones head ive been their and its always the rams that get it first

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A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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21 Dec 2011 22:19 #8 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)

Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

jeff you are bang on i have them both in the same tank for a few months now and nothin at all both are grackin fish and dont bother eachother at all and about the WS i had it for the first time in about two year off fish keeping there about two weeks ago and all that got it in the tank was the rams lucky enough i didnt lose anything in the tank and all is well now :cool:

by the way how do you sex the kribs i have 4 in my tank and two own one cave and the other two own the other i also have noticed that the kribs are swimming with the back fin side ways as if they are doping a lil dance i think it is a female shown off to the male could anyone put some light on this and hopefully i am not taken over this thanks

sean

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21 Dec 2011 22:54 #9 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Thanks for all the replies lads.

Well came home this evening and its a little better. What I think is the male has claimed the front of the tank, with the ram taking the back (tank is kind of seperated by a huge piece of driftwood). The size each other up every now and again over the wood, doing the fish eqivilant of thrusting your head forward. The krib seems to be winning now, but after a small squaring off the go back to their places. Unfortunately the female seems to have no place and is getting chased by both! Will keep an eye on it.

As regards sexing Sean, I am thinking my bigger fish is the male but seems to have some of the charteristics of both going on what I have read on the net. Not sure now to be honest!! Maybe one of the guys could shine a light on the subject?

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christyg (Chris Geraghty)
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22 Dec 2011 01:25 - 22 Dec 2011 01:25 #10 by christyg (Chris Geraghty)

Replied by christyg (Chris Geraghty) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Vision wrote:

by the way how do you sex the kribs i have 4 in my tank and two own one cave and the other two own the other i also have noticed that the kribs are swimming with the back fin side ways as if they are doping a lil dance i think it is a female shown off to the male could anyone put some light on this and hopefully i am not taken over this thanks

sean

Male on right, female on left, She shorter and rounder than male. This pair in breeding colours, God help GBR when yours get to this stage :laugh:

Last edit: 22 Dec 2011 01:25 by christyg (Chris Geraghty).

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BillG (Bill Gray)
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22 Dec 2011 09:20 #11 by BillG (Bill Gray)

Replied by BillG (Bill Gray) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

On telling the male and female Kribs apart, referring to the pics, Christyg is bang on.
There are additional ways to tell the difference too. When not in breeding colours or showing colours in a territorial dispute, the female will have a slight pink colour on her belly, whereas the male tends have a neutral colour on the belly.
Also, if you look at the dorsal fin, there is a gold coloured band along the topside of the fin. on the male, this band extends to the pointed tip of the fin, on the female, the band stops short of the more rounded end to the dorsal fin.

Cheers,

Bill.

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22 Dec 2011 13:37 #12 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Thanks guys, will have a look when I get home if they ever stop chasing each other!! The one that I think is the male has a very deep red abdomen but it might be because of the dispute!
Thanks again, I'll let you know what happens.
Bill

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jeff (Jeff Scully)
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22 Dec 2011 17:55 #13 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

Replied by jeff (Jeff Scully) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

The females are usually more colorful and possibly smaller than males of the same age. The dorsal fins on the female may be rounded whereas they can appear pointy on the males.

This fish is considered easy to breed. They need clean water and they should be conditioned for a few weeks prior so they are in good condition for the upcoming event. They are wonderful parents and will protect their babies from any and all intruders. You will need a cave structure made out of rocks or an overturned flower pot or even some pvc pipe. The female initiates the spawning by dancing in front of the male. They will then select a cave like place where the female will deposit the eggs on the top part of the structure and the male will then fertilizing the eggs. The female will then guard the eggs and the males guards the mother and eggs. About 5 to 7 days later the eggs hatch and then in another 5 days or so the fry can swim. A good first food can be powdered flake food and baby brine shrimp. Some breeders are reporting that the fry sexes can be influenced by the pH of the water they are raised in. Alkaline water reportedly increases the number of males whereas acidic water increases the ratio of females.

I have 2 3" males in with 1" and 1.5" rams no probs

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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22 Dec 2011 23:47 #14 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)

Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

ill have to have a look at mine but colours are crazy im nearly sure they are breeding also a lot off dancen going on :L:L

sean

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jeff (Jeff Scully)
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23 Dec 2011 00:06 #15 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

Replied by jeff (Jeff Scully) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

ive found that these mate very quickly the females are sluts, haha
and the way to spot it is if they have their cave or spot whatever it is, they will guard it like mad and one at a time they will protect it and never leave the area for a second, and if you see this behaviour their is eggs their for sure, to me they are are one of the best parents and the best to watch how they keep them in line, of any fish, its like the took them in at night time and their told not to move, and they do it so well, really hope it happens for yea

Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.

A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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30 Dec 2011 17:35 #16 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Ok so managed to get a couple of bad quality pictures of the two fish. The first I think is the male (the thing in the middle of the picture is a cube of freeze dried blood worms, the red thing is a car wreck ornament that I had in there for my GBR spawning)

I tried to get a pic of what I think is the female but the male chased her away any time she came to the front of the tank. Here is the best pic, you can see him just underneath her (the blur) about to chase her off

Can you guys confirm/deny that I am right/wrong?!?

Thanks
Bill

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BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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30 Dec 2011 22:49 #17 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)

Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

can anyone tell me wat this is male or female thanks

sean

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30 Dec 2011 22:56 - 30 Dec 2011 23:05 #18 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Definitely a female there
The female has a more rounder belly

Here's my female

Mark

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...planted-tank-journal

Last edit: 30 Dec 2011 23:05 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill).

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01 Jan 2012 13:40 #19 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

SpiderMonkey wrote:
Definitely a female there
The female has a more rounder belly

Here's my female

Mark

Would you have any idea on my pics Mark?

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jeff (Jeff Scully)
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01 Jan 2012 15:22 #20 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

Replied by jeff (Jeff Scully) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

@ bill

the first 1 looks like a female to me and cant tell the 2nd one its a blur

if you look at marks female you will see that the tail is rounded much like your first picture

here is 2 good pics of my males, notice how the tails are more pointed

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01 Jan 2012 15:27 #21 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Hi Bill
I'd say the top photo is a male and the top fish in the second photo is the female now that's just what I think some else here might have a different opinion but saying that bill no one said anything about my last comment not even a thank you!

Cheers bill

Mark

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...planted-tank-journal

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BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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01 Jan 2012 15:38 #22 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)

Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

sorry mark havent being on thanks a mill mate i have two females and one male

thank

sean

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01 Jan 2012 16:05 #23 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Haha only joking sean just seeing how long it would take :evil:

the forum is getting very quiet lately :blink:

Mark

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BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
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01 Jan 2012 16:10 #24 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)

Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

i was thinkin that meself i wasnt on for a good while there a few weeks ago but going to try as much as i can now but work is not maken it easy we need to set something up to boost it

sean

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01 Jan 2012 18:37 #25 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

One from each camp about the top picture, one vote for male, one for female. I see what you mean Jeff about the tail, but was then looking at the dorsal, as per a previous post further up, and the gold coloured band along the topside of the fin extends to the pointed tip of the fin, so confused!

Anyone else got an idea, and if you could explain why I would appreciate it (to add to my knowledge!)

Thanks,
Bill

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01 Jan 2012 18:45 #26 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

It's not a great pic Bill. Can you take another?

Mark

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...planted-tank-journal

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01 Jan 2012 18:50 #27 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

SpiderMonkey wrote:
It's not a great pic Bill. Can you take another?

Mark

Will try get another of each of them, tricky little buggers to catch on camera though!

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01 Jan 2012 20:17 #28 by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe)

Replied by PompeyBill (Killian Walshe) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Ok so some more pics. First is a few of fish from the blurry pic above, again was tough to get but slightly better. Again, used a cube of freeze dried food to get them to stay still for a few mins!

And then the other fish again

Let me know what you think!

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01 Jan 2012 21:05 #29 by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)

Replied by SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

Looks like two females to me anybody else want to take a shot at it!

Mark

www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/forum...planted-tank-journal

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jeff (Jeff Scully)
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01 Jan 2012 21:47 #30 by jeff (Jeff Scully)

Replied by jeff (Jeff Scully) on topic Re: Kribs and GBR

looks like two females to me

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A life making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing at all.

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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Kribs and GBR

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