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Kribensis Tank Flaws?

1279 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  James From Cali, 
James From Cali
Well for an African Biotope in my 10g I decided to do Kribensis. Some people are against the keeping P. pulcher in a 10g but it is very doable. I want to set the tank up according to a few things:

  1. Natural. Everything must look similar or be the same as what is found in Africa's Niger Delta.
  2. Aggression Issues. Hiding places are setup.
  3. Breeding. Places for the Kribs to Breed.

Here is my idea:


The substrate I was thinking would be black sand but if someone knows of a substrate that simulates a natural african river please tell me. Im going to use slate to make caves and places to place Anubias and Bolbitis. There will 2 pieces of African rootwood coming out of the slate like an actual root. The background will be black. The plants are as following:

  1. Anubias Barteri
  2. Anubias barteri nana
  3. Anubias barteris var Coffeolia
  4. Bolbitis heudelotii

Its just going to be a breeding pair of Kribensis, P. pulcher. The slate will be siliconed together to keep everything sturdy. Does anyone see any flaws?
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mistergreen
this might help...
http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_african_rivers.htm#West or Central African River

the substrate doesn't have to be black.

pretty good drawing.. don't you wish they'd make an application where you can design your tank?
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James From Cali
mistergreen said:
this might help...
http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_african_rivers.htm#West or Central African River

the substrate doesn't have to be black.

pretty good drawing.. don't you wish they'd make an application where you can design your tank?
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Thanks. Yeah. I was using your application but it didnt look right with the rocks on the application and I felt a little creatve.
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mistergreen
I'll add some slates for you.
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James From Cali
mistergreen said:
the substrate doesn't have to be black.
Click to expand...
I think everything looks better. Im just wanting it natural though so Im still looking into other alternatives.

Thanks and Ninja'd!
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fredyk
Keep in mind that kribs are detritus eaters, they like sandy bottom, long digestive track, primarily herbivores. Also aggression can be a problem, and one solution is is to get another krib as dither, but that fish is a sacrifice, but it cements the pair bond, so to speak. This is what the breeder, Ted Judy, does. He also maintains two web sites : www.tedsfishroom.com (his personal site) and www.apistogramma.com.
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James From Cali
fredyk said:
Keep in mind that kribs are detritus eaters, they like sandy bottom, long digestive track, primarily herbivores. Also aggression can be a problem, and one solution is is to get another krib as dither, but that fish is a sacrifice, but it cements the pair bond, so to speak. This is what the breeder, Ted Judy, does. He also maintains two web sites : www.tedsfishroom.com (his personal site) and www.apistogramma.com.
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So another one would be needed? So what would be the best dither, another male?
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S
what application are you two referring too hmm? :)

it looks like a nice idea.
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C
James From Cali said:
So another one would be needed? So what would be the best dither, another male?
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Males can be rough on females. If he's in the mood and she's not, he may kill her. If you're getting 3, I'd suggest 2 females. I'd also suggest, if possible, that you go for bigger females and a less mature male.
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fredyk
Ted said he had a pair spawn three times, and the male decided he didn't like being a pair, and killed the female. So Ted keeps a tank of kribs to use as dither fish, and it seems to cement the bond. That works for him.
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James From Cali
CherylH said:
Males can be rough on females. If he's in the mood and she's not, he may kill her. If you're getting 3, I'd suggest 2 females. I'd also suggest, if possible, that you go for bigger females and a less mature male.
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Gotcha. That seems to make more sense then males.
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dufus
Bolbitus is huge for a ten, won't work in the long run.

i think you'd be best with tan/brown sand, that's what africn rivers are ussually lined with.

i suggest anubias, although naturally, they're found out of the water on waterfalls, and some apongetons.

Of course, if you're up to the pruning challenge, Nymphaea zenkeri and micrantha are from africa, but are very large.
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James From Cali
dufus said:
Bolbitus is huge for a ten, won't work in the long run.

i think you'd be best with tan/brown sand, that's what africn rivers are ussually lined with.

i suggest anubias, although naturally, they're found out of the water on waterfalls, and some apongetons.

Of course, if you're up to the pruning challenge, Nymphaea zenkeri and micrantha are from africa, but are very large.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestions. Looking into those as we speak.

Looked them up and they are medium-high light plants. This tank is low light ;).
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