# 20g Kribensis Tank



## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Specs

*Tank*_ - _ used 20 gallon
*Substrate*_ - _Eco complete
*Lighting*_ - _ 1 15w, I don't know the specs it was in the fixture when I got the ank 
*Filter*_ - _ Penguin 200 Bio Wheel
*Decorations*_ - _ slate and 3 coconut huts
*Plants*_ - _ ATM Hygrophila polysperma & Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
*Fish*_ - _ 1 male Pelvichromis Pulcher & 1 female Pelvichromis Pulcher.
*Ferts*_ - _ Not Using Any
*Temperature*_ - _ 78f
*Ph*_ - _ will update this later, I don't remember the last reading off the top of my head

And The Pics









The piece of rainbow slate is sitting on a coconut hut in the back and black slate stacked up in each front corner.


















These were taken roughly a week after the tank was setup. Since then I added another coconut to the left front corner, it is this hut that they chose to spawn in. Also I have added lots more hygros.

So that's basically it for now, what you can't really see in the photos is that the hut under the rainbow slate is sitting on a big chunk of black slate. Once the fry are moved I plan to take that out and fill that area with sand. Also I plan to get more rainbow slate to glue to the top side of the piece that's already there, so I can fill the area that the hut is on with sand.

Since setting up this tank I have found out that kribs like to excavate there chosen spawning cave/hut and that is the you use gravel that is too large the fry can fall through the spaces in the gravel and purish before they become free swimming.

It's been about 3 weeks since I moved the kribs fron our 55g to this tank and they have spawned, at this point the free are just hatching, they look like tadpoles 

Ross


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## xxprudencexx (Sep 3, 2008)

awesome cant wait to see the fry pics XD


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

They haven't eaten them yet but from what I've read so far I expect they will the first few times. I'll try to get pictures though before that happens.

Ross


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

AMAZING!!!
You went all out that was fast .....
great tank !!!


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> AMAZING!!!
> You went all out that was fast .....
> great tank !!!


Thanks, I took all the stuff from my 10g to get this tank going. I used the bio balls from that to get this tank to cycle fast. In fact I had the kribs in it just 3 days after I first added water 

I removed the zipper loach today and when I got back from big al's the male was chasing the female and the coconut was almost empty of wigglers. I'm not sure which one ate the fry but they are now all gone. I just hope they settle down again before one of them winds up dead.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

so whats in the 10gl now ? thats the eclipse one right .... you gonna sell that ?    
I need 3 of those eclipse now shhh or I was thinking getting a tank like voilet and put a partion in  
Well You have done a great job on that 20 gl !
what kind stand is it on ?


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> so whats in the 10gl now ? thats the eclipse one right .... you gonna sell that ?
> I need 3 of those eclipse now shhh or I was thinking getting a tank like voilet and put a partion in
> Well You have done a great job on that 20 gl !
> what kind stand is it on ?


There is nothing in the 10g now with the exception of some plants. I wasn't planning to sell it but I'll think about. I was thinking about putting it in my step daughter's bedroom after we move. My gf didn't even want me to put water in it again before we move lol

As for the 20g, thanks. I'm thinking I need to get a few more plants in there. For some reason the male has decided he wants to kill the female. I have her isolated fortunately she wasn't hurt before I noticed what was going on.

Almost forgot to repsond to the question regarding the stand. The 20g is on a metal stand and the 10g is on a stand that I think is meant for a microwave, it was here when we moved in, so I really don't know what it was lol. It makes me nervous that one lol.

Thanks for the kind words.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

oh oh oh you just gave me an idea ....I have a microwave stand .... 
I never thaught of that b4 ,great idea!


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Since the male began harassing the female I had been keeping him in a floating container. He was able to see the female but unable to get to her. Tonight I tried letting them be together again, he instantly started attacking her again, so I moved him to the main tank and put the other male I have with the female. I'm not sure but I don't think she likes him too much. I will keep an close eye on them and see what happens. If they don't start getting along I'm not sure what to do. Either put her with the other male in the 55g or put all 3 in the 55g.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Ross


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Well that was less than successful, bye the time I got home from work today the female had nipped the male's tale quite a bit so, I'm moved her to the 55g with her the male she had been with until last weekend. 

I think they will be fine in there as there is a dense jungle of hygros and plenty of coconuts, so she shouldn't have a problem losing him if she needs to. At this point the male follows her every move, she darts away, he follows, if not fast enough for her then she goes back to him. She's nice and bright, which leads me to believe that she wants to spawn again. That's the big surprise to me, less than a week since the first batch of wigglers got eaten she's already wanting to spawn again.

So that's the latest on the 20g and the kribs that were in it. I'll update again when I put them back in it. In the meantime I think I will try to find more low light plants to add to the tank, so that I will have more than just the two types of hygrophila.

thanks for reading
Ross


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## FishyCracker (Feb 5, 2009)

You have been having quite an experience with your kribensis and you are doing pretty much everything in your fishkeeping powers to help. I'm curious to see how this all turns out as I have a pair that seem to be spawning and getting along well so far. They are in a planted 37 gallon tank and the female has been hiding in a cave since Sunday but she seems to have changed caves recently. It is the first time they've gone through.

I look forward to your updates on the situation and wish you nothing but the best of luck. Pelvicachromis Pulchers are very interesting fish and my money is it will work out for you.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

FishyCracker said:


> You have been having quite an experience with your kribensis and you are doing pretty much everything in your fishkeeping powers to help.


You're right I have been having quite a time with these fish. I started with 6 and lost 3 within the first week give or take a day or so. Since then everything went fine until I removed the zipper loach, I think that got the male so excited that he was ready to kill anything that moved including his mate.



FishyCracker said:


> I'm curious to see how this all turns out as I have a pair that seem to be spawning and getting along well so far.


Everything has gone well so far, and I expect they will spawn again soon. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they spawn before the end of next week.

I will be interested to find out how you make out with your pair, please let me know how things go. What other fish are you keeping in the tank with them? I think that I will add some dither fish before I put them back into this tank.



FishyCracker said:


> They are in a planted 37 gallon tank and the female has been hiding in a cave since Sunday but she seems to have changed caves recently. It is the first time they've gone through.


Mine did pretty much the same thing, in fact I didn't even know they had spawned until I lifted the hut and saw all the eggs. My gf actually thought the female was stuck in the cave, because she (the female) excavated a pile of eco-complete which had the entrance blocked so much so that she had to swim on her side to get in and out.

What other fish do you have in your tank?



FishyCracker said:


> I look forward to your updates on the situation and wish you nothing but the best of luck. Pelvicachromis Pulchers are very interesting fish and my money is it will work out for you.


Thanks for the kind words, I wasn't going to post updates on thise thread since they are no longer in the 20g, but I will keep updating this thread rather than making another one. Besides this has always been more about the Kribensis than the tank.

I agree these fish are very interesting, and they are by far my favorites.

If they spawn and become overly aggressive I will move one of them to my 10g which I still have running, I just don't have anything in it right now. Then I will take the other one and the fry and put them into the 20g. Then I'll put the fish that in the 20g, back into the 55g (did that make sense to you? lol). And that's the way it will stay until I move in June and have room for more tanks .

Ross


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## FishyCracker (Feb 5, 2009)

_Green_ said:


> I will be interested to find out how you make out with your pair, please let me know how things go. What other fish are you keeping in the tank with them? I think that I will add some dither fish before I put them back into this tank.


The female seems to have taken to the new cave she remodeled. She comes out a bit more but seems nervous and quickly darts back into the cave. She has to turn sideways to get into the cave because of the mountain she created at the entrance. I had zebra danios with the kribensis but had to remove them as 2 of them got beat up a bit when the kirbs started getting frisky so I put the zebras in a 20 and the kribs are alone now.
I think it is a great idea to put dither fish with the kribs thats why I put the zebras danios in with them and I believe it helped alot.



_Green_ said:


> Thanks for the kind words, I wasn't going to post updates on thise thread since they are no longer in the 20g, but I will keep updating this thread rather than making another one. Besides this has always been more about the Kribensis than the tank.
> 
> I agree these fish are very interesting, and they are by far my favorites.
> 
> ...


We are lucky that we both could accomadate moving them around or more then likely something serious would happen. I will keep watching and updating as well.

Where are you moving to?


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

FishyCracker said:


> The female seems to have taken to the new cave she remodeled. She comes out a bit more but seems nervous and quickly darts back into the cave. She has to turn sideways to get into the cave because of the mountain she created at the entrance.


That sounds exactly like what happened in my case. I expect you will see her enticing the male into the cave for a day or two. If that's already happened in your case then I expect they have already spawned and soon you will see wigglers if they don't eat them first.



FishyCracker said:


> I had zebra danios with the kribensis but had to remove them as 2 of them got beat up a bit when the kirbs started getting frisky so I put the zebras in a 20 and the kribs are alone now.


I had zebra danios in my main tank when it was first set up, and they drove me nuts lol. I'm actually surprised to find out the kribs were able to catch them. I think you should try to find a fish that is faster than the kribs, but is relatively calm unlike the zebras. Those danois are insane, they never stop and I think that could cause the kribs to attack them.

I don't think that leaving the kribs alone is a good idea, because with nothing else to draw thier attention from each other I think they will be more likely to turn on one another.

I just hope I can find a dither fish that is calm, but can be fast when it needs to be, combine that with dense plants and I think I will be ok.



FishyCracker said:


> I think it is a great idea to put dither fish with the kribs thats why I put the zebras danios in with them and I believe it helped alot.


I think it's a must to have dithers, while the zipper loach was in the tank everything was fine, but less than 6 hours after it was gone all hell broke loose. I'm thinking my 20g might be too small, but I will give it one more try in June or July.



FishyCracker said:


> We are lucky that we both could accomadate moving them around or more then likely something serious would happen. I will keep watching and updating as well.


I agree, I'm sure I would have lost one or more of the fish I have left if not for being able to move them around. I was only home long enough to feed the fish tonight, but everything seemed to be fine, I just hope things are still that way when I get home Sunday. I also home my sister in law doesn't over feed them while I'm away. lol I get so paranoid about what's going on with my fish while I'm away.

Yes, please keep the updates coming. I've enjoyed the conversation 



FishyCracker said:


> Where are you moving to?


King Rd and Bathurst area  25-30 minutes from work instead of an hour+, I can't wait. I will actually be able to drive my pickup to again without fear of going bankrupt woooooooo hoooooooooo lol The day I drive my welfare car (scuzuki swift <-- that's not a typo) for the last time will be a happy day lol.
Anyway that's where I'm moving, you're more than welcome to come see my tank once we're all moved in and unpacked if you like.

Ross


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## FishyCracker (Feb 5, 2009)

Well on the weekend I added 5 barbs and today my kribs added a bunch of free swimming fry. The parents are escorting them around the tank lol.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

I used to have a few cherry barbs, which I liked quite a bit. I found them to be for more peaceful than the zebra danois. How are the free swimmers doing now?

I think that the kribs would take to having the barbs in the tank with them and the fry much better than those crazy danois. Is that the case or are the barbs receiving just as much aggression as the danois did while they were in the tank?

Ross


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## FishyCracker (Feb 5, 2009)

So far everything is going well and today they seemed to swim much higher up the aquarium then ever before, they usually just stayed at substrate level. They also look bigger to me which is a good sign I guess.

The barbs are much better and I got Tiger Barbs which probably are a bit more aggressive then the cherry barbs but they are great, they know not to go near the kirbs so they stick to their school together and seem to be doing fine.


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