Breeding difficulties with Purple Kribs

[wolfiewill]

I have 11 male Pelvicachromis Pulcher, purple Kribensis, and only one female. I am having a tough time getting her to pick a mate. All of them are vicious towards each other, and she's just one of the boys. The dominant male runs them all into hiding and that's the way they all stay except when feeding. At the moment I have divided them into four tanks: One with one male and the female, one with a single male I'm preparing to place with the female if her present tank mate doesn't work out, one with the remaining full grown males, and one with two juveniles. What should I do?  How long do I leave the single male and female together before trying another male? Need advise.

[Jeff1192]

I think taking out the males was a good idea. They were probably so busy fighting each other they couldn't think of anything else! 

In my experience with kribs you add a male, a female and water and you get babies....haha. You probalby won't have to wait long now.

Jeff

[wolfiewill]

Problem is: She's gone through two males already. In both cases they initially looked like they were ready and courted for several weeks. But eventually they started fighting and one of them was beaten rather badly before I removed the abused one. In one case the female was the abuser, and in the other it was the male. In the later case I had removed them to be alone in a 10 gallon tank. In the other case they were in a community tank with tetras and their siblings from the original brood. I moved her to a separate tank for several weeks between these incidents until I was sure of the gender of the other siblings. She was an early maturing female and no other females matured for weeks after she did.

Right now there are some very fleeting 'shows' between the female and the male which are together but the male was not one of the dominant ones in the brood. He seems very timid. He never comes out to eat and I have to remain very still if I want to see him at all. Once he comes out he seems ok.

I feed high quality foods, have excellent water conditions (pH=6.5-6.8; KH=4.0; temperature=77degreesF).

Maybe you are right and they just need some time, eh.

[touchofsky]

I have a pair of albino kribs that I have had for a year.  They bred once, ate the eggs, and have never bred again.  The female seems interested, and displays a gorgeous red belly, but the male just isn't interested.  What is it with these males lol!

[bizfromqc]

I have a pair of albino kribs that I have had for a year.  They bred once, ate the eggs, and have never bred again.  The female seems interested, and displays a gorgeous red belly, but the male just isn't interested.  What is it with these males lol!

There was a hockey game on, he couldn't be bothered LOL

[bettabreeder]

There was a hockey game on, he couldn't be bothered LOL

Haha too true and funny as well


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[exv152]

...Maybe you are right and they just need some time, eh.

Have you tried fine gravel and a clay pot. Kribs like to dig and hide in cave like structures for breeding.

[touchofsky]

There was a hockey game on, he couldn't be bothered LOL

I think you are right   

[wolfiewill]

Have you tried fine gravel and a clay pot. Kribs like to dig and hide in cave like structures for breeding.

Yes, I've always got a cave or ceramic cave available. I use fluorite and have for years. With fluorite I had one pair that bred continuously with one particular log cave. They loved shoveling the gravel out from underneath the cave to make the interior more roomy (fung shui, krib style supposedly). They must have had 12 to 15 broods a year (live food source for my Congo tetras, eh). So I'm sure that's not the problem.

[wolfiewill]

There was a hockey game on, he couldn't be bothered LOL

By golly!!!! You may be right..... my 'man cave' is next door and with the 48" plasma for sports, the hockey games are always on.... hey no way, man. The angle is wrong; they can't see the tv.