Pelvicachromis I.D. help needed!

[fishstoregirl]

I have been trying to form a pair of Kribs since December and have finally been successful. When I began this endeavor I did not know that there were other species so similar in appearance to P. pulcher. I now have a male and female that are inseparable and have removed the other Kribs from my tank. They were about an inch at the time of pairing (the male was a bit larger), and now they are roughly 1.5 (f) and 2 (m) in. respectively. The female is coloring up nicely and is bright yellow with a round purple belly.

The male on the other hand is still very dull in color, which I expected, but is is also showing a lot more red than I have seen in male P. pulchers. The red/pink extends all the way to his tail and lower finds, and he does seem to have a green tint around the gill area with hardly any yellow except in the tail. He is also growing much faster than the female, but the two swim and feed together constantly and hide in a ceramic pot together. They have been paired for about three weeks, and I am wondering if the male is perhaps P. sacrimontis (P. sp. aff. pulcher or Giant/Scarlet Krib). If this is the case, will they continue to be a pair or should I worry about aggression in the future as the male outgrows the female, or is my male just a different color morph of P. pulcher? The only other fish in the tank are a few zebra danios to reduce shyness. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[aquaticclarity]

Welcome to the forum!

You have a male and female of Pelvicachromis pulcher in the pictures. When dealing with "common kribs" which have been captively bred for decades you can end up with a huge swing in the colors that an individual fish shows. Even big contrasts can be found in a single batch of fry. Add to the variations found in a single wild population the fact that there are several distinct wild forms that will readily interbred and you have a corn of copia of possible color and spot patterns. It's one of the things that I enjoy most about keeping kribs.

Jeff

 

[fishstoregirl]

Thanks for your help! I look forward to learning more about these guys as they grow and hopefully breed for me. They sure are beautiful little fish!

 

[fishstoregirl]

This morning when I went to feed them I discovered the female hiding in the ceramic pot guarding eggs that are covering the ceiling! This is their first spawn so we will see if they hatch and if they take care of them. I have heard that sometimes cichlids will eat their first clutch, but all looks goods so far!!!