Pelvicachromis pulcher ( super red ) fry

[apisto-nut]

well only a month later and gues what

fry are growing fast

question ; is fry male/female ratio temp dependent ?

 

[Mikey]

Apisto-nut....DUDE!! Help me out here. I have had 2 of these guys for well over a month and they don't look like they have any plans of hooking up anytime soon. The female looks very much like yours, but the male is not a "super-red" and he just chases her away whenever she dances for him. They were close at one point to getting it on(he was signalling her and vibrating himself too) but i think he's fed up with her. It's almost like they(she) doesn't know what to do. She gets him to come after her, and she dashes away, and he says forget it honey! I think i may have a dud stud or something. When a M/F form a pair, do they physically prefer to swim and hide etc with that fish, or do they still do their own thing.? Many questions have i.

 

[Mikey]

P.S. will the female still signal if she isn't carrying any eggs? How long from the first sight of a male, until she can mate?

 

[aquaticclarity]

question ; is fry male/female ratio temp dependent ?

No, the sex ratio is determined by pH. 6.8-7.0 is a good range to get close to an even split in sex. Belowe 6.8 will start to produce more females and above 7.0 will start to produce more males. Tank raised strains of kribs may be a little less sensitive to the effects of pH but the general rue of thumb still applies. And Ted may dissagree, but I've noticed that some species of Pelvicachromis don't follow this rule perfectly.

Jeff

 

[aquaticclarity]

P.S. will the female still signal if she isn't carrying any eggs? How long from the first sight of a male, until she can mate?

Yes, I've seen none conditioned female kribs go through the display motions to a male. I couldn't tell you if it's the same dance or not, but it's very close. I think a female does this to "show intent". It's the possible start of courtship but more likely in my mind the female is saying "hey I'm a girl are you a boy"?

How quickly a female becomes gravid, full of eggs, is dependant on you. The foods you feed and the water conditions you keep the fish in will determine how quickly eggs are produced. With a good varied diet incluiding some live food (I use black worms and baby brine shrimp) AND a good general flake food with veggies in it a female could be conditioned in about 2 weeks assuming she is mature and in good health.

Jeff

 

[Zack Wilson]

You may also find that, to induce a good pair bond, you may need to add a second female. Generally speaking, I've found male kribs to be rather apathetic critters if there's no competitive courting phase. I almost always put more than one female with a male during pairing and allow the females to duke it out for the male's affections, after which I find the dominant female will pretty easily pair with the male. After the first spawn is brought out, the pair seems pretty stable and the other females can be removed. If you don't have a spacious tank with hiding places, the other females may become sacrificial due to the competetive violence.

 

[Mike Wise]

You might find the following discussion on the ACA forum of interest: http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=2508

I have had adult Kribs occupy the same tank for over 6 months before they decided to breed. Once they start & the first brood is successfully raised, there is no stopping them.