mermaid Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Firstly I'd like to say a big HI to everyone! It's good to find a forum that deals with people in the same area as me - I've only been to American forums prior to this one! A bit about me: I'm a 19 year old female and I've been keeping fish for about 4 years. I bred Bettas for about 2yrs but had to give it up due to study which took up a lot of my time. At the moment we have 1 female Betta and 3 white clouds in a 20 gallon tank - there were more but as the years passed, so did the fish. The white clouds and the betta are heading towards being 4yrs old. Now for the new additions! My very first cichlids!! I went to a petshop in Richmond today, hoping to buy one Blue Ram. But when I got there, they didn't have any The clerk told me she was just ordering some in and some would be in tomorrow. I decided to ask about Kribs and she was extremely helpful. It turns out - she breeds them! A gorgeous brightly coloured female with a deep pink belly was showing off in the tank so I decided to purchase her. Then as a quick thought, I told her to pop a male into the bag too. Grabbed a packet of black worms, and off we went. They seem to be adjusting really well to their new tank. They had a bit of a quarrel over who was going to own the smaller green plant in the middle, but in the end, the female won. The male is sulking behind the filter, only coming out when I go near the tank. The female is the least shy of the two and she's my favourite. I named them Buffy and Spike I'll keep you updated as to how these two go. I'd love to hear from people - especially those who have kribs of their own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebe Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Hi Mermaid, nice to meet you. I am new here as well, so I'm not sure I am entitled to say it, but welcome aboard! I have a pair of Kribs which I am hoping will breed. My female is the boss, too. We seem to have quite a bit in common, as I am also a betta fan. I am currently hoping my blue delta tail will build a bubble nest for his lovely partner, but so far no luck and it has been almost a week since I showed her to him. Ah well. I'm in no hurry . See ya Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.apps Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 I dont own kribs, but will shortly ( I think?), Any way welcome, good luck and hope all goes well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 22, 2004 Author Share Posted January 22, 2004 ebe: Thanks for the welcome! My male seems to boss the female when shes busy showing off to me. He'll sneak up and nip her or headbutt her. But she gets him back and sends him off hiding behind the filter again. Buffy is very eager to get my attention, while Spike seems to look at me as though Im butting in. I'm wondering about breeding.. I have a flower pot in there, on its side, because I heard they like to breed in them. But! I have an undergravel filter. If I notice eggs should I turn it off?? I don't want to wake up one morning to find Buffy knocking on the tank to get my attention while screaming, "Help help!! My babies are being sucked into the Hell Mouth!!" (You'd get this joke if you watch the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) But seriously.. Im not keen on going on a rescue mission to save Willow, Xander, Giles and the rest of the babies which will be named after other characters in the tv show. Safer to turn off the filter til the babies are bigger?? D.apps: Thanks for the welcome too! I don't have any experience with any cichlids but these little guys are so fun to watch. They're extremely friendly and settled into their new tank almost straight away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazza Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Hi welcome to the board! Ill see you round wazza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbeer Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Mermaid (Ariel?) Good choice in first cichlid. I got my male from the same shop you got yours and he is a high quality fish. To answer your questions on breeding - Kribs are cave breeders that tend to like having a cave with a front and bag entrance IMHO. I use a rock which has some intricate caves when laid on the flat and it works nicely. It is a good idea to have dither fish in the tank - fish for ma and pa to belt up while looking after there young. Don't worry about the filter - neither the eggs or young will be sucked in. Oh yeah welcome and as you can tell - not a buffy fan but with kids I gotta ask. It is Ariel isn't it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 22, 2004 Author Share Posted January 22, 2004 gingerbeer: lol yes it is Ariel! We just got cable hooked up in our palace so I log online whenever Sebastian lets me. I headed inland to purchase myself some cichlids then swum back out to sea jk It's so nice to hear that someone has purchased fish from the same store as me and had success with them. All I can hope is that mine do as well. I'm kinda expecting something to go wrong as it is my first try with cichlids, but I have my fingers crossed for Buffy and Spike. Buffy is a real sweetie About an hour ago I got home and went into my room, switched on the tank light. It was like watching 2 sleepy drunks fighting to adjust to a light bulb! Poor little guys - they looked at me in confusion as they nestled down on the gravel. Probably wondering what on earth the crazy food lady was doing turning the lights on at that hour. I quickly switched it off and said sorry. I've only owned these two for half a day.. but I'm in love already. I'm planning on turning our 2ft tank into another cichlid tank once the fighter passes on. I'm thinking of moving our 3 white clouds over to Buffy and Spike's tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 I got my first Kribs today too (Thanks Show) Not even close to being able to breed yet.. but i'm not worried.. I saw them in LFS about 3 weeks ago, only males though but i feel in love with them and have wanted them ever since and now i do .. 1 small one, 2 kind of bigger ones, and a Albino one too Pretty lil' fellas. Oh i also got a male and female Green Terror off him. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 Congrats on your new kribs + the rest of the gang! My little sweeties have won my heart. I woke up this morning, sat up in bed and looked at the tank to find them both trying to get my attention straight away. My parents think it's funny that they shy away from everyone else except for me. They'll hide in the plants or in/behind the flower pot if someone else comes near the tank. As soon as they see me they rush out and put on a show with their fins. They love the black worms and so far that's all they'll eat. I tried to get them to eat flakes but they just werent interested. I'm going to try and raise some mosquito larvae in a container for them. It's hard because they don't like to eat things that float on the surface, or sit on the gravel. They only eat the food while its in the middle of the tank, floating around. Any food suggestions? Is it okay to let them have a diet of live food as their main food? Or I should say, is it okay to have live black worms as the main part of their diet? Black worms are easy for me to access, and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Hi Mermaid Welcome to the SCP You will find some people here that have been keeping and breeding Kribs for many years and can help with your Kribs Melb Bill and Simon thats your que Kribs can be pushy to the point of death if there isn't enough territory, especially after spawning when the female has been know to nail the male Lots of structure helps as does heavy planting If feeding live food is no problem then I see no reason to change but .......... it is very difficult to get the fish back to commercial foods when they are use to a regular feed of live food Try and get some sample packets at LFS or just buy the smallest available pack to try it, I think sinlking micro or mini pellets will work better than flake Good luck and keep us posted L2H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 24, 2004 Author Share Posted January 24, 2004 Well I woke up this morning to find all the Black Worms dead.. I should have researched them! heh. Stupid new owner. Ah well.. I finally found one other food they will eat! They're little black ball type things but they're made for Bettas. After a while they sink, so the kribs chase them and gobble them up. The male thinks he runs the tank now, so Buffy stays up in the top water weeds near the surface, while Spike controls the rest of the tank. It's so hard to feel cross at him though because hes no longer shy and shows off to me a lot. He's a very curious little fella, busy body I'd call him. Funny thing is I put a strand of blue plastic stars (broke off my door beads) on the desk in front of the tank and both the male and female rushed over to check out what they were. They liked them so much that the female showed off her big pink belly and they did a sort of dance together for a while. But then they got bored with the beads and now she is back in the reeds. Hopefully once I buy the bigger tank she'll come out as much as him. I'm getting our other tank ready for some convicts that'll join us in about a month (thanks D.apps!). I'm so excited about the idea of owning convicts. From photos I've seen, they look adorable how they're always 'smiling'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzacam Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 LOL that's what i always told me mum dad and sisters, that my convicts looked as if they were smiling at me! They thought i was starting to go crazy or something . Convicts are a lovely fish but i wouldn't reccomnded putting them with other fish... Even bigger fish, they'll boss them... They take no shizza from no fish Fun to watch though (The female when there's free swimming small fry), My Male just hides in the pot once the fry are free swimming... Only comes out to try and get me away from tank Cheers, Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Hi Mermaid yes blackworms do need certain conditions to keep them A container in the fridge is the best thing (I recommend the vegie crisper but my wife doesn't) and give them water canges every day or two this will keep them good for the fish until you need to restock The female Convict in full colour is an awesome sight I feel with all the gold colouring on the belly and through the dorsal Enjoy your fish L2H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Hi Mermaid What shop in Richmond was that? I'm often up that way. I have Kribs too and have bred them. They are nice fish. I wouldn't mind a gecko at the shop, if she breeds them herself they may be nice. Most shop kribs that I see are very ordinary. What size tank do you have them in? I would persist with trying alternate foods. You may find they eat other stuff when they have settled in some more. Let them get a little hungry first. All my kribs have been very unfussy eaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 mezzacam: Heh yeah from what I read, they're very nice fish - on their own. I'm just going to get a pair of them, as I don't want to watch my convicts act out their homicidal maniac fantasties on my other fish Link2Hell: Problem is I'm not allowed to keep the worms in the fridge.. I guess it'll be better in winter as it's cold almost 24/7 then, right? fiona: It's the petshop that's in the main shopping center. I didn't know there was any other petshops up that way?? If there are, I'd love to know their locations so I can pop in and have a look! Well my fish have settled down and formed a pair - I found out the problem. They HATE the undergravel filter. Problem is, they're going to need filtration. But as soon as it's turned on, the male attacks the female and she swims off to hide. Within seconds of turning it off, they swim back together. At the moment they're only in a 5 gallon (too small, I know) but I'm purchasing a 10 gallon from Penrith for $80 asap. Oh! good news - they're eating flakes! I think they worked out that that is all they'd be getting as a main meal, and now they love it! They actually beg for flakes heh. It's so cute to see. On a side note - cichlids are becoming so popular! I was up at Richmond petshop just yesterday and they were almost sold out! When I bought my Kribs, almost half their tanks had cichlids in them - and not just one or two, usually 5 to 10! They had sold out of rams and firemouths, so they were ordering them and other cichlids in. They arrived the next day. Now it has been a week and those fish have sold out AGAIN, and so have nearly all other cichlids. I only noticed 3 kribs left [1 female, 2 males - the female was gorgeous]. I didn't know they had become so popular! Sadly, they don't stock convicts though. Does anyone know a petshop in West Sydney that stocks convicts? I'm looking for pinks and/or zebras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbeer Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Ariel, I used to live in West Sydney and my favorite shops were (in no particular order): South Windsor Fish Hatchery - can't remember the address but they are at a big roundabout along the main road through windsor heading towards Penrith. They occasionally have nice dwarfs - had wild rams at one stage. A drive over to Penrith to Wet and Dry Pets is again worth its while. They are a pretty good store with some nice dwarfs (gernerally has cacatoides and boreli) and a bit of everything. Best trip from home was into Parramatta. Visit Lams for high quality fish (exports them himself), sometime though a bit predictably stocked. I have seen the nicest German blue rams at Lams I have ever seen. Occasionally very nice dwarfs in here. Once done at LAMS (do not spend all your money yet) head to Rod's Garage Sale. His shop is called something Produce (- help me someone). I call it a garage sale cuase you never know what you will find there, usually something to make me stop and curse the expense of kids. This is the cichlid keepers ultimate store. His only tanks without cichlids are his token goldfish tanks and his killie tanks. He generally has some Dwarfs in stock. Also you mentioned th Kribs don't like it when you turn your filter on. Your filter should always be on as bactreria grow in the gravel and will die if you turn off the filter. At a guess you are turning it off because it makes too much noise at night?? If this is the case- go get a power head (little pump that goes to the top of the pipe up from the gravel). Ths will be quieter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebe Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 I wouldn't be surprised if the kribs get used to the UGF just as they got used to the flake food. Any filter really does need to be on all the time. If it is the noise bothering you, is it the airpump? If so I'm not sure a powerhead will help. Since you are upgrading to a bigger tank you will no doubt consider an alternative to the UGF. FWIT, I have also heard anecdotal evidence that plants and UGF's don't go together well so if you want to continue to grow plants and you have to have a UGF you might consider anubias/java fern/java moss on driftwood rather than planted in the substrate. I'm very happy to hear how well B and S are going (HEY! Buffy & Spike = B&S. I am such a sad case). Anyway - I have also always loved convicts but never had the tank space for them. Very very cute though. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mermaid Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 gingerbeer: Ah yes I know the petshop you mean, the one in south windsor near the round-about. I'll have to check it out - I've only been there once, about 2 years ago. I'll also go look at the one in Penrith. No I'm not turning the filter off because it makes too much noise at night, I turned it off because my kribs didn't like it. Infact, I find it easier to sleep with the noise of the filter - I can't stand silence. I think I may have solved the problem though, I think they didn't like the airpump vibrating on the desk, so I put a soft book underneath it and it seems to have helped. Spike is still a bit aggressive (he doesn't like the bubbles) but at least he is letting Buffy near him. I think he'll get used to it. ebe: Yeah I'll buy a different type of filter for the new tank. I love the look of plants on driftwood so I'll pop around petshops getting the prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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