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Hi, wondering if anyone has had this happen to their krib. I recently bought a pair, the female already in breeding colours. Once settled in their heavily planted new home, they disappeared to the rear of the tank & didn't come out. For days, I saw no more than very infrequent glimpse of them & it was like the tank was empty. They didn't even come out for food.

On Saturday out they come to the front of the tank, on good terms with each other & both equally caring for their substantial batch of fry. The female however, is now minus her tail. It is a very neat - looks like it was cut off with a pair of sharp scissors.

Has anyone had this happen to their krib. I guess the male bit it off - but how did he do it so neatly - why is it not a circular or ragged edge? The only other residents are 2 otos & there's nothing else in the tank that could have done this. If it was the male, why did he do it. The female was in breeding colours, so doesn't that mean she was ready & willing - so surely no need for such aggression. She does not seem bothered by the loss of tail.

Here's a picture - see the neat cut - not jagged.

Will it grow back?

Will it be ok for the fry to add melafix & pimafix to help her heal & prevent infection. She does not appear to have trouble swimming or if she does, she masks it well.
Is this normal in Krib mating rituals

Thanks in advance for help.

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Cheers
TW

I've not seen that before, but kribs can be rather nippy until they form a strong pair. Depending upon the tank size, a second female might provide a distraction and strengthen the pair bond.

As for treatment, if there is no sign of fungus, I'd let it heal on it's own. I had 4 fish lose substantial parts of their tails to a nasty jewel cichlid and all grew back fine...but keep up on those water changes!

Eric

Thanks Big E

The parents were behaving from Saturday until last night as the perfect partners - parenting with teamwork. Something happened last night & I don't know what. The male has decided the female can't go near the fry anymore. Whilst he always returns to the fry, he was leaving them to chase the female away. He would swim off with such sudden speed, that the fry were blown around by his swoosh through the water. I left things as they were for 24hrs, to see if the parents would return to their peaceful partnership. The fry seemed stressed by all this too, becoming less active, hugging low to the substrate instead of bouncing around, as had been their habit.

The female was clearly losing the battle, but not giving up. Wherever the dad & fry were in the tank, she was directly above them at the top of the tank, looking downon them. Every few minutes, she would tentatively attempt to rejoin the group, but was being violently chased away. She was clearly stressed by being away from the fry & was looking clearly worn out & just downright sad.

Not knowing what to do, I have put the dad in a breeding net in the tank (the naughty corner).

I'm wondering if I leave him in there for 24 hrs, if that may break his cycle of aggression. My plan is to put him back in the tank at a time when I can hang around & watch, so I can remove him if he plays up again.

I am wondering if this separation will cause any difference in his behaviour with the fry. Will the 24hr separation break his bond with them & cause him to forget & snack on them.

I don't want to loose these fry. They seem so healthy & active & are eating BBS really well. Tonight they even tried eating some brine shrimp I gave the mum. They couldn't eat them, but caused them to be wounded & no longer able to swim away. I had to laugh when there was one brine shrimp, with a fry grabbing on to it - one from each end.

Anyway, any advice on how the dad might act with the fry if I return him to the tank would be appreciated. Have any of your had this experience and how did you handle it. Any chance of him eating the fry & I guess I will find a more permanent rehousing solution for him.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers
TW

Unfortunately, I've not had that happen. It's worth a try putting him back in after a week or two and see how he does.

My pair were seperated by the LFS guy (they were a pair at the store) when he accidentally caught the wrong male (it was hard to tell when the entire tank was stressed and lost color). When I got them home, the female beat the crud out of the male, I took him back a few days later, and I saw what I thought was the correct male. I put him in and they immediately paired up!

So, the morale of my story is that if they really are a good pair they'll likely remember each other. If not, you might need to find a different male.

ERic

Thanks Big E

I'm not so worried about how the male & female act together, although of course I hope they return to their peaceful ways of a few days ago.

What I am hoping someone can tell me is how a male separated from his fry (of whom he was very caring) will act towards them when rejoined. How long a separation needs to be before it will cause him to forget about his protective relationship with them.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers
TW