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Holy cow - I've been staying away from Kribs for a while because I did not think they were that great. Turns out I was just looking at the wrong pics! I broke down and bought a pair for my planted 90 gallon at the LFS because they looked nice and people here have been telling me to get them for years. I got them home and they colored up magnificently! Much nicer than they were at the LFS.

The male has a light red belly and silvery blue tips that turn to red on the front of his dorsal fin with yellow tips that turn to red along the rest all the way to the point of his dorsal fin. He's also got a marvelous eyespot on his tail.

The female is a real stunner! She has a deep purple belly and pelvic fins with a bright yellow chin. Her dorsal fin has the same bright yellow with red tips extending about 2/3 of the way along her dorsal fin. Her tail fin has a green irridescence about it. They both have blue irridescence around the gills. Absolutely gorgeous. If you are thinking about getting some, just do it!

If the looks weren't enough, the behavior is great. These fish love to follow each other around exploring the tank. They're a lot of fun to watch. I tihnk they're deciding which of the caves I built them is suitable for mating - or at least I hope so!

My Tank

Now you understand why I chose my name! They are magnificent fish! Gorgeous has tonnes of personality and she is so beautiful, she is my favorite fish I have to say. Congrats on owning kribs!

They really don't look all that great in the tanks at the stores, once they get into their homes they become beautiful and we wonder why we didn't get them sooner.

Now that you have kribs there are a few things you need to know, while young the females will come into a sort of heat, I have noticed it coressponds with lowered pH in the tank. Her belly will turn very deep purple, and her pelvic fins almost black. She will become a bit moody and peck at the male and the other fish. You need to be sure he has places to hide, she will chase him to get what she wants and having dither fish is a good idea. If they decide to breed you may have to move them to a different tank or expect some losses, they become pretty aggressive. Generally in much larger tanks this is not an issue, but in smaller tanks it can be a serious issue. As far as cichlids go they are gentle and sweet, but they still have the instincts for breeding. I would love to get Gorgeous a mate, but then I would need another tank. Oh darn!

Here's my babe at feeding time.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/luvmypetz/GorgeousisHungry.jpg

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

I've recently joined the club

Saw them on sale for the first time here in Jakarta. I was a bit worried they might harass the Rams so I just got one to try out on Saturday.

Glad to say I'm very happy, nice looking fish, still a bit pale but settled right in and is very active and eating well. Very peaceful and quite happily shares space with the Rams. It's a biggish tank, almost 70 gals and a jungle so plenty of spaces and retreats.

Very happy so far.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Yep, I've got a 90 with a bunch of little caves and lots of plants so he's got some places to hide. I've also got some silver tip tetras and a few danios (leftovers from the cycle), both of which I think probably make decent dither fish. Once everyone else gets bigger, I will probably give up the smaller fish (provided they don't become food) and get some rainbows. I was considering a large shoal of tiger barbs as well once everyone is bigger, but I'm not sure I want to chance it. What do you think?