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Kribs

  • #21
Thanks biggun.  That website doesn't really have much info, but some good pics.  I've heard about the legendary Uncle Ned's, but i'm footbound, so i haven't made it there before.

I have an aponogeton in my tank that just doesn't want to be healthy.  The leaves turn brown and die soon after they are produced (you can see them in the photo here).  Do you use a fertilzer for your plants?

Here are a couple newer, cool (if fuzzy) pics of the kribs and a new neon pink plant i picked up:
20030425-AQ-Krib male, danio, anubias flower bud, neon plant.jpg
20030425-AQ-Krib pair, platy pair, danio, anubias flower bud, neon plant.jpg


And some GOOD NEWS!  The female Krib is only leaving her new cave briefly today, to grab a bite.  I'm hoping that means she's guarding eggs!  Wahoo!
 
  • #22
Hi D muscipula,

That's a good sign
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. Judging from the pictures, the Kribs look to be in breeding dress. The male is especially nice. Is the male guarding the surrounding area?
The pink plant does well with CO2 and lots of light. I forget what genus it is. Telanthera, I think.
That's weird the Apon. ulvaceus won't grow. They are usually pretty easy but its leaves are easily damaged. The snails may be getting its fine leaves. It needs fertilizer -- liquid iron based for the leaves. I like Dupla24 the best. It seems expensive but isn't when you consider how little you use and I only use it like 3 times a week, not daily as recommended. Ulvaceus likes alot of light but is very forgiving about water chemistry. The fertilizer will help the plants outgrow the algae.
Let me know how the Kribs do.
Nice Anubias flower. I have one flowering now too.
I just got 2 new swordtail/platy species. One is Xiphophorus malinche and the other is a cool little platy with a tiny sword on the male -- X. xiphidium. They are hiding now. I hope they settle in well. The platy turns purple when mature with barring.

Bobby
 
  • #23
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (biggun110 @ May 08 2003,11:37)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Judging from the pictures, the Kribs look to be in breeding dress.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

That's what I thought. The thing is, they've looked like this for weeks - this pic was taken more than a week ago! Well, i'm not complaining!!!

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> Is the male guarding the surrounding area?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
That depends. Does "surrounding area" mean the whole tank? He's sure become aggressive!

That's strange about the plants. I have been adding drops with chelated micronutrients, a la PMDD (but without the macronutrients) since the Apon. started shedding its leaves so rapidly, thinking iron deficiency was the problem. It hasn't really helped, so lately in "panic", i've been adding rather unscientific doses of macronutrients as well, which is probably the reason for the huge growth of black algae. The plants, however, still seem to be lacking something. The pink plant has the same brownish-dull cast to its pink that the apon. leaves have before they die. It's not the same look as the "faded" chlorolysis (sp?) from before i started adding iron, it's a brown cast to the entire leaf.

I really would like to figure out what's wrong. I tried the CO2 to see if that would help, but it obviously hasn't gotten to the root of the problem (no pun intended).

So, do you only add iron, then?


I didn't realize Platies were so variable and colorful. I guess the ones seen in LFS tanks are typically the "garbage" varieties - the cape sundews, if you will - of the genus. Not that they aren't nice, just common.
 
  • #24
Hi D muscipula,

Oh, you have a stud
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. The whole tank. I had a Pel. subocellatus male once take over an entire 55 gallon when the pair spawned. He was #### on wheels. I bet a krib could be just as bad.
Hmmm. That is weird on the plants. Did the ulvaceus still have its bulb when you bought it? Did you plant it too deeply? Is the water overly warm where it is at? If it fails, try Apon. crispus, bovinianus or longiplumulosus. They are easy and big. If you look in the "mystery bulb" bowl at the LFS, the long dark hairy bulbs are crispus and the round lighter colored bulbs are ulvaceus. Do the floaters cut the light on the ulvaceus? Are the light bulbs over 18 months old? If nothing works, you might try hard alkaline water. Core problems for me or always lack of good light or the wrong water chemistry.
I use Dupla drops about 3 times a week and Plant Tabs about every 2-3 months. I have heavily stocked tanks and I feed alot so there is alot of natural fertilizer
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. The one time I had a problem tank it turned out the lights were 3 years old. When I loose crypts or Val., it means I am way behind on water changes.
Yeah, wild type livebearers are cool. They are not always as flashy as the hybrids but some are. Montezumae swords have swords twice as long as the body so a good male, with sword, can be 8 inches long. They also have big round dorsal fins that are covered in black spotting. Nezzie swords are sky blue with a curved orange sword and a huge yellow dorsal fin. I have a little guppy-like livebearer called Phalloceros caudimaculatus reticulatus that is naturally yellowish gold with lots of black dots. They are hardy, peaceful and prolific.
What do you plan on feeding the babies?

Bobby
 
  • #25
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Something must have gone wrong. When i came home today, he was still chasing around the fish, and i couldn't see her. Then she finally came out of the cave.... the OTHER cave - all the way across the tank. It's much, much too soon for the fry to be free-swimming, right? Takes several weeks, i thought. I guess that means he's not such a stud after all? 8(

Well, i know they sometimes take a couple tries. It's just strange that they're still acting that way.

The ulvaceus had the bulb, and i buried it just under the substrate. I've tried putting some Planttabs down there, didn't see any obvious improvement. I feed a lot, but i get black algae out of the deal, and my plants still act starved. Must be something awry.

I'll have to check out those livebearers sometime... if i can ever get my kribs to do their thing and thereby give me hope of ever breeding fish...

I have some green water with little bug things in it for the fry. I read somewhere that they'll eat plant matter and nibble at crushed flake, too. I may not have to worry about that for awhile, it seems.
 
  • #26
Hi D muscipula,

Hmmmmm. It takes about 4 days for the eggs to hatch and about 4 days for the fry to become free swimming. They might have hatched and she moved them as wigglers.
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I hope that's it.
Are you using real Plant Tabs?They are good but they are high in phosphate which could explain the black algae. Also any pH products might have phosphates.
It keeps sounding like you don't have enough light.
D, green water is kind of small for kribs. It might be ok for a day. They will usually eat crushed flakes. Live baby brine shrimp is the best for 3 weeks or more. Microworms are cheap and easy to grow. You can smash up frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp for them too.
They'll get it together sooner or later. When you think they've bred again leave a little room lamp on at night for "moonlight".

bobby
 
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