Striped kribensis

Care at a glance

Overview

Buy a group of six juveniles and let a pair form, then keep that pair in a tank of 71 liters or larger. They are mostly peaceful and stick to the bottom, but they turn territorial around the nest when breeding. Keep the water at 24 to 26 C, pH 6 to 7.5, and soft, and give them caves or clay pots for spawning. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and the occasional vegetable matter. They do well in a community of small characins and rasboras that stay up in the water column and out of the cave.

In the wild

Striped kribensis come from soft, slightly acidic streams along the coast of southern Nigeria and Cameroon. The bottom is sand or fine gravel with leaf litter, roots, and crevices the fish tuck into. To match that, give them a tank of at least 71 liters with a sand or fine gravel floor and a few caves or clay pots they can claim. Keep the water warm at 24 to 26 C and on the acidic to neutral side, around pH 6 to 7.5.

Good to know

This is a West African dwarf cichlid in the family Cichlidae, reaching about 8 cm as an adult. It is a cave spawner, and the pair guards the eggs and fry together once they form a bond. Several color morphs exist in the trade, so keep one line rather than crossing them. With good care these fish live several years.

Did you know

These fish form strong pair bonds and raise their young as a team, with both parents herding the fry and chasing off anything that gets close to the nest. They are shy by nature, so a settled pair with a cave to defend will act far bolder than a single fish stuck out in the open.

Related species

• 

  Ocellated kribensis

  Pelvicachromis subocellatus

  3.9 in (10 cm)21 gal (80 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Giant kribensis

  Pelvicachromis sacrimontis

  3.9 in (10 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Yellow Kribensis

  Pelvicachromis humilis

  4.9 in (12.5 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Kribensis

  Pelvicachromis pulcher

  3.9 in (10 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Golden dwarf cichlid

  Nannacara anomala

  3.1 in (8 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Hongsloi dwarf cichlid

  Apistogramma hongsloi

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–84°F (23–29°C)