Kribensis or better known as rainbow krib is one of the most beautiful dwarf cichlid you will ever find. Perhaps the colors are not that attractive during normal condition but during the breeding season, the female kribensis will start to show full attractive coloration with the bright red appearance on its belly. On other parts of the body, there will be a display of variety of color mix with combination of purple, yellow, orange and light green appearing on its smooth skin and especially on the fin and gill. In fact, other aquarists have even come to name it as purple cichlid.Kribensis will make a wonderful pet fish and is also considered one of the best aquarium species for your community tank. They are somehow peaceful loving fish that will live along well with other tank mates and will not exhibit aggressive behavior except during mating season. So far, I’ve seen before kribensis mixed together with other community fish species like gourami, different kinds of tetras especially neon fish, pleco, clown loach and even angelfish with all happily living together. When it comes to caring for your rainbow krib, they are generally accepted as beginner freshwater fish for its hardy nature which can adapt to different water setup although the best condition should have pH around 7.0 to 7.5 and temperature in the range of 24 to 28 degree Celsius.
Breeding kribensis will occur naturally without your intervention as long as requirements on diet and good water quality are fulfilled. Kribensis males can easily be differentiated by the larger body size with pointy and sharp-end tail fin while the females have plump and round bodies especially when they are full with eggs. In fact, the belly region will become more reddish than usual times and once you notice your fish start to form a pair, they will find a hiding place for mating. If you do not have a tank full of live plants, I would suggest getting an artificial aquarium cave or you can use inverted clay pot for your pets. Soon enough you will notice free swimming fish fry coming out from the hiding spot and practically, you don’t have to do anything because the parents will care for them.
In about a week, you can start to offer hatched brine shrimp or you can use crushed egg yolk. The fry will follow the mother closely and if she sense that there is a threat with other fish approaching, she will turn aggressive and may attack. I would suggest moving other tank mates out from the aquarium as a precaution so that they will not be harmed. At the same time, you must also ensure that the aquarium filter is regularly checked and perform only partial water change to ensure that the water stays clean. I would suggest getting a trickle filter system setup that will clean the water more thoroughly while at the same time, avoid strong water turbulence which will make the fry harder to maintain balance in the water.
List of other beginner freshwater fish: guppy, platy, swordtail
