Krib eating driftwood

[Gamegurl564]

Hi,
I recently put some Anubias on driftwood into my Kribensis tank.
The only residents are one female Krib and two Nerite snails.
She absolutely loves the driftwood and I see her nibbling at it a lot. I saw a pile of brown stuff and sucked it up with my trusty ol turkey baster.
Its not feces but tiny bits of wood I think.
I am kinda new at this.
Is this typical cichlid behavior?
Thanks
GG

 

[GaryE]

What she's feeding on is probably bacteria on the wood, and if the wood is a wee bit rotten on the outside, she's pulling pieces off. Kribs are "detritivores". They feed on debris along the bottom of streams, picking off the invertebrates, bacteria and plant matter in it. They're classic bottom feeders.
Keeping Cichlids is a class in evolution and adaptation. There are no rules for the group, but there are specializations for species. We have detritus eaters, fish eaters, snail eaters, algae eaters, fry eaters, even eye and scale eaters. If the environment provides an opportunity where Cichlids and other fish are present, they'll take advantage and develop structures and feeding instincts to adjust to it.
How you keep a detritivore krib is different from a mid water Cichlid, and so on. It's fun to figure out.

 

[Gamegurl564]

Cheers Gary.
I always enjoy the information you pass along.
Andddd I learned a new word.
I have been reading some scientific papers about the rapid evolutions occuring in Lake Victoria and neighboring Cichlid environs.
The exact numbers elude me but they are talking about what you just posted.
A cichlid for every niche there.
If I'm ever able I'd like to mess with those mini shell dwellers.
Thanks for your reply

 

[GaryE]

The shell dwellers need hard water, the opposite of kribs. Both are very cool beasts.