Question about dithers for Kribensis

[Gamegurl564]

Howdy folks,
I recently got a pair of Kribenisis. They misbehaved badly in my 29 gallon community tank so I got them their own pad, a 20 gallon breeder.
Currently they are in there by themselves and doing great. I don't see them much which is ok but wondered if I should pop some dither fish in there for them.
Considering how aggressive the male was towards my Cory's I'm not sure. Cory's are definitely out and I can say with alot of certainty anyone thinking of mixing the two shouldn't.
I was thinking maybe a group of Rummy Nose tetras. I don't want them to be brutalized by my Kribs and wondered what you all thought.
Hope all are having a smurfy day.

 

[Colin_T]

If you want to breed the Kribensis, leave them alone and don't add dither fish.

If you want dither fish for bottom dwelling cichlids, avoid bottom or mid level fishes like catfish, loaches, tetras or anything else that lives in the bottom half of the tank. That is cichlid territory and dither fish in those areas usually die a brutal death.

 

[Gamegurl564]

Thanks Colin. They are happily digging digging digging. The female is getting a nice big red belly. I'm excited to see if they make some babies. Kribs are my favorite fish. The males color has changed a lot since putting them in the 20. He is a very dark blue grey with some amazing color.

 

[GaryE]

The goal with a dither is to have a fast surface fish that can avoid getting hit. The dither has to really annoy the breeding pair of Cichlids though, and that is easy to do. The threat of dithers as fry predators can pull the Cichlid couple together. Nothing makes people happier and easy to control than hate for someone different - it's a basic rule of politics that also applies to managing fish in a tank....

So if you take that route, and it is risky in a 20 (and as Colin noted, probably unnecessary), don't get something skittish like a rummy nose. With dithers, you have decided to prioritize the Cichlids at the expense of the shoalers, and the shoalers can die as a result of your choice. A 20 is a small tank for breeding kribs already. See if they breed as is.

Never put Corys near dwarf Cichlid pairss unless you have a large tank. I've read reports of the golden eyed dwarf (N anomala, a normally gentle fish) taking out the eyeballs of Corys to defend babies from them. The urge to protect fry and larvae in dwarf cichlids can be overwhelming, and it's cruel of us to put bottom oriented fish in harm's way once you know the rules your fish live and die by.

Dithers in a tall tank, up near the surface? It can work with minimal stress all around. But we're talking 21 to 24 inch (55-60cm) deep tanks., with 36 to 48 inch (90-120cm) front glass.

 

[Gamegurl564]

Thanks for your reply and the good information. The happy little couple is doing great.

 

[Gamegurl564]

Just an update. I kept these little lovlies alone apparently in wedded bliss. 3 weeks in and we have Babies!!! Such a cool thing.