dither fish for malawi cichlids.

[vikram]

Guys.. i got 9 malawis (all abt 2 inch) in a 5 foot tank (85 Gallon).. there's lot of rock work.. They dart into caves if they see movement... I need some good dither fish so that the malawis dont hide all the time.. earlier, i had the same problem.. (in my old, smaller tank).. i added a few danios and the tank came alive!!! i transferred all the fish to my new 5 foot tank and added my auratus that was in a seperate tank.. all the danios ended up as snack for the auratus... now i need some fish to make my tank more active... how abt serpaes..i guess not strong enough right?? well.. tiger barbs..are they ok?? Pls suggest guys (i dont prefer giant danios or tinfoil barbs)..

Thanks in advance,
Vikram,
India.

 

[vikram]

Wht? no one on the forum knows wht dither fish are good with malawi? .. i thought i could count on this forum.. this being international.. i got enough answers on my local forum... guys .. plz educate me if u hav any ideas...
Thanks

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Just give people time, not everyone can spend every waking moment on the boards.

When did you introduce these fish to the tank? 2in in a big tank, let alone being new to the tank can make it scary for the fish, causing them to hide.

I would have suggested Giant Danios. Tiger barbs...ehh yes i guess they would work though it would not be my choice.

 

[Orion]

Yeah, danio's would have been my choice as they worked out well for my Tanganyikan's before. The best dithers were cyps IMHO. They added color, activity and of course made all the other fish come out. lol, but I wouldn't sugest cyps in with most malawi's.

I've noticed that often young fish in a big tank will not be out as much as if they were in a smaller tank. I'm sure they will eventualy grow into the tank and become used to it. Some cichlids can be picky about when they want to come out, and may take some longer than others to begin to feel comfortable.

 

[straitjacket]

Giant danios would have been my first siggestion as well, although to be truthful I'm not very fond of them myself. They're too fast IMO and their frantic swimming only stresses me out. That and they're always first to the food and often hog it all.
So, if you don't like those then perhaps some scissortail rasboras. They also get pretty big (6", same size as the mbuna) so they'll take up a considerable amount of space.
Another option are Buenos Aires tetras. These only reach 3 or 4" but man, can they ever hold their own.