Shy JD's

[Natalie]

I've always heard the reason for adding dithers in general is to make cichlids feel more secure. They figure that if other fish are out and about, then the environment must be safe enough and they can venture out too.

Of course, with naturally outgoing cichlids, they'll enjoy having dithers around simply because they want something to chase/kill. But all of my cichlids have perked up after the addition of dithers, whether it's because they're shy or simply looking for something interesting to do.

 

[cichlid savage]

With more movement in the tank the JD's can feel more comfortable and free to move around. Glad the dithers worked for you.

 

[WildCAught]

They feel more secure when other fish are around. When theres more fish theres more targets for predators... There is less chance you'll be lunch if there's alot of you. When you added the other fish it made them feel less vulnerable so they came out of their hiding spaces and resumed natural behavior.

 

[fsubulldogs]

well i am glad it worked. i am thinking about getting a couple more in the next couple days. because my JD's will come out for a minute or two then go and hide again. so if i add more then they will feel safer and come out more? i just hate it because they are such a good looking fish i want to see them more then at feeding time. thanks all for the info and suggestions

 

[WildCAught]

Yes, they will be more active with more fish. Don't worry too much about the amount of fish in there affecting their growth rate. JD's don't grow very fast anyway. What you need to worry about is the bioload caused by the waste of the fish. Make sure that you keep up the water changes.

 

[cain]

try using silver dollars as dithers works good for me

 

[fsubulldogs]

i am not to worried about the bio load at the moment. thats one thing i make sure i do. on my 55g i have an old school aquaclear 1000 that filters i think 750gph and i have a newer aquaclear that is rated for the 55g. and does about 330gph. i always keep 2 filters on my tanks and i do regular water changes. i like to keep healthy fish