Will Cichlids grow faster without chasing dither fish ?

[qguy]

So will Cichlids grow faster without chasing dither fish ? I have a dovii in a 250 with 3 bala sharks, he chases them around, but not unrelentlessly, wondering if he is wasting energy that could have been used for growth instead of chasing the bala sharks. Just worried that he may never come out of his cave if I remove the bala shark

 

[Stanzzzz7]

With or without Bala sharks your dovii will one day find his feet,become confident and swim around that tank like he owns it.
Exercise will only aid growth and not slow it down.
I would remove the Bala sharks because sooner or later they will become target practice for your dovii.Plus in a 250 your dovii will need all the that space and more.

 

[qguy]

Eventually the bala sharks will be removed, for now there able to escape

 

[cichlidfish]

Eventually the bala sharks will be removed, for now there able to escape

Yeah I'd imagine they are much faster than the dovii. But keep an eye on that dovii, because he will eventually figure out how to get one lol.
I agree that it's good for the growth. The dovii is a smart fish, and it gives him something to do.

 

[neutrino]

With or without Bala sharks your dovii will one day find his feet,become confident and swim around that tank like he owns it.
Exercise will only aid growth and not slow it down.
I would remove the Bala sharks because sooner or later they will become target practice for your dovii.Plus in a 250 your dovii will need all the that space and more.

Exactly. To go all anthropomorphic on the subject, which kid is more likely grow up strong and healthy, the kid who's outside running around and active, or the kid who does nothing but sit on the couch playing video games? More to the point, I've seen reports on science and aquaculture studies demonstrating something similar with fish, where limited, bare, non-stimulating environments inhibit their development, including brain size and even swimming skills vs. environments in which they're more stimulated and active.

Not to say they must have dither fish to chase or that the following is where you're coming from, but by way of comparison-- some fishkeepers approach the subject of growth as if they were fattening cows for market, focusing on the fastest route to ultimate size. In this scenario they might 'power feed' or overfeed in terms of overall volume of food or in terms of protein ratio, and in this scenario they might reason they don't want their fish expending energy they could use to put on size. But it's been demonstrated repeatedly (aquaculture studies) this isn't in the best long term health and life interests of the fish, or most any other animal.