A pair of Kribs in a Platy tank?

I've got a 40 Breeder tank that I'm cycling with Platies. My
intention was to put some corys in for the bottom, but my reading has
got me interested in Cichlids. Some questions:

Are Kribs a good choice for beginner cichlid? Rams were another that
were suggested to me, but from what I've read they are pickier about
the water and harder to breed. I would have considered Convicts (and
removed all the other fish), but I'd like to be able to get people to
take any young (maybe even trade them to the LFS) if I'm sucessful in
breeding.

Some people have talked about having Kribs in a tank with mollies,
with the mollies being banished to the top of the tank during
breeding. Would this work with platies as well, or should I move them
to another tank?

Other suggestions for tank mates?

I have similar questions. Are there cichlid types more likely to
breed and better when it comes to trading at the LFSs. What type are
less picky about their water temp and quality. (I have very hard
water) Which ones are more likely to develop a relationship with their
owners. Which one are more mellow? And would you recommend a cichlids
to a beginner in the aquarium world. Thanks for all your input.

yeah I have them in with mollies
there's a few male platys in that tank too they are fine
I cant have the water super salty like live bearers can tolerate but it can
still be a little hard and salty, the kribs breed for me in those
conditions, my pH is pretty neutral though, I've read the ratio of males to
females gets lop sided the further in any direction your pH is from 7
so for a pair forming fish I try to keep it even.
I also have a few larger species of tetra in there and a recently pair of
gouramis which are maybe a little too agressive, I prefer fish that just run
away from the kribs rather than trying to stand thier ground (even if it is
only for a few seconds).

"Phil" wrote in message ...
yeah I have them in with mollies
there's a few male platys in that tank too they are fine
I cant have the water super salty like live bearers can tolerate but it can
still be a little hard and salty, the kribs breed for me in those
conditions, my pH is pretty neutral though, I've read the ratio of males to
females gets lop sided the further in any direction your pH is from 7
so for a pair forming fish I try to keep it even.
I also have a few larger species of tetra in there and a recently pair of
gouramis which are maybe a little too agressive, I prefer fish that just run
away from the kribs rather than trying to stand thier ground (even if it is
only for a few seconds).

I have Diant Danios, Kribs, Keyholes, Platys, Otos, Farlewella and
corys with no problem. I tried to get a pair of Kribs, but my "male"
matured into a female. They all do very well together with no
problems. The Danios, while not overtly aggressive, do tend to swim
through, rather than around, other fish. They were all added over a
number of months while young. I tried to add a few more cute juvenile
Platys only to find the more aggressive Krib biting at the bag. I
moved the Platys to my White Cloud tank and will try again when they
are bigger. Needless to say, with this mix you are unlikely to have
fry survive. My Platy's have bred and the fry never survive more than
a day or so.

Kribs' can get very aggressive if breeding. I change the water each
week which keeps my Krebs' colours very bright! They are beautiful
when in full colour. However, the #1 Krib will go into a cave on
occasion and dart out viciously protecting an area around the cave.
The other fish do not appear afraid and the Krib appears only to push
the fish (especially the corys) around. The corys always give way,
but they have short memories so they head on back. The "push" does
seem quite violent, but so far none of the others have been injured.
As I said, I have two females so things may get touchy with a real
pair. You would need to research the size of the Krib's territory to
ensure that there is enough room for other fish to swim about without
constantly harrassing the Krib.

I am a beginner and have never had problems with my Kribs. My
research suggests that they are sensitive to ammonia and nitrates but
otherwise fairly adaptable within reason.