View Full Version : South American Dither Fish
BigAds
05-03-2008, 2:38 PM
Still looking ahead at stocking my 36 gallon bow front... which we've settled on having as a south american community, with 1 Angelfish, 1 Ram (German blue probably, thoughts on Bolivian?), 6 peppered corydoras, 4 ottos, and a school of small dither fish (6-7 of them that won't overload my tank considering the others)... which is where I'm at a little bit of a loss.
I've been considering going with 6 Lemon Tetras, 7 Glolight Tetras, or 7 Von Rio Tetras... but I've been getting some conflicting responses/information on whether any of these would be good choices. We'd really like something that'll stand out against our natural colored gravel and small red slate caves, as well as the driftwood and light/moderate (silk) plants I'm planning on buying in the next couple days-after figuring out what kinds I should get to make the dither fish happy. I've already planned on buying some val., amazon sword, and bacopa, and a couple other types of south american fake plants to put around the edges.
I plan on keeping the water around 81*, and have a high pH around 8-8.2... that coupled with the fact that I'm still quite new at all this has me looking for only relatively hardy fish. I am currently and plan on continuing to test and do 50% pwc with thorough gravel vacuuming every weekend... so I should be able to keep relatively good water parameters.
With all that in mind, what are some good dither fish I should consider, or silk plants that I might check out for "authentic" decoration and hiding?
Sidenote... my python should arrive Tuesday! I have no problems lifting or carrying it, but I'm tired of the monotony of hauling a 10 gallon rubbermaid bin of water around- it hasn't been fun doing 2 pwc a day while trying to get rid of the ich I've been blessed with.
Marinemom
05-03-2008, 2:49 PM
Have you considered rasboras? I love the harlequins and the brilliant rasboras are just lovely.
Marinemom
BigAds
05-03-2008, 2:54 PM
Have you considered rasboras? I love the harlequins and the brilliant rasboras are just lovely.
Marinemom
I really did want to go with 7 harlequin rasboras since I first learned about the benefit of having dither fish with angels... but I've decided I want to stick with S. American fish. I don't know anything about the brilliant rasbora, but am guessing it too is asian :(
leighasnana
05-03-2008, 2:57 PM
What do you mean by dither fish? If you're referring to a school of fish I'd recommend harlequin rasboras. They're a hardy fish and they school nicely. They colour up beautifully after they settle in. This is one fish that looks exactly like the pics you'll find on the internet. They look washed out at the store but in the tank they're gorgeous. I have mine in a community of non aggressive fish.
As for the rams. I've never had luck with store bought german blue rams. They live for awhile and will die for no apparent reason. I may try them again but I'll get them tank bred from someone local. I wouldn't recommend them as a beginner fish and I think they'd do better in an established tank. Bolivians are supposed to be a hardier fish. I've never kept them though.
BigAds
05-03-2008, 3:40 PM
What do you mean by dither fish? If you're referring to a school of fish I'd recommend harlequin rasboras. They're a hardy fish and they school nicely. They colour up beautifully after they settle in. This is one fish that looks exactly like the pics you'll find on the internet. They look washed out at the store but in the tank they're gorgeous. I have mine in a community of non aggressive fish.
As for the rams. I've never had luck with store bought german blue rams. They live for awhile and will die for no apparent reason. I may try them again but I'll get them tank bred from someone local. I wouldn't recommend them as a beginner fish and I think they'd do better in an established tank. Bolivians are supposed to be a hardier fish. I've never kept them though.
By dither fish I meant something peaceful and relatively active, to keep my angelfish feeling more secure and less like hiding all day.
Yeah I do worry a bit about keeping a GBR, but I'm willing to give it a try in no small part because one of my lfs does occasionally get some in that are tank-bred here.
soobie
05-03-2008, 4:43 PM
I have glowlight tetras and black neon tetras, and they're both great. The glowlights are really pretty.
Hooked Newbie
05-03-2008, 6:28 PM
Rummies.
jm1212
05-03-2008, 7:58 PM
i say go with lemons.
Sploke
05-03-2008, 8:07 PM
rummynose or black neon tetras
BigAds
05-03-2008, 8:50 PM
What would be the benefits between the lemons or the rummy nose? From what I've seen neither are especially colorful... though I've only seen them overstocked at my lfs here. Either of them more active, or stand out better against a natural background?
Hooked Newbie
05-03-2008, 9:00 PM
I've not kept Lemons and Rummies are my fav so I am biased. Rummynose once settled in are very colorful and are the tightest schoolers I've ever seen!
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150929&goto=newpost (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150929&goto=newpost)
Ignore the algae issue, I'm adding CO2 soon.
Sploke
05-03-2008, 9:20 PM
Yes, rummies color up quite nicely, their whole face gets bright red after they get settled in, and yes they are very tight schoolers.
wataugachicken
05-03-2008, 11:32 PM
i've kept the von rios with angels and had no problems, they're too fast for the curious angels to catch, and after they realize they can't catch the tetras, they leave them alone. they also provide a different color in the tank if you don't have koi or gold angels.
of course. . . my severums eventually ate a few, but that's a different story.
FireDancer7905
05-04-2008, 12:06 AM
Buenos Aires tetras? I had to stop myself from impluses buying a few today, but they were gorgeous, even though they were at a bigbox store!
BigAds
05-04-2008, 12:31 AM
Buenos Aires tetras? I had to stop myself from impluses buying a few today, but they were gorgeous, even though they were at a bigbox store!
Supposedly those can get to 3-4", so I think they'd make me overstocked?
1 Angelfish
1 German Blue Ram
6 Peppered Cory
6 Tetra (Lemon, Rummy, Glolight, Buenos Aires or ...???)
4 Oto... which many people have told me contribute so little to the bioload that you don't even really need to consider them in small numbers.
FireDancer7905
05-04-2008, 12:43 AM
Ah, missed the tank size......you're probably right.....
FireDancer7905
05-04-2008, 12:48 AM
...but maybe you could get away with it..... someone with more expertise will chime in, i'm sure.....lemons are awfully pretty, and I love out black neons! So far the angels haven't eaten a one!
Lady G
05-04-2008, 12:53 AM
I had never seen the black tetras until recently...they really are some nice looking little fish.
doreenjoy
05-04-2008, 1:59 AM
In my experience, the Buenos Aires tetras can be a little frenetic and angels cower in their presence.
I think you'd do best with rummynose tetras. They're nicely sized (the angels won't eat them), they'd look beautiful with natural gravel (the body is a shimmery yellow, the tail black and white striped, the nose red) and they are very peaceful.
I really did want to go with 7 harlequin rasboras since I first learned about the benefit of having dither fish with angels... but I've decided I want to stick with S. American fish. I don't know anything about the brilliant rasbora, but am guessing it too is asian :(
All rasboras are from Asia. Rasbora boraptensis is nice and very active rivalling the danios.
Supposedly those can get to 3-4", so I think they'd make me overstocked?
1 Angelfish
1 German Blue Ram
6 Peppered Cory
6 Tetra (Lemon, Rummy, Glolight, Buenos Aires or ...???)
4 Oto... which many people have told me contribute so little to the bioload that you don't even really need to consider them in small numbers.
You can't actually mix Buenos Aires with angelfish at all. They can get nippy and require plenty of space. Stick with rummies, lemons, black neons, black phantoms, red phantoms, kerris, diamonds or emperors.
SanguineApple
05-04-2008, 8:45 AM
Rummy-nose or lemon. Rummies are gorgeous fish, but they're not as hardy as lemons and I believe the lemons will hang out a little higher in your tank which would be good considering you've got your bottom-dwellers picked out already.
LeahK
05-04-2008, 10:20 AM
Quote:
"4 Oto... which many people have told me contribute so little to the bioload that you don't even really need to consider them in small numbers."
Just want to share my experience with this. I bought 3 otos and kept them in a 20 gallon QT. The QT was running filter material from my established tank, so I figured with 3 little fish and good filter material that I'd be fine. But instead I had a semi-stressful mini-cycle. Those little otos produced a huge amount of waste, and the filter just couldn't keep up at first. Basically, they need to graze constantly throughout the day on either algae or veggies that you give them, and this means they're pooping constantly throughout the day, too:grinyes:.
I think adding them to an established tank would be ok, but I'd keep an eye on water quality if you add them to a newly cycled tank or QT.
BigAds
05-04-2008, 12:20 PM
I'll be certain that the tank is stable with excellent parameters before I add the ottos...
As for the dither... I agree that it'd be better to have some that stick to the top half of the tank since the bottom will be pretty well stocked with the cories and the GBR... I just worried that the lemons might be a little bigger than I should go with. I don't want to overstock my tank, for the fish's sake, and so I don't have to do constant water changes. I have no problem doing 1 to 2 a week, but I don't want to feel like there's still too much waste/etc. in the tank because of how it's stocked.
1 Angelfish
6 or 7 lemon tetra
1 German Blue Ram
6 Peppered Cory
4 Oto
1 Mystery Snail
Seems like it might be a little bit much for a 36 bow?
I think it would work for you provided you are regular with water changes and have good filtration. Sounds like it would be a nice setup.
BigAds
05-05-2008, 1:46 AM
I stick to a 50% pwc every weekend, and it's not unusual for me to sneak in another ~30% midweek. I like my water clear..... and the fish turds that get stuck to the sponge on my filter intake tube just aren't very appealing.
spudjnr123
05-05-2008, 2:24 AM
One thing I would watch out for is the ph, a pH of 8 is pretty basic, and fish that prefer a more acidic pH would probably not do great in that high of pH. that being said, I'd go with the rummies or lemons. If you get real driftwood, that may help release tannins, but not sure how much affect it would have. Also, make sure your LFS's tanks are at pH 8 otherwise your looking at some pH change stress. Good luck to ya!
One thing I would watch out for is the ph, a pH of 8 is pretty basic, and fish that prefer a more acidic pH would probably not do great in that high of pH. that being said, I'd go with the rummies or lemons. If you get real driftwood, that may help release tannins, but not sure how much affect it would have. Also, make sure your LFS's tanks are at pH 8 otherwise your looking at some pH change stress. Good luck to ya!
It would require plenty of driftwoods to make a big difference in the pH. Also, the amount of peat used is based on trial and error. You'll need to determine your hardness levels to see how much easier to lower the pH.
KarlTh
05-05-2008, 3:32 AM
It's not pH differences which stress fish; it's differences in total dissolved solids and therefore osmotic potential. Too much is made of pH.
BigAds
05-05-2008, 11:01 AM
2 of my LFS keep their stock in the same high pH tap water... and their angels are local bred. The only one I'm a bit concerned about it the GBR, but again, they are kept in the same water, all of 1/2 mile away from me.
I did pick up $40 worth of Mississippi bogwood yesterday (closest I could get to south american bogwood) in one nice looking piece that's about 14"tall x 8" wide, and another little chunk that's 5" tall and 3" wide... that's about all I intend to do to lower my pH, unless I find another piece that I just have to get... and considering that I have hard water I'm not sure how much of a difference they'll make. For whatever it's worth, they had been in one of my lfs' tanks for ~8 months already... in fact, I almost ended up getting a small stow-away gold nugget pleco with the big piece.
Hungriee
05-05-2008, 5:57 PM
Von Rios or Candy Cane Tetras are real nice fish that adds color.
BigAds
05-06-2008, 5:40 PM
Anyone have any experience with bloodfin tetras? They seem alright in that they get to only 2" or so and stick to the middle & top of the tank.
Are they too energetic or nippy to have in a community with an angel?
Anyone have any experience with bloodfin tetras? They seem alright in that they get to only 2" or so and stick to the middle & top of the tank.
Are they too energetic or nippy to have in a community with an angel?
They will nip your angels, sorry. Better glass bloodfins (Prionobrama filigera) than bloodfins.