Differences between common DITHER FISH?

G

growitnow

AC Members
Feb 17, 2007
22
0
0
Hello all:

Setting up 90gallon planted. Some common dither fish include:

cardial tetra
neon tetra
rummynose tetra
penguin tetra
black neon tetra

I plan to get at least 25 dithers of same kind. Above are tetras only because those I see mentioned the most.

For those of you that have had different kinds, is there a basis for choosing one versus the other? Colorful school distract from plants or other fish? Some school better than others, etc..?

I would welcome any insight from experience, or other suggestions.

Thanks,
growitnow
 
i'll start with my personal favorite, the rummynose. It's not too colorful, but unique from any other fish.. a large school of these is VERY impressive. ive noticed that since theyre a little bit more skittish, it makes them the best schoolers.

neon tetras are rather colorful, and bright.. another good choice, but kinda small and IME, not as good of schoolers.

Cardinals are similar to neons in color, but the color is more complete over the entire body, making them seem brighter. they are also a bit larger than neons, making them the ideal dither for tanks with angelfish, as most cardinals are a tad too large for the angels to snack on.

i have no experience with penguins or black neons, however. :)
 
cardinal/neon tetras are a popular choice for planted tanks because their coloration strongly contrast with plants and stand out. The cardinals have a full red belly compared to the neon's half red/half silver belly and tends to grow a little larger, they are similar in every other aspect. The black neons aren't as popular as the others because they aren't as colorful.

Rummynose tetras form the tightest school out of any fish I've seen, which makes them ideal for tanks with mostly open aquascapes with few hiding spots and where contrast isn't as important.

penguin and emperor tetras are larger tetras, good choices to house with larger fishes that may turn a neon or rummynose into a snack.
 
also depends on what other fish you have in there. neons for instance, seem to be a bad choice with angles, where cardinals or other larger tetra's might survive.
 
All five are a few of the tetras I tried.:) Penguins are quite hardy and are often seen stalking quietly for insects falling on the water surface.:) Black neons will also act in the same manner as the penguins.

Rummies are quite long-lived when properly acclimatized in your tank.

I agree with the rest. Penguins are quite large fish and mine are over 6 cm.:)

Good luck with them.:hi:
 
Agreed, rummy nose are the tightest schoolers of any species you mentioned. They are very impressive in large numbers for that reason. However, they can be difficult to acclimate, and it's often hard to find healthy stock. If you have some experience under your belt, though, you shouldn't let that discourage you. Cardinals and neons look great in a planted tank, too, but can also be sensitive. Black neons are cool IMO because they grow larger than regular neons, and are less common, and are actually easier to keep. They are a little braver, though, so they don't school as tightly IME. Penguin tetras are definitely the hardiest species out of the ones you mentioned. Someone mentioned bleeding hearts- they are cool fish and easy to keep, but don't keep them with long-finned tank mates, as they are known to be nippy.

In case you are interested in other suggestions, glowlights are beautiful and easy to keep; bloodfins are also easy and not so common, and if you can find green fire tetras, I highly recommend them. They grow to about the size of cardinals, and have a green body except for their red stripe along the bottom, which looks a lot like a neon's red stripe. They are also sexually dimorphic, which the males growing larger than the females and having white edges on their fins.
 
dither strata

Great replies so far, very informative. Thanks.

Regret the penguins get so big, they seemed a pretty fish in LFS, sharp black line/markings. 6cm seems rather large. I did notice in LFS that the penguins distinctly seemed to hang out at the bottom strata of the bare tank in which they were housed (was very noticable). Then when someone came near the tank they schooled toward the top portion of tank.

One thing being said is that rummynose, while not colorful, are quite a "sight" because of tight schooling. That seems attractive. I am not at all decided, had figured cardinal or neons just by default. Good to hear other options.

While dithers are in some way an "accessory" fish, they would be a prominant feature en masse. The tank will be heavily planted in back and partial sides, with open swimming area in front center. But 90gals are tall tanks, 24inches so lots of swimming space.

Do most dithers mentioned here all school near top 1/3 of tank? Or do they have different habits, that could also be considered.

Thanks,
growitnow
 
penguins dont get that big. 6 cm is almost nothing compared to the fish that dithers are intended to help feel more secure.

bleeding hearts are not the best dithers, for they can be shy themsleves if you do not have a big enough group.

neons and cardinals are not good choice either because they are so small, and will easily be eaten by fish that are over 6 inches long.

rummynoses can be good dithers, but it depends on what you put them with. they can be perfect with discus, angels, or severum, but they wouldnt stand a chance against a red devil or salvini. giant danios are best for that purpose. they are tough, active, and can outrun the big cichlids.
 
growitnow said:
Do most dithers mentioned here all school near top 1/3 of tank? Or do they have different habits, that could also be considered.
Click to expand...
Penguins and black neons do in my experience.:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom