South American Dither Fish

[Hooked Newbie]

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

Ignore the algae issue, I'm adding CO2 soon.

 

[Sploke]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Ah, missed the tank size......you're probably right.....

 

[FireDancer7905]

...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]

I had never seen the black tetras until recently...they really are some nice looking little fish.

 

[doreenjoy]

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.

 

[Lupin]

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.