"Dither fish" for gar/oddball tank?

MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
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Apr 28, 2009
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I'm trying to think of something That can go with the gar, rays, cats ( once they get bigger will be moved/separated), and spiney eel in the pool... thinking along the lines of a good sized schooler? Have any of you guys kept ID sharks? I was thinking they would get big enough, are non-aggressive ect.. but I guess they can be somewhat silvery? maybe 5 or so.. something cheap and easily available so if they get picked off ect on occasion not a big deal.. and they will help keep any extra food ect cleaned up that the other cats won't eat. also something to give more movement to the pool ect but won't compromise my "prized" fish. doesn't have to be a schooling fish but I think it would be neat to see a med range sized schooler able to be housed. I would LOVE to do roselines.. but even the adults I've seen imo are still to small to be too expensive a "feeder" though easily found to consider.

I've been wracking my brain for the past week and can't come up with a whole lot I think would work?
 

pharmaecopia

Polypterus
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Aug 21, 2010
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Most of the classic dither I can think of are silver in colour, something you'd be wanting to avoid with the gars. As far as ID sharks, they can be super skittish and might potentially spook the gars.

In the past I've used leopard ctenopomas with gars and other bigger preds, but they don't get all that big and aren't active.

Really not much else that I can think of that would be a suitable dither imo. I say if you want a gar safe active tankmate, get an African arowana.
 

MonsterMinis

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Thanks Kevin.. and thats exactly where i'm having trouble having ideas... I was just wondering since we have the space for a small school.. and it's a round pool if that might help w/ the ID's crazyness they're known for. I would love to get an Afro down the road but thats a pretty expensive dither fish lol... Alex I may end up trying some SD's but I was trying to stay away from stuff that would in particularly incite the wrath of the Trops. ATM the smallest gar will be 14"+ FLG's and the biggest will be the 24"+ Trop/s I just want some other fish to give the trops designs towards other then the other gar.

a few of the LFS get some big trade-ins now and then, but mostly cichlids( no bloody way), or Pacu ( heard horror stories of them destroying equipment/liners ect, and I don't trust them not to attack the gar) or Big cats ( RTC's ect... but they always want like 150$ :screwy: for them and they usually have nasty gill curl ect)

I will keep my eye open for some Leopards though Kevin, I have seen some giants before... if they mind their manners.

BTW everyone is doing great and the pool is "cycled" well enough I haven't seen any water quality spikes. The Trops ETA tonight for around 8-9pm atm.. will get some pics of them before and after acclimation =) water's holding well at 76... and I just picked up 2doz crawlers for everyone here. goldfish are all but gone it seems but tomorrow or this weekend I'll be making another run. Keep everyone well fed the first few weeks here then see how it goes. The Cuban got into a scuffle with someone the other day it seems.. I'm guessing the cats since everyone else was in the old tank... nothing remotely major resulted, a few fin frays. So abit leary what will happen with the more aggressive trops.
 

MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
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Apr 28, 2009
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Arulius barbs are not very "silvery" Other barbs might work too like larger clown barbs, etc.
I like the idea of barbs ect very much but can't think of any non-silver ones that get 12"-18" which I think will be the smallest size that won't just be eaten. The Cuban we have eats 5"+ smelt w/out issue and so do the cats. And I'm pretty sure the big Trop has eaten 8"+ fish as well.

Barbs are fast, hold their own w/out being aggressive ect... so would be great to find one other then the tinfoils that get bigger, and have some color... since gar while one of my favorite family... aren't a very colorful lot.
 

sbuse

Feeder Fish
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Jul 1, 2009
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The Trops have eatten 8-9" Florida gars, 6-7" gizzard shad, killed and could have if I let them eat a 9" vatf. I wouldn't trust them with dollars or any barbs. African aros would work, I have a line on some larger ones if your interested. Other gars also are great, just not small ones. With these two particular fish I say feed them well and that is the biggest pm to their aggressiveness. They are nasty when hungry and I mean nasty!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
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Apr 28, 2009
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The Trops have eatten 8-9" Florida gars, 6-7" gizzard shad, killed and could have if I let them eat a 9" vatf. I wouldn't trust them with dollars or any barbs. African aros would work, I have a line on some larger ones if your interested. Other gars also are great, just not small ones. With these two particular fish I say feed them well and that is the biggest pm to their aggressiveness. They are nasty when hungry and I mean nasty!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Yeah.. lol I plan on working with that aggression by throwing a few things at them.. Lots of goldfish in there.. lots of massivore/frozen/fillets .. and then the "dithers" so if they do get snappy the idea more to focus on and "most" of it not expensive/hard to source stuff.. Everyone is getting fed super good as soon as the smelt thaw here.. so they will all be full when the trops hit the water tonight... feeders still there and I'll try some pellets tonight once they are in as well.
 

MonsterMinis

Feeder Fish
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Apr 28, 2009
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I've read multiple times now that they are nasty lil' buggers in tanks, worse then most cichlids? But I haven't thought about doing NA natives as the tank is also "tropical" so that would rule out most if not all of the perch family... sm and lm bass ime are nasty buggers as well. I'de also be worried they may pick at the rays if they decide they wanted to take over the sand bed and spawn in particular.
 
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