Dithers for 125g Bichir/Cichlid tank

[Teeter]

I've got a standard 125 gallon with some shy cichlids (Severums and Chocolate) that might benefit from the "safety" dither fish might provide. The severums and chocolate tend to stick to the bottom/corners of the tank, so I only really get to see my Electric Blue Acaras (paired, but don't seem overly aggressive). The only issue is the two bichirs (Delhezi and Weeksii) that are both around 11"-12" long. My concern is obviously the bichirs just straight up eating them, so my challenge is to find dither fish that:

1. Grow large enough to not be eaten
2. Aren't overly skittish or overly aggressive
3. Aren't crazy expensive (I want to do 6-18 fish depending on the species, but $40-$50 a fish is just too much)
4. Will live comfortably in a 125 gallon

The suggestions I've received/researched have been:
- Buenos Aires tetras (Look good, worried about possible fin nipping)
- Roseline barbs (Same as above, but larger ones get expensive)
- Silver dollars (not a big fan of the standard ones, but have considered something like 6 Blackberries if I can get them at a decent price)
- Congo tetras (seems to be a good option as well)
- Pink/Yellow Tail Chalceus (I've wanted some for awhile but have read they can be skittish, which is the exact issue I'm trying to fix)

If anyone has suggestions or input on these, I'd love to hear them.

 

[Conchonius]

If you want large, bold and cheap, maybe some livebearers? Mollies, swords and platies are large and agile enough that bichirs can't easily get them (although they will try and sometimes succeed), they're dirt cheap, they're very active, and they replace their numbers if you spend the effort to save some fry.

They can nip, but it's not too common, and in any case every tetra is a potential source of nipping too.

 

[Deadeye]

I use Buenos Aires tetras with my cichlids and bichir. I haven’t noticed any major issues. Not much aggression and the number of tetras hasn’t changed since they all established themselves.
The bichir would snack on the tetras when they were tiny but now that they’re full grown there haven’t been any problems. The only ones I’ve actually confirmed the bichir got were fry from breeding - losses from the main pack could just as easily been from them fighting each other.
I did notice that the tetras would pick fights with the cichlids when the cichlids were still juveniles but that went away once the cichlids were larger.

 

[A201]

I'll add to the group of suggestions, Giant Danios & Filament Barbs.

Buenos Aires Tetras are almost always a good choice as dithers for larger fish, unless in a planted tank. They aren't particularly nippy towards other species, but are territorial with conspecifics.

Denison Barbs are awsome but relatively expensive. They aren't fin nippers, and can be a bit timid in the presence of boisterous tankmates.

Congo Tetras are in the same category as Denison Barbs, only a little less flashy.

The Spotted & Tiger Striped Silver Dollars are my favorites. Either would make decent dither fish, but both are flighty and will demolish plants.

My personal favorite dither would be the Giant Danio. They are disease resistant, cheap, fearless, grows to approximately four inches & surprisingly colorful.

 

[Teeter]

I'll add to the group of suggestions, Giant Danios & Filament Barbs.

Buenos Aires Tetras are almost always a good choice as dithers for larger fish, unless in a planted tank. They aren't particularly nippy towards other species, but are territorial with conspecifics.

Denison Barbs are awsome but relatively expensive. They aren't fin nippers, and can be a bit timid in the presence of boisterous tankmates.

Congo Tetras are in the same category as Denison Barbs, only a little less flashy.

The Spotted & Tiger Striped Silver Dollars are my favorites. Either would make decent dither fish, but both are flighty and will demolish plants.

My personal favorite dither would be the Giant Danio. They are disease resistant, cheap, fearless, grows to approximately four inches & surprisingly colorful.

View attachment 1567606

Giant danios are ones I’m considering too, as I had a group in my 75 prior to upgrading to this 125, but rehomed them because 4ft definitely seemed too small. Maybe now that I’ve got a 6ft they would be alot better.

No need to worry about plants; my severums would destroy them the second they hit the water anyway lol.

I like the livebearer suggestion from Conchonius as well, so I’ve been looking into those too.

I think my main contenders are any of the barbs (money being the only limiting factor here), Buenos Aires (if I can find them large enough), and Silver Dollars (if they’re too skittish they may not work well). Are there any real downsides to SDs outside the plant eating?

 

[A201]

The only downside of keeping SD's, besides being herbivores, is their skittish nature. If Silver Dollars don't work out, look at Filament Barbs.

Filamentosa Barbs are durable & relatively inexpensive. I have a couple of male Filaments that are five inch brutes. It takes a juvenile a couple years to reach that size. That's about the same growth rate of most varieties of SD's.

 

[Teeter]

The only downside of keeping SD's, besides being herbivores, is their skittish nature. If Silver Dollars don't work out, look at Filament Barbs.

Filamentosa Barbs are durable & relatively inexpensive. I have a couple of male Filaments that are five inch brutes. It takes a juvenile a couple years to reach that size. That's about the same growth rate of most varieties of SD's.

Filaments are really impressive, both them and teardrops look great. Only issue (which seems to be shared among every fish on my list outside of very common ones) is availability. I’m happy to wait for stuff to be in stock or ask local shops if they can order some for me though, so probably not a big deal.

 

[A201]

My LFS will custom order for me. It's usually not too big a deal or too long of a wait.