Really, I have a school of 6 of them in with my AMERICAN cichlids. And I would not suggest ANY puffer as a dither fish.
Colorful dithers for cichlids?
- Thread starter fishfreak2009
- Start date
Really, I have a school of 6 of them in with my AMERICAN cichlids. And I would not suggest ANY puffer as a dither fish.
The problem with the silver dollars, giant danios, and tinfoil barbs is that I already have them in other tanks and my parents consider all of them silver.
What about yellow labs?
Also thinking about adding:
1 Leporinus
9 Boeseman's Rainbowfish
1 Synodontis (one of the larger species)
1 Scarlet Pleco
1 Red Tailed Black Shark
What about yellow labs?
Also thinking about adding:
1 Leporinus
9 Boeseman's Rainbowfish
1 Synodontis (one of the larger species)
1 Scarlet Pleco
1 Red Tailed Black Shark
I know you said "dither fish", however I'm hearing things like Jewels and Bala Sharks and other things too. If your just looking for something that is not silver and will hold its own against american cichlids while breaking up the normal silouette of a cichlid... why not get 1 or 2 catfish?? I have a TSN and a Granulosus, which work great with my large cichlids. Another option is Clown Loaches (I never tried this), however I would get them larger to start with as I'm pretty sure the cichlids will out grow them quickly. As far as the regular "dithers" I would stay away from using africans and any type of puffer. Since anything silver is out too you could try Tiger Barbs, but IME they don't work. I put a 2" FH in with about a dozen 1" Tiger Barbs and the FH ate all of them in a couple days... I did not think even one could fit into it's mouth. That was only a 2" cichlid?? I guess it all reallt depends on your fish and their typical behavior in the end. Good luck and keep us posted.
Not always true. I've seen several members use Platies and Filament Barbs as dithers in tanks with Red Devils, Festae and other large aggressive cichlids with great and surprising success. It all depends on the individual fish in question. My larger cichlids have tolerated Tinfoil Barbs and Clown Loaches with few problems.
Think twice about adding a leporinus. I had two and I liked them even named them dos burritos but had to give them away due to fin nipping even in a big tank. Just sharing my experience.
To heck with your parents. Its your tank. Besides, Tinfoil Barbs are quite gorgeous when they mature as are Red Hooks and any number of Silver Dollars. One of the most sought out fish on this site is a type of silver dollar.
Besides, the main attraction should be your cichlids. Why distract from them with a fish that outshines them?
I've used rosy barbs and roselines as dithers for my CA/SA tank, but my fish are not nearly as aggressive as the species you have.
I'm thinking I might try rosy barbs, tiger barbs, some loaches, a red tailed black shark, a scarlet pleco, and a synodontis. So far the giant danios seem to be fine, so hopefully that is a good sign. Between all the caves, the high flow, a mirror on the side of the tank, and 4 feedings a day, the tank really isn't as aggressive as I thought it would be (so far anyways). The two jack dempseys and the red devil just seem to travel as a pack. As long as I get paid tomorrow, I'm going fish shopping this weekend for a green terror, a festae, and some of the dithers...
