Do dats require brackish water or not? This is driving me crazy. I have read they do but then I see people on here keeping what appear to be full size dats with aros and cichlids and all the such. So yes no maybe so? 
Dat ?'s
- Thread starter ghostcichlid
- Start date
Based upon my personal experience and having spoken with many fellow Dat-keepers over the years, I do not believe that there is a necessity to provide any species of Dat with brackish water, per se. This is not to say that water chemistry is irrelevant, but it does not appear to me that they demand "brackish" conditions for something approximating optimum health and longevity.
Awesome. Well then I was thinking wolf fish for my 240 (60 x 36 x 25), but now maybe dats. What is the smallest species of dat and how many could I put in my tank?
ghostcichlid;3326903; said:
There is no species of Dat which is "small". All will easily reach 15-18 inches in captivity, or larger. I think the Dats you select should be based upon attempting to establish reasonable harmony within your tank. Based upon my experience, the NGTs are the most pugnacious, both among themselves and with other Dat species. The ITs also like to spar with one another, but are less terratorial than the NGTs. The STs appear to be the least combative, but are also VERY difficult to find. ATs are somewhat fragile and skittish. I have never owned a NTT, but they seem to like to hide a great deal when young. I guess if I had your tank, I would put together a community of 6-8 (3-4 inch) STs, ITs and NTTs (single species or combination) and see how it works out. You will have to thin out the population in a couple of years as they get larger. It is ok to have one or two of the fish which are significantly larger than the rest, as this tends to keep tempers cool. Just as long as the smaller fish can't fit easily into their mouths. They will thrive in clean water and you should plan on changing 50% each week. This may not be absolutely necessary, but I think it's desirable. Give them a varied diet and vitamin supplements. They like subdued lighting and chunks of Malaysian driftwood to snuggle up against.