Need advice on dithers

[Mythic Figment]

So I'm getting 4 new species soon and I'm looking for some dithers to help keep them busy. The dithers recommended should be fairly easy to get ahold of. I would t want to need replacements that break the bank account.

The intent is to raise numerous of each species and keep a community of fish. I might attempt to keep a pair or two of some species if their conspecific aggression is manageable without being exhausting work.

75 gallon tank - Hericthys carpintis 'Escondido'
55 gallon tank - Andinoacara stalsbergi
55 gallon tank - Andinoacara rivulatus
55 gallon tank - ex-Cichlasoma salvini

Can you recommend some dithers for each species or a good all purpose dither?


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[ehh]

Giant danios for all 4 tanks. Although in sure a pair of salvini will kill anything.


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[vinod_uthaiah]

Hiow about availability of Metynnis Argentius , easy to care , great speed and will be a perfect foil for all.
Frankly the Andinoacara rivulatus is not really a terror , nice fish to care

 

[Ponera]

I, too, am interested in this. My bichirs kill giant danios though.

 

[Rivers2k]

I had lemon tetras with my pair of texas. I only lost one and that was in the first 20 seconds of introducing them. After that nobody ever got close to them. The colors look really nice with the blue/green of the texas.

 

[duanes]

Geographically correct dithers for carpintus might be Astyanax tetras, Xiphophorus swordtaills, Poecillia mollies and some other Mexican livebearers.
All would need to be large enough, and/or fast enough, I have seen Astyanax as large as 4", and mollies even larger in Mexico.

 

[decoy50]

Giant danios, any big bodied tetra - lemons, red & blue columbians etc. Also most barbs would work - tigers, rosys etc. My LFS runs monthly 99 cent specials of fish they have a large stock on, typically they'll be fish good for use as dithers.

Silver dollars get too big for any of the tanks you mentioned - they would be crashing into the glass nonstop. Also, I don't like to use SDs if I'm growing out juvies. They are far too active feeders & food hogs, makes it hard for young fish to get stuffed.

 

[Rivers2k]

Geographically correct dithers for carpintus might be Astyanax tetras, Xiphophorus swordtaills, Poecillia mollies and some other Mexican livebearers.
All would need to be large enough, and/or fast enough, I have seen Astyanax as large as 4", and mollies even larger in Mexico.

I really like the molly idea but would that work in an enclosed space?

 

[Jc1119]

If you actually have pairs you won't really need dithers as much as targets if you have a hyper aggro fish.

Targets will eat the fry too, something to consider. We had danios in with the Rivulatus for awhile. Now they are alone in a 90.




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[cichlidfish]

Geographically correct dithers for carpintus might be Astyanax tetras, Xiphophorus swordtaills, Poecillia mollies and some other Mexican livebearers.
All would need to be large enough, and/or fast enough, I have seen Astyanax as large as 4", and mollies even larger in Mexico.

I completely agree. For the SA fish maybe consider BA tetras. Silver dollars just get too big for a 4' tank IMO.