Hi guys, I'm getting two babyish (~5cm) dats tomorrow, they'll be having a 490L (130 Gallon) tank to themselves (I plan to eventually get some baby oscars when the dats are bigger), the tank's fully cycled and has plenty of caves for them to hide out in, what I was wondering is whether I should get some Danios or the like for dither fish, so the dats realise it's okay to come outside. Is this a good idea, or will they just scare the dats more with all their movement?
To dither or not to dither?
- Thread starter hummingbird42
- Start date
Just a second question too, I should put the temperature of the tank up to like 30 degrees C for a week or so when they're first introduced to prevent ich because they're especially prone to it, right?
You might want to start them out in a little smaller tank than a 130. If they are 2 inches, they might feel scared in a tank so big, and also it might be hard for them to find food in that tank. I would wait till they are little bigger and are on a consistent feeding scheudule before putting them in a tank that size. Ive seen a lot of little dats die from starvation at that size. $0.02 
Thanks for all your advice. Unfortunately, putting them in a smaller tank isn't really an option - the authorities involved tell me that getting this one was a stretch 
So I got the two dats yesterday afternoon, it turns out they're just over 3 inches, which is cool.
In the shop (which is a somewhat suspect shop...it's not like they have fish dieing in their tanks or anything, but you can tell they're a bit stressed) one of the dats was almost all black, and the other was half black. I figured this was a sign of stress, and that they would pattern up properly once they were in a well maintained tank, and it turns out I was right! This morning they look completely different, with really defined stripes. They also seem a lot more confident than they were in the pet shop too. I'll get some pics for you guys just as soon as I get some lights on the tank.
So I got the two dats yesterday afternoon, it turns out they're just over 3 inches, which is cool. In the shop (which is a somewhat suspect shop...it's not like they have fish dieing in their tanks or anything, but you can tell they're a bit stressed) one of the dats was almost all black, and the other was half black. I figured this was a sign of stress, and that they would pattern up properly once they were in a well maintained tank, and it turns out I was right! This morning they look completely different, with really defined stripes. They also seem a lot more confident than they were in the pet shop too. I'll get some pics for you guys just as soon as I get some lights on the tank.
Wangster - I decided on the tank size on my own, planning for their eventual adult size and not just the short term.
t1karmann - do you mean the tigers will get eaten, or the oscars? In any case, thanks for the advice, I'll hold off on getting the oscars for a while.
I don't think starvation is an issue for these guys really, I'm feeding them daphnia, bloodworms and mosquito larvae, which are all very provocative food and whatever they don't eat hangs around and lives in the tank until they do.
t1karmann - do you mean the tigers will get eaten, or the oscars? In any case, thanks for the advice, I'll hold off on getting the oscars for a while.
I don't think starvation is an issue for these guys really, I'm feeding them daphnia, bloodworms and mosquito larvae, which are all very provocative food and whatever they don't eat hangs around and lives in the tank until they do.