Dither Fish

[Cichlidae]

Hello, basically, i'm looking for some suitable dither fish for my 180Gal tank.

Currently, i'm stocking

Senegal Bichir(5 inch)
Jack Dempsey(3 inch)
Texas Cichlid(3 inch)
Salvini Cichlid(2.5 inch)
Breeding pair of Convicts(Male 4 inch, female 2.5)
Green Terror(4.5 inch)
L204 Flash Pleco(6.5 inch)


I was hoping for Redline Torpedo Barbs, my water parameters are suitable for them, as the tank is matured and has high co2 levels, but I didn't know how well they would do as dither fish, and don't want to put them in there for them to get killed, considering that they're almost extinct in the wild and are expensive.

Alternatively, I could go for Silver Dollars.

So, could someone tell me if Redline Torpedo Barbs would be suitable, and if not, does anyone have any other suggestions for dithers?

 

[markandhisfish]

giant dannios make good dithers for new worlds. also tiger barbs seem to work well ive got a group in with my big sevs

 

[Cichlidae]

giant dannios make good dithers for new worlds. also tiger barbs seem to work well ive got a group in with my big sevs

I was thinking giant danios would be an ok choice. As for tiger barbs, when some of the cichlids get bigger, i'm not so sure if that would work too well, because Salvini's and Green Terrors are a lot more aggressive than severums in general.

 

[markandhisfish]

yes good point out of the dollars or the danios id personally go for the danios , as personally i think dollars look nice when small but not so when they are big,

 

[holidayinn]

I think torpedo barbs would quickly become target fish, and personally wouldn't risk them with aggressive cichlids. Giant Danios make a much cheaper alternative as bound to lose some.

Silver Dollars would work out best imo, but they're not to everyones taste. Another possibility - filament barbs?

 

[Davo86]

I think torpedo barbs would quickly become target fish, and personally wouldn't risk them with aggressive cichlids. Giant Danios make a much cheaper alternative as bound to lose some.

Silver Dollars would work out best imo, but they're not to everyones taste. Another possibility - filament barbs?

As said I wouldn't really risk the Torpedo barbs with the Tex,Sal,GT well practically all of them tbf,

I personally rate Giant Danios as the best small dithers for these types of fish, and unlike most other dithers these are happy to swim at all of the three levels whereas barbs generally stick to the lower/middle part of the tank making them as easier target

Filament, Spanner, or Arulius Barbs also make good dithers,

Silver Dollars also make good dithers as said, but their adult size and bioload make them a hefty addition to the stocking IMO