Fish That Stay Towards The Top

[Alexp08]

I have a 60 gallon gallon hex. I have 6 Congo tetras, 6 zebra dainos, and 6 redfin dwarf cichlids.
 
The dwarf cichlids stay at the bottom and the other fish stay towards the top, So all is well in the tank. Im looking for 6 more fish that will stay med-top level in the tank. Any idea? Thanks 

 

[Wills]

What are the redfin dwarfs I have not heard that common name before and its a description that could be applied to a few different species? I would say your tank is near stocked though I would probably add more Zebra Danios as they will appreciate a larger school - the other thing is, do the Danios not stay near the top? As they are usually one of the fish I would recommend for this size (though typically you would want a longer tank rather than a hex for them) as a surface fish.
 
If you want fish that truly cling to the surface your best bet would be Hatchet fish, Silvers are the largest and would probably fit best in the tank.
 
Wills

 

[Alexp08]

Lamprologus Caudopunctatus are the redfins

 

[Wills]

hmmm now they are not really community friendly fish... being africans they will need a high ph around 7.8-8 where as your other fish will not be able to cope with that... how long have you had them?
 
Wills

 

[Alexp08]

ive had them now for about 2 months. There have been no problems as they never go above the half point of the tank. Ans they usually go in and out of the caves i have provided. the danios all stick to the top and never interact. Im just look for another fish that will stay towards the top and add a little bit of color 

 

[Wills]

hmmm... its tough because its not the kind of set up I would have thought up.
 
The hatchets are not really colourful but they are quite interesting, there is a fish called the Indian Hatchet which might be nice though Im not 100% on their adult size. Golden Panchax are probably the most colourful but when they are adult they have big mouths and I would worry about the Danios. The other common surface dweller is the African Butterfly Fish but again I would worry about them being predatory.
 
An other option could be Pencil Fish, they are pretty colourful and stay in similar swimming patterns to the Danios but would add some other colours - you can get a variety of them but just focus on one school for the tank.
 
I still worry about the ph in the tank as most africans need the high ph for long term, life span, health. And the same applies to the other fish if kept in a ph thats too high...
 
Wills

 

[Alexp08]

From what ive been told about these cichlids is that they are best kept betweem 6.8-7.2 and mine is about at 6.9
Correction. They like 7.2 - 8.2 mine is at 7.6. I was thinking of my other tank

 

[Alexp08]

I was thinking about ditching the Congo tetras and adding a few sword tails. Do they stay nesr the top?
But I dont know how well it would do with it being a hex. Not to much lateral movement

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

How long is this hex tank?
 
Congo Tetras (Phenacogrammus interrptus) are moderate sized, semi-active fish that need at least 120cm of tank length. I have six that youngsters (~3.5-5cm SL) that make good use of a 120x30x37cm tank. They are rather adaptable as far as water hardness goes, upto gH 15 is considered no issue at all.
 
Zebra Danios are relatively speaking, one of the most common hyperactive fish in the hobby. Despite their ~5cm adult size, they really need a long tank, my group make good use of a 120cm tank to zoom around in all day long. Again, these are very adaptable fish as far as gH water hardness goes.
 
Lamprologus Caudopunctatus are from Lake Tanganyika, which just like Lake Malawi, has very hard water (which happens to have a pH of > 8, hardness and pH do not always go hand in hand).
 
Swordtails are another hard water species, they are semi-fiesty (which might help them cope with more mild mannered Tanganyika/Malawi cichlids), but more importantly they are quite active and moderately sized adult fish. Like my similar adult sized Ilyodon xantusi, I would not put them in less than a 120cm long tank for more than a short term quarantine.
 
I suspect your hex tank is woefully short in horizontal tank length for any dithers you already have and are considering buying, while it might be rather borderline for the cichlids as they mature.
 
I've found that fish groups look far better in 10+ groups of social species, rather than getting numerous 6+ groups, they look better and act more naturally. My biggest social group is 25 Pareutropius mandevillei, but I also have tetra/barb/loach groups of 10+ also (not including my species only Rio400 of ~90 Ilyodon xantusi, that I want to rehome).

 

[Alexp08]

Dimensioms of the tank are 69 x 61 x 71cm

 

[Byron]

I would re-home the cichlids very soon.  As others have mentioned, the water parameters required by these fish is vastly different from those of the other soft water species.  And while they (the fish) may appear OK now, this is almost certainly not going to last.
 
The fish of the rift lakes must have moderately hard to hard water.  Their physiology is designed for this, and the lack of the essential minerals will weaken them over time and cause all sorts of unnecessary health issues, and I can guarantee a premature death.  Raising the hardness to accommodate them would then cause trouble for the soft water fish.  The two really do not mix.
 
There is also the behavioural/compatibility issue, but that really is of secondary importance here.
 
I'm suggesting re-homing the cichlids because your water parameters are well suited to the other fish, so this is the easiest option.  Hardness has not been given, and as another member correctly noted, the hardness is more significant than the pH, but with a pH around 6.9 I would assume the GH is on the soft side, or at least no where near what is required for the rift lake cichlids.
 
Byron.

 

[Alexp08]

Well I just so happen to have a spare 30 gallon laying around. So I will move them in about a week once the tank is set up.