Dithers

[grumpy55]

What are my choices for dither fish ?
I see a lot of folks use pencil fish, what about cardinals or neons?

 

[farm41]

Grumpy,

There are so many choices, and opinions, you could use the search feature here at the top of the page for dithers and get lots of hits. My tanks that have dithers are using rummynose tetras. Cardinals are big favorite too, hard to find good healthy neons though, I stay away from them.

Glad you found us, there is a lot of good info here on the boards.

 

[tjudy]

I am a HUGE fan of platies as dithers. They are peaceful and can take a bit of a beating. My kid likes them too. Non-fish folks actually think there are fish in the tank if they see platies!

 

[Moi_Eater]

Hi Grumpy,

I agree with both Matt and Ted. There are many choices for dither fish. You could go with dithers that live together in nature with your fish (to be biotopically correct) :lol: , or you could go with whatever suits your needs and liking.

I have rummynose tetras as dithers because of where they naturally occur and also because I think they are awesome looking fish! It's funny that I have never seen them in my LFS until recently when I actually wanted some as dithers. I walked in and wala! (for $6.99ea )

Platies are generally peaceful and are hardy fish. Some strains are prolific and will produce babies regularly; providing an additional live food source. I originally thought of using wild type guppies for dithers + live food source, but platies are more robust if not as prolific.

 

[Neil]

grumpy55,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I have used all three of the dithers that you mentioned and all are fine. I kind of prefer the pencils, because they don't seem to be interested in the frymuch at all.
However, Sam has a pretty interesting suggestion about livebearers (depending on how soft your water is), because they may possibly provide a little treat for your fish. This is the kind of thing that often increases breeding and natural behavioral characteristics.
Neil