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What's your favorite dither fish?

OGNickyB

New Member
Messages
10
i wanted to resurrect an old thread rather than start a new one, all in the spirit of keeping information more easily accessible. anywho, I just wanted to see if anyone would posit an opinion on glowlight tetras, Hemigrammus erythrozonus, as a dither fish. when kept with some black neons, which I have gathered from multiple sources as being a great dither for Apistos, I found that the glowlights were the more peaceful of the two. anyone have any experience either way?

to that tune i'd also appreciate an opinion in Aspidoras as another candidate in an Apisto tank. I know some folks discourage Corys, but knowing that the Aspidoras are typically much smaller, I wondered if they might make a good tank mates.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
I've not kept Glowlight Tetras with Apistogramma, but the problem with most of the black-water Tetras is that they are fairly bottom orientated and eat anything that they can get in their mouth.

I've kept Apistogramma cacatuoides with Corydoras pygmaeus, and C. hastatus with Dicrossus maculatus, and in both cases the cichlids largely ignored them.

cheers Darrel
 

OGNickyB

New Member
Messages
10
thanks for the input. glowlights, being more peaceful--or timid, whatever--does that help at all? my assumption is that a less bold fish, even if the tendency is benthic, might be less inclined to eat eggs and fry and steer clear simply because of the raging cichlid parents protecting them. is that a bad assumption?
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
I suggest that you try them and see how they behave and let us know. As Darrel says, Glowlights are a blackwater species. Blackwater, by it very nature being low in nutrients, contains very little in the way of microfoods/insect larvae, etc. Because of this, species living in these environments tend to be opportunistic feeders on anything small enough to fit in their mouths. Being a schooling fish, they also can overwhelm a single apisto female trying to protect fry. When she chases one tetra, the rest of the school can attack the unprotected fry. This has been repeatedly reported for other blackwater species, like Cardinal/Red Neon Tetras.
 

OGNickyB

New Member
Messages
10
maybe I can do that. just being lazy and hoping the answer i receive is the one I wanted to hear! thanks again for the feedback.
 

Sweety

New Member
Messages
10
I'm going to be after some dither fish soon but the only pencil fish I can get local are Beckford's so my other options are Glowlight tetras, Neon tetras or Black neon tetras. Not sure which would be best suited to live a long side Apistogramma
 

dwarfpike

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
176
Location
Seattle, Wa
Hmmmmm. Surprised no one mentioned the various blue eye/lampeye killis ... the Aplocheilichthys normani I have work wonderfully thus far.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Hmmmmm. Surprised no one mentioned the various blue eye/lampeye killis ... the Aplocheilichthys normani I have work wonderfully thus far.
I had them for a while. They were fine as dithers, but they bred like Guppies and there is no market for them locally.

I didn't have any predatory fish to feed them to, and I struggled to give them away to local shops.

cheers Darrel
 
Messages
32
Location
Gardner, MA
I have 10 (?-can't count cause they are sooo tiny and quick) ember tetras in with 3 wild Apisto. Eunotus. The embers are rapidly growing on me. They are tiny (about 1/2") and very active. The apistos ignore them completely, BUT...the tetras follow them around as they pick through the sand, and often eat off the bottom. They don't school all the time (maybe 30%), the rest they are in smaller "hunting packs". Don't know if they will get big enough to eat apisto fry, but with their quickness and other tendencies, not sure I could recommend them as "safe" dithers.
 

dwarfpike

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
176
Location
Seattle, Wa
Hi all,I had them for a while. They were fine as dithers, but they bred like Guppies and there is no market for them locally.

I didn't have any predatory fish to feed them to, and I struggled to give them away to local shops.

cheers Darrel

Interesting, I haven't noticed any breeding. Not sure if the Enigmatochromis have something to do with that, or if the lack of fine leaf plants (only have various anubias, african fern, and red tiger lily) has something to do with it.
 

Larry Rogers

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
91
... but a school of cardinal is very efficient at eating apist fry. I never tried red phantoms.
I avoid all tetras due to their love o small mobile foods. Even hatchetfish will pick off fry. For most apistos I use micro corydorus (gracilis, hastatus, habrosus, or pygmaeus). For larger species I use rams and remove them after spawn. They are hearty enough to take a beating and fast enough to avoid most of them. It is safer with most apistos to harem breed with two males.
 

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