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What would be some good dither fish for an agressive cichlid thank for large cichlids like Midas,Green Terror and Jack dempsey exe. Thanks

Depending on the size of the tank maybe giant danios?

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Read this article....it has all the info you need: http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/4388.1.htm?12#

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Buenos aires tetra?
From the same types of waters, large and robust and
fast. Would definitely be a good dither for larger
cichlids.
These tetras grow to about 3 inches.


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Congo tetras are larger as well, I would just be concerned about agression from the cichlids. The danios are fast swimmers which is why I recommended them. Depends on the size of the tank, hiding places, and temperament of the larger fish.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Congos are also rather shy with long easily torn fins. I wouldn't put them with cichlids except with a very large heavily decorated tank so they have lots of places to escape and hide. They still might come out looking a little beat up.

Thanks for all your replys. I was just wondering if the deither's would get eaten even in the largest tank. My fish get along great but noone takes nothing off anyone else in the tank and will some times lock jaws but this is not really a problem Its just a little pushing around.Also my fish are very responsive to me and no prob there either. I just thought maby deithers would give them somthing more to do and add some more beauty to the tank as well. Thanks again!

Just found this.

As well as fishes such as Astyanax mexicanus, which I cited in my original piece as being a suitable dither fish for big Central American Cichlids for several valid reasons (i.e., they've evolved together, the Characins are tough and fast) another group of fishes will serve as dither fishes for the big Central Americans - Chararcoids of the Genus Leporinus.

Leporinus species are Anostomids - one of the Families known colloquially as Headstanders because of the head down swimming posture adopted by various members of the Family - and the are seriously tough fishes. Bomb proof in the hardiness stakes, and tough enough not only to take aggression from the Cichlids, but capable of biting back if pushed ... these fishes have another advantage for those with spacious aquaria, namely that at 12 inches fully grown, they're way too big to become lunch. The disadvantage of a 12 inch dither fish, of course, is that you need a VERY large aquarium to put it in, with or without your Cichlids! This is compounded by the fact that Leporinus, like many South American Characoids, are shoaling fishes, and should be kept in a group - 6 12-inch fishes are going to need a truly prodigious aquarium to keep them happy long term! Another disadvantage of Leporinus species is that they need to be covered at all times, as these fishes are rocket-propelled jumpers with a legendary prowess dating all the way back to the first editions of the venerable Innes book. They are, and this is no exaggeration, ICBMs with fins - leave them uncovered and they WILL jump, and a big one can fly 6 feet across your living room with ease. Imagine something that size doing a mortar round impersonation in your living room and crashing through your glass coffee table ... better still, prevent it happening altogether and keep the Leporinus covered!

Several species exist, Leporinus fascaitus being the best known (due to it featuring in the Innes book) with assorted other species such as Leporinus nigrotaeniatus becoming available from time to time. Most of these are 12 inch fishes, but one species, Leporinus frederici, should be avoided unless you have vast sums of money to spend on its living quarters because it's a 20 inch fish fully grown ...

Leporinus species are tough fishes, make no mistake. They'll survive incidents that would kill quite a few other fishes, though of course this is no excuse for skimping on maintenance. However, you can rest assured that they'll live in the same water as your Central American Cichlids, will not only be capable of fending off attacks from the Cichlids but will be capable of returning the favour if backed into a corner, and will stand the heat even alongside Black Belts and other notorious "Bad Boys".


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