Good dithers 4 geo pair 75 gallon

What are some good dither species ?

I've had silver dollars they are okay. But I don't know many types of fish and there are so many!

What's the deal with plecos I see many people with them but am worried they would get to big and my goes would ignore them. Same with catfish. Someone mentioned australian rainbows they seem cool.

Enlighten me with some more types.

P.s. if anyone has some good ones in their stock I am willing to trade for some of my adolescent cichlids. I will post more info on that in another thread in market when I get that figured out

Thanks ya'll

Bristlenose plecos are great for pretty much any tank since they max out at around 4-6 inches. I've had good luck with giant danios as dithers. Some of the larger livebearers would work too.

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Crossochelius reticulatus eat algae like crazy and are great dithers. Blue tetras, emperor tetras, etc. I was just at Batfish Aquatics yesterday for the GWAPA meet and he has all of those in stock and then some.

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Thx ya'll, I will have to put some more though into this. I swear choosing the fish is the hardest part for me.

Would a bristle nose pleco be okay on his own? Or would he like like a friend pleco.

MDB_fish_newbie said:

Would a bristle nose pleco be okay on his own? Or would he like like a friend pleco.

Click to expand...

They would be fine on their own but you could get a pair or a trio if you wanted fry.


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So I have 2 geo that I hope will pair up, they r still about 2 or 3 inches. And 3 Clown loaches 2"ea in a 75g. I want to get the bn pleco or maby 2 like u said. After that do you think I would still have any room for the dithers like the tetras or danios or something that size. I wold want a small school?

I always have the problem that I over stock my tanks. So I'm trying to get a good healthy mixture. I'm parting ways with the other breeds of cichlids in my tank currently and just sticking with the geos.

You definitely have room for a school of something, how many depends on your filter. I run an Fx5 on my 75g and I am really able to stock it pretty heavily. You could probably also add some more loaches if you wanted.

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I am running 2 canisters on my tank. fluval 206 & a 406 one for each side. And I have a breeding bubbler filter I keep for backup. It stays very clean!

Sounds like you're developing a plan, and doing good research now. It's always better to have a plan, than doing spur of the moment purchases (I am definitely guilty of doing that before!)

thanks carl! you know i think everyone on this forum is probably guilty of doing the spur of the moment purchases. its hard because we mainly keep the fish for our pleasure, although we have to realize that these creatures have their own way of life. their behaviors and what not are that way for a reason. to be a good fish keeper we have to balance their needs with what is pleasing to us. Turns out thats the most difficult part of all this.
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Anyways, i realy like those australian rainbows you mentioned. do you think they would do well in the set up i described? And where would i find them?

They sell them at most of the aquarium shops in Richmond, and usually only $3 or $4 don't know about the big box pet stores...

It's hard to keep up with you as you have posted the same question in two places. Maybe consider keeping your stocking questions in one place, so that everyone can see who answered what. I just posted a paragraphs worth of info on the New World section for you, which duplicated some of the info I just found others had given you here.

Also keep in mind, your first order of business will be to rehome the other cichlids and fish you currently have to make room for the dithers and cleaners you are considering. You have a peacekeeping mission to undertake before adding more fish.

i do get impatient and i thought if i posted in a different section in a new thread i would have more changes of getting feedback from more people. it seems to have worked. and your right im just trrying to make a plan, and learn as much as i can from as many people i can.

And a great idea a plan is. Here was my first stock on a non-cycled (let it run for 24 hours as the guy at the store recommended, which is not long enough, nor the correct procedure to properly cycle) tank my first go at this before I knew anything about fish keeping.

2 - Common Plecos
2 - Bala Sharks
2 - Red-finned (rainbow) Sharks
2 - Albino RF Sharks
6 - Harlequin Rasbora

Tank Size: 29 gallon

Needless to say, I had a problem on my hands very quickly. Several fish died, and I felt terrible. This is what happened without a plan. I now run all my decisions by people on forums like this when I completely restock. I have done this now a few times in my 9+ years of fish keeping. However, I NEVER stop doing research and I constantly keep up with the newest breeds and finds as best as possible so I don't miss out on something or cause any undue stress to a fish because of my own stupidity. What you are doing is proper. You saw a problem, and are committed to correcting it with proper stocking. That's a good place to start.

Batfish also has a wide assortment of rainbows.

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*Repost from the other section* I keep Tiger Barbs with my Jacks, and they do fine. They are very brave little fellows. They help keep the big fish feeling safe and keep the activity in the tank up. I also keep Bristlenose Plecos and Nerite Snails in my tanks to help with clean up of any brown algae. While these are my favorites at the moment, I have done many other things. Some successful, some not. If you browse the web and find a species that looks great, post it here with your suggested tank mates and we can help make recommendations based on typical behavior. Previously, I have kept other smaller barbs and tetras with DWARF cichlids, but this was in a large tank, such as your 75 gallon. The rainbows suggested sound like a good option as well.

Remember, while we have much experience and knowledge of many species, we have never kept your specific fish. Part of the fun of keeping cichlids is that they tend to have a personality of their own, and sometimes do not follow conventional wisdom regarding behavior. We will do our best, but it is up to you to keep an eye on the situation and act accordingly if something doesn't seem right.

i had a similar disaster at my fisrt attempt (a little over a year ago). I do as much research as i can as well, but still have not found a solid process of researching. Mainly my researching consists of browsing search engines reading about the different species.

I am not sure what sources are more reliable than other, but i do my best. You seem to have a pretty solid process, as do many others on this forum. I hope to become an avid fish keeper as many who are on here.

Thank you for the support, every bit counts.

One consideration I see with dithers is how much they can compete for the food you want to feed your cichlids. If your Geos are still smaller juvies and you're feeding smaller food you way not want to have dithers that eat it all before it gets down to your Geos. I've had Giant Danios and my kids call them pig fish since they are so fast and inhale anything they can get in their mouths leaving hardly anything for any fish below. They can be great dithers, but if they're out competing smaller cichlids for the food you can easily wind up overfeeding the tank just to try to get enough to your cichlids.

I expect in the long run with your Geos and feeding larger food you would be fine, but just thought I would mention it.

Thanks that's a good point. I hope that won't happen. I'm feeding them medum pellets right nowand they can eat them whole. So hopefully the rainbows that I plan on getting will not be able to eat them whole.

What kind of geos do you have? This may be important for long term stocking of a schooling fish.