dither/target fish - other cichlids?

sandal

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Jul 17, 2003
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I have a pair of convicts and a pleco in a 65 gallon tank.

My experience with cichlids generally is that they lose some of their "interesting behaviour" when there are no other fish to argue with or protect their fry from.

Would it be a good idea to add another pair of cichlids (like jewels, firemouths etc.) to serve as target fish?

Any suggestions/comments appreciated

-sandal.
 
'interesting behaior' might include total fish anihilation.[sp?]
i would have some kind of divider handy incase the adding of other cichlids doesnt work out.

somebody told me giant danios were good dithers. but i made the mistake of putting them in a tank that didnt need dithers.

those hyperactive little speed freaks were irritating everybody.
one got ate, two got moved and the last one was too hard to catch but has settled down some now that his friends are gone.
 
Your best bet for non-cichlid dithers are Tetras. Columbian or Congo Tetras, specifically. Or you could always go with Silver Dollars, but some get to be over 8" in size, and a standard 65 is not a long enough tank for a school of such fish.

As for cichlid dithers, it's not a good idea with Convicts. Actually, many people use Convicts as dithers in large Central American cichlid tanks.
 
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A couple of points:

The phrases "dither fish" and "target fish" tend to be used interchangeably, as if they were synonymous, but they are not.

Dither fish ares those whose visibility and activity gives other, more nervous fish reassurance that it is safe to be out and about. A school of cardinal tetras, for example, can act as dither fish for dwarf cichlids that would otherwise spend all their time hiding under rocks, leaves, and plants.

Target fish, on the other hand, are specifically intended to serve as a focus for territoriality-based aggression. They need to be durable and/or fast. It is also preferable that they be non-territorial in nature, or you are just exacerbating the problem that you are trying to correct.

That is why cichlids are never good as target fish for other cichlids. They just tend to create even more battles, with one side or the other being the eventual loser.

Your 65 gallon tank (I'm assuming the standard 65 shape, which is 36" x 18" x 24") really won't have enough room for the traditional types of target fish (i.e. giant danios or silver dollars). The convicts' territory will encompass the entire tank, and since the whole secret to being a long-lived target fish is to move out of the territory of the cichlid in question, the targets will suffer from not being able to run far enough away.

Your pleco already serves as one sort of target fish, however. In that vein, you might consider adding a synodontis catfish to the mix as well. S. ocellifer is pretty easily available, doesn't get too large, and is more active than a pleco. Synodontis cats are also able to take care of themselves, and should be able to survive even in the face of some "attention" from your convicts.
 
In my case Harry (sorry for the hijack) I am breeding festae in a 150 and it has been recommended for a convict to be a target fish. I thought the recommendation made sense as the convict will claim territory and give the male something to fight with to keep him away from the female (as he would easily kill a giant danio or silver dollar). What are your opinions on this? I am prepared to replace the convict.
 
I have 4 giant danio's in my 55g with a JD.....the JD doesn't even acknowledge them....the GD's swim in the middle upper layers...the JD chills at the bottom.....course this is the new tank, and could easily change when the JD is full grown!
 
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I have 4 zebra striped danios as targets in my tank and my GT and Con barely pay any attention to them at all. They even swim at the bottom at times and they dont even charge them or anything :confused: .
 
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