Cathyl Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Gday, just wondering what dither fish people use for their aggressive africans? I need something tough and fast that can live in african waters. Thanks. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakes Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Hi, what sort of Africans are they? If they are Lake Malawi mbuna many people just add more of them so the tank is heavily stocked and aggression spread out. If they are Tangs then Cyps would probably be ideal, as long as you don't have fronnies or anything big enough to eat them. Otherwise Australian rainbows don't mind hard alkaline water, though they prefer a planted tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathyl Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 Hi, what sort of Africans are they? If they are Lake Malawi mbuna many people just add more of them so the tank is heavily stocked and aggression spread out. If they are Tangs then Cyps would probably be ideal, as long as you don't have fronnies or anything big enough to eat them. Otherwise Australian rainbows don't mind hard alkaline water, though they prefer a planted tank. Gday, they are Lepidiolamprologus species(Elongatus and Kendalli). Pretty aggressive species especially when pairing up. Just wanted something for the males to turn their aggression to when pairing up. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xzbit Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Try native rainbow fish, they're pretty hardy and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poncho Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Mbuna are good dithers! I had a group of about 25 aceii in with my L. elongatus which went OK - they spawned in the tank (6x2x2) and I didn't have any losses. I think the trick was to have a large number of decent sized fish - anything small and they will just try to eat it. I also grew all the fish up together so they were accustomed to each other. However, eventually the elongatus would pick each other out from the crowd and go smash - I've since had to remove a pair to their own tank and have moved on the remainder. Now trying the same thing with trets. Where did you source the kendalli from? A few cichlid fans over in the west have been looking for these fish for ages! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 It is my understanding that a “dither” fish are coined for fish that are used to prevent other fish from hiding (stressing out), to encourage the shy fish to come out by demonstrating that things are safe. This is why open water fish are used as they don’t hide away in rocks when frightened. If you have aggression issues, dither fish are not used to “spread or redirect” aggression. This is a behavioural issue sorted out through other means. Generally speaking aggression with Africans is sorted out by putting in more Africans. If tank isn't big enough to hold more fish then the tank is too small (not saying your tank is as I don't know the size). The other direction you can take is to put in more hiding places, and or hiding places at different heights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justcichlids Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i have some clown loaches they do very well in my african tanks and they are awesome! i don't know if they would be considered dither fish but thay might be ok for what you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colfish Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 hi, totallly agree with Craig dither fish are usualy quiet non aggressive fish. the dominant kendalli will not rest untill he is the only male in the tank, even then he can be rough with the girls. if you must have something for him to chase, try some silver dollars, they can tolerate hard water and are fast enough to out swim him. though you will still nead extra hiding spots for the girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Salita Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 It is a challenge to dither or disperse the lepidio's agression. They are a powerful fish, with an amazing turn of speed. Nothing will be fast enough for long enough. Elongatus are tricky, because they eventually get quite large. kendalli, not so much. I would suggest you stick to tanganyikans rather than mbuna or silver dollars, rainbows etc... Try some leleupi, cylindricus, altolamprologus, or any of the larger julidochromis (marlieri). They will need a nice rocky outcrop with nooks and crannies. Julies come into their own in such places. the neolamps are a bit more cheeky and might bring out more aggression. If your pairs are mature, the new kids will need to be large enough that they arent seen as a snack. the beauty of those fish is that they can hide in places that the lepidios cannot, and are more nimble in the tight spaces (esp julies) where the lepidios are more clumsy. Elongatus, kendalli, and attenuatus are so fast out in the open that little will stay out of reach for long. My attenuatus can easily catch the fastest of tetras, and elongatus and kendalli are just larger meaner versions. In my tank, they are happy for the julies to own the rocks, and the altos being very large can just turn their side on any attack and move to a place they cant be followed. So, they all happily breed in the same 6ft. If you want to go the tough path and fight fire with fire, the larger telmatochromis could be considered. temporalis or dhonti. But i wouldnt do that if you dont want to risk your lepidio's. If you go telmats, dont get a pair, or you will have a short war the lepidios will surely lose. Cheers, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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