Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

[Oxboy]

Just curious if any of your guys' tanks have to have dithers out of necessity or else your discus dart around, particularly during feeding time?

[LizStreithorst]

Not me, although I don't think a small school or rams would be detrimental as long as they were domestically bred. Rams are actually more sensitive to water quality than Discus, at least IME.

[coralbandit]

I like having Sterbai cory and rams with my discus . I don't think they need them .
I don't know that either settle the round fish down ,but more just act as a monkey see monkey do role models IMO . I guess just seeing other fish is settling for the discus ?
The rams hit the food right away trigger the discus and the cory clean and draw the discus attention to the bottom .
When my pair was raising fry the male would go on charges to chase those pesty cories away ! Kind of helped the pair bond IMO ..
Rams are made to go with discus loving the heat ,super clean water and a lot of the same foods ...

[LizStreithorst]

Snots do well with Discus as well, but like you, I don't think that either settle the Discus down.

[peewee1]

Just curious if any of your guys' tanks have to have dithers out of necessity or else your discus dart around, particularly during feeding time?

Have have two green corys and a pelco with the Discus there as a clean up crew. I am not sure what the Discus think of the corys. They seem to enjoy dive bombing them occasionally from on high.

[Iminit]

I just like my other fish. Only time my discus jump is at feeding time. One or 2 will jump and spread the food all over. I’ve got 10 rams 5 ottos 10 bronze Cory’s 1 bn pleco and about 50+ red cherry shrimp oh and an SAE. Thing with dither fish is they are used to calm spooked discus. These are usually schooling fish. Fish that are constantly moving. The movement calms the discus.

[Oxboy]

I just like my other fish. Only time my discus jump is at feeding time. One or 2 will jump and spread the food all over. I’ve got 10 rams 5 ottos 10 bronze Cory’s 1 bn pleco and about 50+ red cherry shrimp oh and an SAE. Thing with dither fish is they are used to calm spooked discus. These are usually schooling fish. Fish that are constantly moving. The movement calms the discus.

So 1 or 2 of your discus will get spooked and dart at feeding time?

[LizStreithorst]

no.

[Iminit]

Yeah I don’t know if it’s spooked but it that jumpy motion. I think they just want to spread the food around so nobody can hoard it . Smart fish. Well that’s my interpretation.

[aussietai]

I just like my other fish. Only time my discus jump is at feeding time. One or 2 will jump and spread the food all over. I’ve got 10 rams 5 ottos 10 bronze Cory’s 1 bn pleco and about 50+ red cherry shrimp oh and an SAE. Thing with dither fish is they are used to calm spooked discus. These are usually schooling fish. Fish that are constantly moving. The movement calms the discus.

i am worried my discuss are easily spooked and hurt themselves. if i intorduce dither fish, will they still breed? thinking neon blue rams and or albino cory (what size do they have to be not to be eaten by a large adult pair of dsicus)

[Iminit]

Neons and cardinals tend to get eaten. I’ve got a school of rummie noses in one of my tanks and the discus don’t bother them. In the first tank the rams have all past. They seem to be short lived fish. So in that tank I’m using bosemani rainbows. Another good schooling fish that don’t bother the discus. These fish also get to about 5” and live long lives. Discus lay eggs in both tanks. I suggest schooling fish. It’s there constant movement that calms down discus. Most times discus jump or dart is when someone move by the tank. Being these fish are always moving the discus just calm down to outside moves.

[AndyW]

I also have a school of rummies with my discus. They school well and the discus don’t bother them at all. I added a school of West African Butterfly Cichids, which are also very peaceful. Bottom feeders are Corys and BN Plecos which also are very compatible.

[Willie]

i am worried my discuss are easily spooked and hurt themselves. if i intorduce dither fish, will they still breed? thinking neon blue rams and or albino cory (what size do they have to be not to be eaten by a large adult pair of dsicus)

Dithers do not make discus jumpy. If anything, they have a calming effect. Rams and most cories do well in discus tanks, except for the dwarf species (C. hastatus, C. pygmaeus, C. habrosus). These will end up as discus food. I keep cories and bushynose plecos in my discus breeding tanks, because they leave the eggs alone.

Over the years, I've probably made more money selling dither spawns than discus fry. LOL.

[Vinni Smith]

We have to be carful what dithers we put in with our discus. THEY EAT THEM!
They ate all of my neons. Gulp
Have a big pair downstairs. Got a very small fancy goldfish to keep them company. Gone before dusk.
Then added 3 very small cory cats. 2 out of the 3 gone with no trace at all.

Hillstream Loaches do great with them and plecos. They must taste bad?

I will try some more fancy goldfish again but not tiny, cute ones!

[Iminit]

Wow Vinnie are you feeding your fish enough!! Eating corys and goldfish!! They must have grown up with piranhas!! .