Who Gives A Fish Forums

Curious, do any of you have tanks where dithers are a must-have to keep your discus calm, especially when it's feeding time and they start darting around?

I've never felt the need for dithers in my setup, but I do think a small school of peaceful fish, like rams, could coexist with my discus without issues. Domestically bred rams are generally a good choice, in my experience. Interestingly, I've found that rams are actually more sensitive to water quality fluctuations than discus.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

I'm a fan of keeping Sterbai cory and rams with my discus. They seem to get along just fine without needing the dithers. I think the cory and rams serve more as role models, showing the discus that everything's okay. Just having other fish around seems to calm them down. The rams are quick to grab food, which triggers the discus to eat, and the cory draw their attention to the bottom while cleaning up. I've even seen my discus pair bond stronger when they were raising fry - the male would chase those pesky cories away to protect them. Rams are a natural fit with discus, thriving in the same warm, clean water and eating similar foods.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

I've had good luck with Snots and Discus, seems they coexist pretty well, but I don't think they necessarily calm the Discus down.

I've got a pair of green corys and a pleco in with my Discus, more for cleanup duty than anything else. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the Discus make of the corys - they seem to get a kick out of dive-bombing them every now and then.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

I'm just a fan of having a diverse tank. The only time I see my discus get jumpy is during feeding. A couple of them will leap out of the water, scattering food everywhere. My tank's a bit of a community, with 10 rams, 5 ottos, 10 bronze Corys, a bn pleco, over 50 red cherry shrimp, and an SAE. The thing about dither fish is they're meant to calm down spooked discus by creating a sense of movement. They're usually schooling fish, always on the move. That movement is what helps to settle the discus.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

You're right, just my discus jumping at feeding time, usually one or two. I've got a pretty lively tank with 10 rams, 5 ottos, 10 bronze Cory's, a bn pleco, about 50+ red cherry shrimp, and an SAE. Dither fish are meant to calm down spooked discus, typically schooling fish that keep moving. Their movement is what helps calm the discus.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

No, I don't think so.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?

I don't think it's about being spooked, more like they're just dispersing the food. I mean, they're smart fish, they don't want anyone hogging it all. That's my take on it, anyway.

Re: Any of you HAVE to have dithers?



I'm worried about my discus getting spooked and hurting themselves, so I'm considering adding dither fish. I'm thinking of neon blue rams or albino cory - they seem like good options. The thing is, I don't want to disrupt my discus' breeding. Does anyone know if dither fish will affect their breeding habits? Also, what size do I need to get for the corys so they won't become a snack for my large adult discus pair?