# Need unique dither fish for Severum and Uaru



## TwoDollar (Jan 17, 2014)

I'm setting up a new tank, and would love some suggestions on dither fish for severums and uarus other than the typical Silver Dollars, danios and tetras. I'd really love to get 8 or 10 quick moving, colorful schooling fish that are about 3"-5" that can stay out of the way of the bigger fish.

Desired Stock:

8 - 10 colorful dither/schooling fish
1 Severum
1 Uaru
1 Blue Acrara or Nicaraguan Cichlid or Threadfin Geo
1 Eclipse/Sun Catfish (already have)
1 Common Pleco (already have but will rehome if it gets too big and turns the tank into a cesspool)

Tank: 150 gallon tall (yes I know it's only 4 ft but I'm hoping to make it work)


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Australian Rainbowfish would work. They get especially beautiful when they mature.


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## rupertoooo (Dec 7, 2005)

You mention no Danios or Tetras but I would take a hard look at the following sp. These fish are not your standard fare and might be a little difficult to locate at your run of the mill LFS but they are definitely available and are gorgeous.

For Danios I would look into Barilius sp. In particular B. pulchellus and B. canarensis however most Barilius are pretty cool fish.

For Tetras I would look into Alestes which has several different variants.


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## TwoDollar (Jan 17, 2014)

I appreciate the responses. You are correct, I shouldn't unfairly rule out all tetras and dainos. I am referring to the typical species (I've had giant danios and albino buenos aires and have loved both but looking for something different).

Austrailian rainbows sound interesting, I'm also very interested in Boesemani Rainbows, the males at least look very vibrant.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Denison barbs are my favorite non-cichlid. A school of them looks very sharp. They're a big, inoffensive, beautiful fish.


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## oTheBeardedFiish (Oct 29, 2013)

+1 for denison barbs


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

New Guinea Reds, Goyder River, Boesmani and Turquoise Rainbows are all very beautiful. They don't show their best colors until they mature, and even then display best in the morning when the males get a certain shine on their heads.


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## Crenicichlaphile (Jan 6, 2014)

How about one of the _Triportheus_, such as _Triportheus elongatus_? I think these would qualify as an unusual or rarely-encountered dither which will stay "medium" sized and should be able to stay out of the way.


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

I'm a fan of colombian tetras. Somewhat common, yes, but very pretty. If kept in a school of 10 or so, they should be happy and school/shoal a lot.


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## testtube (Jan 23, 2014)

I suggest keep severums with tin foil barbs. They have bright red tails and move too fast for the other fish to bothr them. And like severums they like vegies in their diet. I've had foils and severum have a feeding frenzy when I cut up lettuse and put in the tank.


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## cprings (Sep 10, 2003)

I've kept boesemani with severums before in a 120 high (5' length). I would suggest getting 10-12 and maybe some hanging silk plants at the top of the tank to provide some coverage if needed. They will spend most of their time near the top of the tank. With a couple males in there they should show some good competing colors if they are not harassed too much by the cichlids. IME they demand high water quality as well. Good Luck!


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## Jesseschu (Mar 16, 2011)

I have 12 dwarf rainbows in my Uaru/Geophafus 125 gallon tank. They add a great blue & red to the tank, breed like crazy in mops and are a great dither. They work great in the same water parameters.


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