# Salvini dithers



## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

I presently have a female salvini that is aprox. 2" in a 29g aquarium (30x12x18). I had some danios in the tank from when i cycled it, but they have gone to the aquarium in the sky via the sal's digestive tract. I am curious what dithers people have had sucess with and the appropriate number to be stocked with a salvini? Thanks in advance for your advice.

Eli


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

U say u had danios before....i like the giant danios great tuff fish and quick too....i have 4 to 5 in with my jewels at any given time and they do a great job of keeping them occupied...cheap fish so when u lose one it can easily be replaced.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

I'm assuming they were zebra danios or the like? Giant danios would work, but aren't biotope correct if you care about such things.

I currently have great success with my sal and buenos aires tetras. Haven't lost one!


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

You are correct that they were zebra danios. I have noticed on some posts that giant danios and tetras are used. How many would be workable in my 29g?


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

Would barbs work well with a salvini?


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

My experience with barbs says that no, they'll go into their head down sleeping/digesting mode and then WHAM.

I'd say tetras, and I'd do a group of 6-8 so that they don't get really nippy.


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

OK, i will give the BA tetras a try. :thumb: I let you know how they make out.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

Great! One thing about the BA tetras is that they can be nippy in smaller groups and they have a reputation for eating plants (mine are fake and they've completely left them alone...but they are fake)


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

Thanks for the heads-up regarding plants with BA tetras. I am a newbie and my plants are all fake.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

I am also a newb, just with a couple months experience with salvini killing dithers 

I'd like to introduce live plants to my tank, but all the profiles I've read on BAT mentions a penchant for eating plants.


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## phishes (May 17, 2005)

I have swordtails w/ my salvini. Good combo IMO.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

See my post from a few days ago on dither/target fish tips on this forum--I've listed many species that will go with Salvini. BA Tetras and Giant Danios are great choices as suggested by the others. Also Australian Rainbowfish work well.

Whatever you add, you must solve the following problems:

1) Your tank is small, so there isn't a lot of escape room for the targets.

2) Because your aquarium is small, it will be difficult keeping enough numbers of targetfish to keep your Salvini from picking the targets off one at a time.

3) Your Salvini has established a territory. You need to change the tank's decor to break up the established territory.


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

> See my post from a few days ago on dither/target fish tips on this forum--I've listed many species that will go with Salvini. BA Tetras and Giant Danios are great choices as suggested by the others. Also Australian Rainbowfish work well.
> 
> Whatever you add, you must solve the following problems:
> 
> ...


I agree 100%



> I have swordtails w/ my salvini. Good combo IMO.


Seriously? Wow! You have one mellow community friendly Salvini then! Not sure how much longer that will last! :lol:



> I currently have great success with my sal and buenos aires tetras. Haven't lost one!


I am glad everything is working out well! But I am very shocked with these success's!

Salvini are predators and will hunt and kill smaller fish. It's been my experience that the only tankmates that can co-exist with Salvini are other cichlids. Also you will read it in articles. I have tried Giant Danio's, BAT's, Black Skirts, and Red Minor Tetra or Serape Tetra and neither lasted very long! Black Skirts lasted about 3 weeks longer then the others but soon they vanshied one by one. If you notice, Salvini love to stalk and hide behind driftwood, plants, and rocks. It's their nature. The reason why they are so skitish and love to be hidden and have top cover plants is because they are protected by their number one enemy............Birds! I do agree that a 29 gal just won't give enough room for escape. Just because the others have had success with it and I doubt it will last long doesn't mean it will work out for everyone else. Every cichlid, fish, and animal has it's own personality and will vary by each fish not by each specie. However, every Salvini I have had and I have had over 13 adults and about 600 fry they all turned out to be the same as far as their predator nature. Good luck! :thumb:


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

I appreciate everyones input regarding dithers. Thank you all very much for sharing your experience. I love reading the comments on the forum because it allows me to learn so much. :thumb:


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

ditto =D>


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Yes, Salvini are very predatory...so you must take the size of the targetfish into account. Nothing small and slender will work. They are much less likely to go after deeper bodied fish as opposed to slender ones. Austrailian Rainbowfish (one of the larger species) get fairly deep-bodied.

If your tank was larger, something like Silver Dollars or T-Barbs would be ideal...in a large aquarium, they could probably even mix with some of the larger guapote species, though I've never personally attempted that.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

I agree with the above...however in my experience with the sals just because something is too big to _swallow_ doesn't mean it is too big _too be killed_. I think speed and habit of swimming are AS important as size/shape. I think barbs will get nailed.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Barbs of any size probably would get nailed...in a 29 gallon. But not in a larger tank with an open water area. The Salvini (or most cichlids for that matter) would be unlikely to venture out in open water just to kill a school of barbs that are too large to eat. Of course there are exceptions.


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

Bad news. I purchased some BA tetras but have lost one to my salvini. Her coloration is vivid at present, but she is in full hunt mode. I definitly believe (as the others posts indicate) that my tank is too small to provide adequete escape for the dithers.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

How big are the tetras? Mine were about 1.5"-1.75" when introduced, basically half the size of the sal, and as I said no troubles. Maybe I'm just lucky, but if the ones you got are small that could be it.

Sorry, hopefully that's all the loss you'll sustain!


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

The BA tetras are nearly as big as her! I knew it wasn't going to work out when she attacked the bag with the BA tetras. LoL.

Live and Learn. :fish:


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

wow, I guess may sal is just a wuss.


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

Well I am down to 4 buenos aires tetras and it has barely been a week! Oldcatfish and cichlid lover were 100% correct. Observing my aquarium is apparent that it is too small for the fish to escape. It is interesting to watch her stalk the fish and strike.

Would a smaller cichlid like a convict work? :-?


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

I think a Convict would work with the female Salvini but make sure it's a female Convict as well! Cons will crossbreed with ANYTHING! I would also suggest that you should upgrade very soon! A 3 ft tank or larger would be the best! At least a 30 gal + up. I think shortterm it would work but the best course of action would be to either put the Salvini in another tank for at least a week so the female Con can establish it's territory or better yet to leave both out of the tank and re-aquascape the tank and then add both in at the same time. Don't re-aquascape the tank and then wait before getting the convict because it won't work and you will waste your time! Salvini can hold their own very well and the one I would have concern for is the convict getting beat up! You can also re-aquascape and leave the Salvini in there and then add the convict that very second but I think leaving them both out and change it and then add them in at the same time is better! Make sure you have caves on both sides of the tank and leave the middle of the tank open with nothing. Make sure you have a lot of plants, rocks, and driftwood and you should be fine for a little while. If things get out of hand which they very well could I would strongly advise upgrading. Make sure you have a divider handy as well! Good luck! :thumb:


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## elirn (Apr 14, 2009)

To be quite honest I am not prepared to upgrade at this time. I don't think I will attempt to add any other fish until I can add her to a larger tank.

What is the best way to bring out her colors? Live foods?

I appologize for this question, as I am sure it has been asked many times on this discussion forum. LoL Thank you all for your assistance.

Eli


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

look for pellets with the ingredients Astaxanthin and Beta Carotene for the reds and yellows, look for spirulina and kelp for shine.


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## mok3t (Nov 28, 2008)

I have a shoal of Congo tetras (mostly males) with my Salvini and she hasnt killed a single one yet. Its not that shes NOT a killer (As my RTS and Corys found out, dont ask why the Corys were in the tank) they're just too quick for her. Things may change when she gets a bit larger as shes only about 3.5" right now. But so far so good


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