Loaches Online Forum

The purpose of this thread is to list some effective dithers for the benefit of everyone here.
Dithers I plan on using are a school of pictus catfish for my clown loach tank, and roseline sharks, a red tail shark, and either silver dollars or tiger barbs for my mixed loach tank. Effectiveness of each will be reported when it can.

Rasbora borapetensis turns out to be quite good

I was inspired to have tiger barbs and clown loaches together by the 800G on the Aquarium Coop Youtube channel a few years ago. My tank is more modest as is my stocking level but I'm finding the loaches and barbs mix with each other well. Most importantly, the loaches are always out and about. They are still small though so maybe this will change over time.

For what it's worth, I think the tiger barb/clown loach combo works so well because of the fact that they are more or less identical in terms of color and both have a complex social hierarchy with fiesty behavior towards their own kind.

That makes me wonder how well tiger barbs will act as dithers for my planned Burmese loach, weather loach, yoyo loach, zebra loach, and striped kuhli loach tank, if I go for them instead of silver dollars. They don't share patterning with those loaches like they do with the clown loaches, but they are nonetheless active top dwellers with a similar social structure.

I'd also like to add that between the time I made this thread and now, I got the idea to add some dwarf chain loaches to my 110 liter. So I'll have to report back on how well the neon tetras and green neon tetras act as dithers for them.

I am currently enjoying a shoal of 15 x Trigonostigma heteromorpha (Harlequin Rasbora) with my six 27-year-old Clown Loaches (max size 11.5").

These appear to be my best dithers yet as they are active, colourful and easy to keep.

I've had them 1 year. I started with 20 but a few were not well on purchase and died. However, the population has been rock steady after the first month and they appear to be thriving.

They swim in the upper level away from the Clown Loaches and their colours contrast nicely.

They enjoy the same temperature all year round. Some dithers do not enjoy the higher temperatures (except possibly in the breeding season) and may suffer shorter lifespans - if in doubt look up your species profile in Seriously Fish.

I never tried this species before as I was concerned they would be too small, but I have not yet seen my Clown Loaches do anything of concern and they are not too small for my enjoyment.

Previous dithers have included Congo Tetra Phenacogrammus interruptus (which have proved short lived - just a few years) and Arnold's Red-eyed Tetra Arnoldichthys spilopterus (much longer lived - up to 16.5 years - an excellent fish).

Update on the school of pictus catfish: only day 3 and they seem to be working! I can therefore recommend them to anyone who needs a dither fish for their clown loaches but wants something different from the usual top-midwater schoolers like tetras or tiger barbs.

The dwarf chain loaches are considerably outgoing even though it's only day 3 for them as well. This may mean that the neon/green neon tetras are also sufficient as dither fish for them.

At the moment I have 20 Kryptopterus as dither fish. ( glass catfish)
Before them, I had a 60+ shoal of Danio Choprae.

Both species are suitable for a hillstream set up, atleast it worked fine for me.