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The Black Calvus is a beautiful fish you'll never see unless you have some good dither fish.

First off, what is a "dither fish?" For those who know what the word 'fish' means, but not the word 'dither', the dictionary provides this very helpful insight: "dither-(n.)-A state of indecisive agitation." (Dictionary.com) Therefore a Dither fish is a fish that is in a state of indecisive agitation. Now that you understand that, let's proceed with the rest of the article:)

Actually, though it seems useless, the definition does provide some information, though it brings one to wonder what the origin of the term "dither fish" is. Typically dither fish are not agitated fish, but are instead put into a tank where there are fish that are agitated or 'nervous' if that term can be applied to fish. Perhaps a better term for dither fish would be 'calming fish.' The fish in the tank I believe would be more properly called dither fish since they are the ones that are out of sorts.

Why to use Dither Fish?

Many fish in nature queue of of other fish around them to put them at ease. This concept is not so foreign as the African savannah is another area that shows this type of social hierarchy. In the aquarium as in the wild, many fish will cower in corners or stay hidden all the time if they don't have other fish swimming out and about signaling to them that things are ok. So the basic theory behind using dither fish is putting fish in the tank to make the other fish more at ease.

This idea works especially well with cichlids, but you'll find that most larger fish will readily accept having other fish swimming about. My personal feeling is the following: if you have fish in a tank for more than 1 week, and they are still hiding, then consider getting some dither fish. Most fish when you first put them in the aquarium will be skittish. This is to be expected. However, if after being in the aquarium for awhile a fish is still spending all its time hiding, there may be a simple solution. Some fish, such as cats and loaches, do infact prefer to stay out of site, so for them, the rule doesn't apply, but for most fish, the fact is, if the fish is hiding all the fish is stressed and will be less likely to eat, more likely to get sick and less likely to be enjoyed by you...since you cannot see it.

How to Use Dither Fish

The first rule of dither fish is to not over stock the tank. This requires proper planning. If you fill a tank and then find your fish aren't coming out much, then you will need to decrease the number of fish before adding dither fish.

The second rule of dither fish has something to do with size...I haven't created the rule exactly... Basically it covers two extremes, too small and too big. If you have very small dither fish, they are likely to be eaten by other fish in the tank, that of course doesn't help the situation, and dither fish are often expensive feeders. If the dither fish are too large, they often become the focus of the aquarium...which can be good or bad. In addition, large dither fish may pose a threat to fry if you are breeding fish in the tank.

The third rule of dither fish is to get a fish you like. Often I see people getting dither fish that they think are ugly fish. There is no reason to do this, there are a large number of fish that are pretty fish and serve well as dither fish. My personal favorite are the Tiger Barbs, though many people groan when I mention them...(more on them later)

The fourth rule only applies to those who are using dither fish while breeding fish. Don't get dither fish that stress out your fish. It is often the case that some fish will not breed unless they feel that they are safe in their surroundings. Adding dither fish can certainly help this situation, however, it is important to get dither fish that do not scare your breeding fish. It is possible to get fish that will present a threat to the fry of the breeding fish and will thereby cause more problems than they help to correct. Other dither fish may move too quickly or come too close to the breeding fish's area thus causing stress which can often lead to lost eggs and/or fry.

The last rule is to get a school of dither fish. Typically the dither fish suggested are in schools in the wild, and just one will not typically help the fish in the tank to feel any more at ease than they did before.

Good and Bad Dither Fish

First we'll run through the positive...

Zebra Danio-perhaps the best of the small dither fish, the only drawback to the zebra danio as a dither fish is that it swims so fast, it can freak some fish out. Other than that, this is a great dither fish. Getting 4-5 danio can liven up just about any tank. Zebra Danios are great in that they stay near the top of the aquarium and thereby pose little stress threat to cichlids who may be near the bottom. However, they are easy pickens for larger fish even in a school, so mid to small sized fish are the recommended tank-mates.

Giant Danio-the giant danio takes most of the good things about the Zebra danio and improves on it by increasing the size. This is perhaps the most commonly used dither fish for larger cichlids. They unfortunately lose some of the color charm of the Zebra Danio, but are still pretty in most any large-sized aquarium.

Tiger Barb-Many people bemoan the tiger barb as they are well-known fin-nippers. However, if you keep 4-5 tiger barbs together, they will likely keep their fin-nipping to themselves. (I've had them with all sorts of fish and found this to be ABSOLUTELY true) What's more, Tiger Barbs are a very pretty fish, especially as they grow older. I remember fondly of throwing a school into a 60 gallon cichlid aquarium that was a bore to watch and seeing them bring the tank to life. A very active fish who can lighten up most aquariums, I highly recommend them, especially if you have a tank of 50 gallons and/or you have a school of at least 5 Tiger Barbs.

Silver Dollar-The silver Dollar is a very large dither fish, but a much better choice than say the Tinfoil Barb which is often sold as a dither fish but gets much too large for the home aquaria. Silver Dollars are peaceful and pretty, making them a great dither fish.

Neon Tetras-Though I prefer Cardinal Tetras 10-1 over these, the Neon's tend to be much hardier, much cheaper and almost as pretty. I have used them in many aquaria and find them to be a beautiful calming influence on most the fish. A large school is recommended, something in the 10+ range, making them an expensive choice for many, but the color typically will make up for your money. These are great with everything from Rams to Discus to even other tetras that are hiding in the outskirts of the tank.

Some of the fish I don't recommend as dither fish are the following...

Gourami-Though many of them get quite large and can be used successfully with cichlids and other large fish, Gourami by nature are slow moving fish that tend to spend much of their time hiding behind plants when given the option. You may in fact find that mid-sized tetras, such as the Serpae Tetra are good dither fish for the Gourami. If you have to use a Gourami as a dither fish, consider the snakeskin or blue...though I again don't recommend them in this capacity.

As pretty and active as Rainbowfish tend to be, they are shy and will spend much time hiding when in goups of 5 or less.

Livebearers-Though many of the livebearers do fare well as dither fish, the majority of them span too much of the tank and are too good of fry hunters to do well. I have used a school of danio to coax out a pair of especially timid Swordtails, though that is probably the exception, and not the rule, there are better dither fish. Livebearers are easily excited by other fish in the tank and can be a good dither fish if there are a large number of them, but they do tend to dominate the tank when in large numbers.

Tinfoil Barbs-commonly sold as dither fish for large cichlids, Tinfoil barbs are a terrible choice for dither fish unless you have a very large aquarium. These fish should be kept in large schools, 4-5, and since they get so big, a school that size requires well over 100 gallons. Most cichlids don't really need dither fish anywhere near this size and will be just as happy with a school of Tiger Barbs.

Rainbowfish-Rainbow fish are actually decent dither fish if you have enough of them.  However, enough would be something like 15-20 of them:)  Rainbowfish are for the most part very shy by nature and more likely to add to the spooked fish feeling of your tank than they are to remove it.

Conclusion

So there you have it, and introduction to dither fish.  Certainly there is much more than this article could discuss and many fish that will serve you well that haven't been touched upon here.  The key is that dither fish are a great thing for your aquarium in most cases.  They provide life to tanks that may seem rather stagnant and will bring the breeder out of those shy fish.