Humphead Glass Fish

[Wills]

Hi I have been looking at getting some dithers for my SA/CA tank for quite some time but have now spent a total of £45 on snacks for my Acara and getting a bit miffed Main problem has been that they have been small and snack size.

Now the only thing I can find locally that I think might work are some largish Humphead Glass Fish, Ive started reading about them but things seem a bit sketchy for info regarding size and temper. Some places say 8 inches others say 4? If its 8 inches a bit too big for my tank but if they are 4 I am thinking of a trio maybe? Or do they need bigger schools?

The tank they would be going into would be a Fluval Roma 240 so just under 65 gallons with a fluval FX5 filter

Alternativly can anyone give me any other ideas of dithers easy to find at a decent size for a 65 gallon tank

 

[Gill]

Used to sell these at Dobbies when i worked there, and they were all over 5Inches AFAICR

 

[Wills]

Ah right so guessing they still had some growing to do then? I bet they look great in a display tank.

 

[nmonks]

Humpback glassfish are nice fish, but they are feisty. Like all glassfish, they often behave more like "gangs" than "schools", and when kept in small groups you can end up with bullies. If you must keep just three specimens, get a male and two females. Males have bigger humps than the females. This trait will really only be obvious on mature fish. I wrote an article about them for PFK some years ago, the text of which is now up at WWM.

Maximum size according to Fishbase is around 8 cm, but I have to admit that I've seen specimens that seemed a little larger, maybe 10 cm. Of course, the lengths quote on Fishbase are standard lengths and so exclude the tail, and combined with their odd shape, they may well seem quite a bit bigger in aquaria.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Wills]

Thanks for that neale, as always excellent article. Do you think they would be able to withstand being kept with cichlids? I have an A.Diadema and a female Nic, also a male HRP but if he does not calm down soon he is off (being a bit pushy with the nic) he is actually the main reason im looking for dithers but the Acara keeps eating them..... hense why I want these glass fish as they look pretty much adult (around 8-10 cm)

 

[nmonks]

Given space should be absolutely fine with Nicaraguan cichlids, especially given that both species come from relatively cool, fast-water habitats with lots of oxygen. I wouldn't keep them with aggressive cichlids, but a smallish male Honduran red-point shouldn't be too bad. As always, depends on the size of the tank: dither fish can't dither if there's nowhere for them to swim to.

By way of comparison, I've found regular glassfish excellent companions for dwarfs like kribs and Laetacara. Glassfish have a good combination of speed, agility, pluck, and common sense.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for that neale, as always excellent article. Do you think they would be able to withstand being kept with cichlids? I have an A.Diadema and a female Nic, also a male HRP but if he does not calm down soon he is off (being a bit pushy with the nic) he is actually the main reason im looking for dithers but the Acara keeps eating them..... hense why I want these glass fish as they look pretty much adult (around 8-10 cm)

 

[dave_oddballs]

isn't it the hump heads that are brackish?
there were some 4-5" ones in at bas on the weekend and said to be brackish, but i have heard/read this elsewhere too!
just wondering??

 

[nmonks]

No, Parambassis pulcinella is not brackish. Found hundreds of miles inland. In fact none of the commonly traded glassfish is truly a brackish water species, though some can live in brackish water perfectly well.

Cheers, Neale

isn't it the hump heads that are brackish?