Six-Bar Distichodus

[TheEelKing]

I bought a four-inch six bar distichodus two weeks ago. It's in my 55 gallon grow out tank. I've read horror stories about how aggressive this fish can be. So far, it's been very mellow with its tankmates. At what size do they become aggressive, and what have any of you kept with them successfully long-term?

The six-bar distichodus is currently growing out with a 6-inch clown knife, 6-inch albino silver arowana, and a four-inch geophagus. They will all be going in my 300g when they get large enough to not get eaten by my 17" endlicheri bichir (the largest bichir in the tank). Also in the 300 gallon is a school of large clown loaches, a school of silver dollars, one severum, one uaru, and one blood-red parrot.

 

[Redshark1]

My limited experience won't be of much use to you but I wish you good luck.

I couldn't keep mine with anything approaching his size once he reached 10cm (could of been a she but I went with he).

I called him Stripey and he lived in the 1980s with a shoal of tetras only which he never touched though he loved to swim through them which was quite a spectacle. He reached 15 inches. Unfortunately he was spooked by the poorly designed lid falling shut, shot upwards and suffered lethal trauma to the head. I buried him in our garden.

Superb fish, much loved and even though the colours faded each scale had a light reflecting diamond upon it which sparkles when sunlight lit the tank in the middle of the day.

I was short of info as we all were back then and ill equipped having only a six foot tank (which was considered massive here).

 

[TheEelKing]

My limited experience won't be of much use to you but I wish you good luck.

I couldn't keep mine with anything approaching his size once he reached 10cm (could of been a she but I went with he).

I called him Stripey and he lived in the 1980s with a shoal of tetras only which he never touched though he loved to swim through them which was quite a spectacle. He reached 15 inches. Unfortunately he was spooked by the poorly designed lid falling shut, shot upwards and suffered lethal trauma to the head. I buried him in our garden.

Superb fish, much loved and even though the colours faded each scale had a light reflecting diamond upon it which sparkles when sunlight lit the tank in the middle of the day.

I was short of info as we all were back then and ill equipped having only a six foot tank (which was considered massive here).

View attachment 1531380

Nice fish! Any information helps. Thanks!

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I bought a four-inch six bar distichodus two weeks ago. It's in my 55 gallon grow out tank. I've read horror stories about how aggressive this fish can be. So far, it's been very mellow with its tankmates. At what size do they become aggressive, and what have any of you kept with them successfully long-term?

The six-bar distichodus is currently growing out with a 6-inch clown knife, 6-inch albino silver arowana, and a four-inch geophagus. They will all be going in my 300g when they get large enough to not get eaten by my 17" endlicheri bichir (the largest bichir in the tank). Also in the 300 gallon is a school of large clown loaches, a school of silver dollars, one severum, one uaru, and one blood-red parrot.

You can read about our experience in our thread, as you already know: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...odus-sexfasciatus-1-and-2-in-4500-gal.698700/ - Ours went through many 240 gal tanks due to tank mate problems. The longest term has been in the jumbo 4500 gal where our Sexi is the smallest fish, compensated by its high IQ, brazenness, and agility.

When they are young, they can be sweet to horrible - observation and vigilance advised. One of ours ganged up with a tank mate on a clown knife fish and they killed it in a 120 gal when they all were about 4"-5".

It's hard for me to say what would happen with each tank mate as your sexi keeps growing. Most definitely you will have problems, big problems with some the sexi attacking and killing some of the tank mates you mention. I'd advise, again, to be vigilant and prepared to separate either sexi or the objects of his aggression. I'd not be surprised that by the time yours is an adult, you'd not be able to keep many fish with him in his tank, but some equally aggressive might work out.

 

[TheEelKing]

You can read about our experience in our thread, as you already know: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...odus-sexfasciatus-1-and-2-in-4500-gal.698700/ - Ours went through many 240 gal tanks due to tank mate problems. The longest term has been in the jumbo 4500 gal where our Sexi is the smallest fish, compensated by its high IQ, brazenness, and agility.

When they are young, they can be sweet to horrible - observation and vigilance advised. One of ours ganged up with a tank mate on a clown knife fish and they killed it in a 120 gal when they all were about 4"-5".

It's hard for me to say what would happen with each tank mate as your sexi keeps growing. Most definitely you will have problems, big problems with some the sexi attacking and killing some of the tank mates you mention. I'd advise, again, to be vigilant and prepared to separate either sexi or the objects of his aggression. I'd not be surprised that by the time yours is an adult, you'd not be able to keep many fish with him in his tank, but some equally aggressive might work out.

Thanks!

 

[FJB]

I had a sexfasciatus from about 3" to about 10", several years ago. I also had a D. lussuoso, on a similar size trajectory, separately.
Both fish were very cool and interesting, as well as beautiful.
Behaviorally, I can best describe them as "jerks", in that they like to nip slightly, and harass tank mates. They are definitely rough. However, I never had either one do serious damage to other fish (all tankmates were also similarly large, fast, and on the jerk-spectrum fish). I did not perceive any important changes in behaviour as they grew, such as more/less aggressive as young or older. I must clarify that they grew up in tanks where tankmates were also growing at the same time, so if anything the relationships among the fish developed over time.
At feeding time they are extremely assertive, happy to engage in feeding frenzies. But they did not attack other fish once individual food pieces were taken by others.
Beautiful fish. Both species become less colorful as individual fish age, starting with much yellow, black and orange, and ending on a duller combination of same colors, but cast into a mainly grayish overall color.

 

[TheEelKing]

I had a sexfasciatus from about 3" to about 10", several years ago. I also had a D. lussuoso, on a similar size trajectory, separately.
Both fish were very cool and interesting, as well as beautiful.
Behaviorally, I can best describe them as "jerks", in that they like to nip slightly, and harass tank mates. They are definitely rough. However, I never had either one do serious damage to other fish (all tankmates were also similarly large, fast, and on the jerk-spectrum fish). I did not perceive any important changes in behaviour as they grew, such as more/less aggressive as young or older. I must clarify that they grew up in tanks where tankmates were also growing at the same time, so if anything the relationships among the fish developed over time.
At feeding time they are extremely assertive, happy to engage in feeding frenzies. But they did not attack other fish once individual food pieces were taken by others.
Beautiful fish. Both species become less colorful as individual fish age, starting with much yellow, black and orange, and ending on a duller combination of same colors, but cast into a mainly grayish overall color.

Thank you. May I ask what the tankmates were? You said the other fish were of comparable temperament -- equally jerks.

 

[FJB]

A large severum, a flagtail Prochilodus, 3 large Hemiodus, several Triportheus hatchet tetras, a large common pleco, a Leporinus fasciatus and a Leporinus brunneus. Oh, and an Abramites headstander. By jerks I mean some were either jerkish, in the style of Leporinus, or not putting up with nonsense such as severum. The hatchets and Hemiodus were just fast.

 

[TheEelKing]

A large severum, a flagtail Prochilodus, 3 large Hemiodus, several Triportheus hatchet tetras, a large common pleco, a Leporinus fasciatus and a Leporinus brunneus. Oh, and an Abramites headstander. By jerks I mean some were either jerkish, in the style of Leporinus, or not putting up with nonsense such as severum. The hatchets and Hemiodus were just fast.

Thanks! That's an interesting mix of fish you had.