Dictionary:
dith·er (dĭth′ər)
n.
A state of indecisive agitation.
intr.v. dith·ered, dith·er·ing, dith·ers
To be nervously irresolute in acting or doing.
Google:
The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish used by cichlid-keeping aquarists to reduce innate timidity in some species of cichlids.
From Wikipedia:
The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish used by cichlid-keeping aquarists to reduce innate timidity in some species of cichlids.[1] Dither fish typically swim around the top of a tank, a behavior that reassures more timid fish that no predators are nearby, thereby encouraging them to relax and venture out. This technique relies on the ability of cichlids in an aquarium to gauge environmental security by observing the behaviour of other fish species.[2] Good dither fish are typically schooling species, such as some Danio, barb and tetra species.
References[edit]
^ Barlow, GW (1968) Dither--a way to reduce undesirable fright behavior in ethological studies. Z. Tierpsychol 25:315-318.
^ Loiselle, PV (1979) On dither fish. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine November:30-34, 76-79 (also online).
Dr. Paul Loiselle on Dither vs Target fish:
https://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=42
“First explicitly expounded in 1967 by Dr. G.W. Barlow, the technique takes advantage of the fact that, like many other animals, cichlids are capable of using the behavior of other species as an indicator of environmental security. This is a common enough a phenomenon in nature. One thinks of the sensitivity of deer and other mammals to the alarm calls of jays and crows. In the present case, a group of an open-water, schooling fish is introduced into the tank containing timid cichlids. Such species rely upon schooling as an anti-predator device and will swim contentedly about in the open as long as a certain number of individuals are present. This, in itself, will usually pull hidden cichlids out into the open, while the rapidity with which these schooling species learn to associate the appearance of their keeper with that of food greatly accelerates the process by which the cichlids habituate to the presence of an observer. When highly social species are used in this manner, they are referred to as dither fish."
"Having introduced the term, I feel the time appropriate to correct an error in its usage that many cichlid enthusiasts, myself among them, have perpetrated over the past decade. As Conrad Lorenz (1952) observed, the likelihood of damaging or lethal conflict between the male and female of a single pair of substratum-spawning cichlids is greatly reduced if other fish are present towards which they can direct aggressive behavior. Pair bond formation also occurs more swiftly and entails reduced risk of injury to the potential partners if such target fish are present. Many aquarists, when discussing the problem of eliciting successful reproductive behavior from substratum-spawning cichlids, have used the term dither fish to describe such target animals.”
"The consequences of conflating these two techniques of behavioral manipulation are more than merely semantic. The best target fishes are species perceived as competitors for available spawning sites by a pair of cichlids. By no coincidence, these are either conspecifics or else very closely related cichlid species. The best dither fish are highly social, open-water species whose behavior, while it may result in their being perceived as potential fry predators, is hardly apt to impress a potential breeding pair of cichlids with their potential as spawning site competitors. An additional practical difference in how to best utilize dither and target fishes must also be considered. Dither fish customarily share quarters and are allowed to interact freely with their cichlid neighbors. Unless the aquarium in question is very large or the species being bred is very inoffensive, unrestricted interaction between target fish and the breeding pair is unlikely to result in enhanced life expectancy for the former."
dith·er (dĭth′ər)
n.
A state of indecisive agitation.
intr.v. dith·ered, dith·er·ing, dith·ers
To be nervously irresolute in acting or doing.
Google:
The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish used by cichlid-keeping aquarists to reduce innate timidity in some species of cichlids.
From Wikipedia:
The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish used by cichlid-keeping aquarists to reduce innate timidity in some species of cichlids.[1] Dither fish typically swim around the top of a tank, a behavior that reassures more timid fish that no predators are nearby, thereby encouraging them to relax and venture out. This technique relies on the ability of cichlids in an aquarium to gauge environmental security by observing the behaviour of other fish species.[2] Good dither fish are typically schooling species, such as some Danio, barb and tetra species.
References[edit]
^ Barlow, GW (1968) Dither--a way to reduce undesirable fright behavior in ethological studies. Z. Tierpsychol 25:315-318.
^ Loiselle, PV (1979) On dither fish. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine November:30-34, 76-79 (also online).
Dr. Paul Loiselle on Dither vs Target fish:
https://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=42
“First explicitly expounded in 1967 by Dr. G.W. Barlow, the technique takes advantage of the fact that, like many other animals, cichlids are capable of using the behavior of other species as an indicator of environmental security. This is a common enough a phenomenon in nature. One thinks of the sensitivity of deer and other mammals to the alarm calls of jays and crows. In the present case, a group of an open-water, schooling fish is introduced into the tank containing timid cichlids. Such species rely upon schooling as an anti-predator device and will swim contentedly about in the open as long as a certain number of individuals are present. This, in itself, will usually pull hidden cichlids out into the open, while the rapidity with which these schooling species learn to associate the appearance of their keeper with that of food greatly accelerates the process by which the cichlids habituate to the presence of an observer. When highly social species are used in this manner, they are referred to as dither fish."
"Having introduced the term, I feel the time appropriate to correct an error in its usage that many cichlid enthusiasts, myself among them, have perpetrated over the past decade. As Conrad Lorenz (1952) observed, the likelihood of damaging or lethal conflict between the male and female of a single pair of substratum-spawning cichlids is greatly reduced if other fish are present towards which they can direct aggressive behavior. Pair bond formation also occurs more swiftly and entails reduced risk of injury to the potential partners if such target fish are present. Many aquarists, when discussing the problem of eliciting successful reproductive behavior from substratum-spawning cichlids, have used the term dither fish to describe such target animals.”
"The consequences of conflating these two techniques of behavioral manipulation are more than merely semantic. The best target fishes are species perceived as competitors for available spawning sites by a pair of cichlids. By no coincidence, these are either conspecifics or else very closely related cichlid species. The best dither fish are highly social, open-water species whose behavior, while it may result in their being perceived as potential fry predators, is hardly apt to impress a potential breeding pair of cichlids with their potential as spawning site competitors. An additional practical difference in how to best utilize dither and target fishes must also be considered. Dither fish customarily share quarters and are allowed to interact freely with their cichlid neighbors. Unless the aquarium in question is very large or the species being bred is very inoffensive, unrestricted interaction between target fish and the breeding pair is unlikely to result in enhanced life expectancy for the former."
