# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna >  Please recommend a top dweller for my tank!

## leonghui

Hi people, Need a favor from you experts.

I currently have the following fishes in my 3tier 4 ft tank.

Mid Level: Gold Tetras
Mid-Lower Level: Cardinals
Bottom Dwellers: Cories.

The problem is that my top level is really empty.

Please recommend some top dwellers for me, thanks alot.

I prefer tetras. Any tetras are top dwellers?

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## NinjaFly

Hi Leong,
I have quite a smiliar setup like you. 
You can try Zebra Dianos. Get about 3-5 of them and you will see them swim really fast thru and fro.  :Smile:  

For me, I remove them away coz they started chasing my guppies!  :Mad:

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## hwchoy

how high is your watercolumn? green neon could be useful as they are small and school around the top 1/3 of the column. Also can consider hatchetfish, but I think they jump.

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## peterkoh

yes, zebra danio is a good choice. make sure you really have enuf surface for them to swam about. 5 is a max i feel as they are such fast fishes and always there first during feeding time.

how about penguin tetra if you want to stick to just tetras.

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## Simon

how abt hatchet? pencilfish do stay at the top level, most of the time

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## kelstorm

to keep hatchet.. u need to cover up coz they are world class jumpers.. and u will get lots of giam hier the next morning... but if i'm wrong, they usually jump when startled...

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## lsz

school of hatchets is the best bet. They have enough presence. 

they stick very strictly to top level. 
so it is nice if you really want to have your tank having "4 storeys"

you can also look for malayan halfbeaks..they are interesting fish 

glass catfish grow to abt 8cm max and they are interesting schooling fish that occupy middle-top level. 

Butterfly fish may eat smaller tetras, although they are very interesting addition to your tank. and they are strictly top dwellers too. 

archer fish had been kept in freshwater with no problems...but ultimately they do best in brackish.


most of the top dwelling fish are jumpers, and it is in theri instinct to try to catch the occasional insect flying past.

or you pump more Co2 into your tank and all your fish will be top dwellers 
 :Smile:

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## David

correction kel

they jump for every freaking reason that there is..............hahahahahaha ....used to have 20 to 30 marble hachet and all gone......even when try to use a net to cover the top ...still they can find the gaps and ........yihar........one round away!!!!!!

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## sherchoo

Would strongly suggest 3 line pencil. Abit small but looks very nice with it's golden stripes.

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## leonghui

Hatchets sounds good, but I had a few and they DID jump out.

Does green neons really dwell in the top layer?

How about black neons? Thanks for the responses guys, you're great!

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## Simon

tetra r mid level fishes

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## hwchoy

green neon hangs out NEAR the top, but I think black neons are more like cardinal, at mid level. Maybe pencilfish, I notice my dwarf pencilfish also like to hang out near the top, but again, not at the top like the hatchet.

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## leonghui

My middle levels are occupied by my gold tetras, the mid-bottom by neon tetras.

So I want some guys to hang out at the Top/ Middle levels.

Any tetras live there?

 :Smile:

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## jhseah

Livebearers are top level.
U might want to consider them as long as your pH doesn't go too low. :Smile:

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## coryfav

my 3-lined pencilfish and rasboras hengeli stay at the top level. :Smile:

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## hwchoy

leong hui, both green neon and pencilfishes belongs to the tetra/characin family. Since you have mostly tetra-type south american fishes, these would be appropriate as you can condition the water (black water) for them. I believe hatchets are also characin but not sure, anyway you better have a cover to stop them taking off.

I think can consider dwarf and 3-line pencilfish as they also act as algae eaters.

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## leonghui

Thanks a lot, I am into thinner tetras so as to make it "neater". Moreover, the hatchets I had kinda jumped to their death. So, I am avoiding them, so green neons are smaller than normal neons?

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## benetay

i go with pencil fish.

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## hwchoy

yah, green neons are smaller than cardinals and regular neons. Maybe 3/4 size of the cardinal.

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## benetay

they look pretty good in a huge school =) arn't tetra mid level water fishes?

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## hwchoy

> ----------------
> On 3/17/2002 7:14:24 PM 
> 
> they look pretty good in a huge school =) arn't tetra mid level water fishes?
> ----------------


yah but I find mine staying one level above the cardinal and a little below the water line. You can see that in Gan's tank too.

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## benetay

mine arn't they following the cardinal, gans tank erm...when there's people around they tend to be at the top ....

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## hwchoy

I think pencilfish would be good, but I wish mine would swim down more to go for the algae.

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## benetay

get all kinds of pencil fish kekeke

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## hwchoy

mmm... I am looking to get some real 3-line to complement my dwarfs.

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## benetay

gan

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## hwchoy

does gan now have the 3-line? what was going as 3-line was actually the dwarf. Got some already.

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## lance

The ultimate top dweller is.... Arowana!

Try that. one is enough.

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## brianclaw

What about those Lampeye Killies? They're pretty tiny and school nicely at the top of my tank. Not sure if that's inherent to their behaviour, or just something that's happening in my tank.

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## genes

You can try Trigonostigma Espei, much smaller then harlequin rasbora and has a brighter orange body.

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## valice

Did anyone notice that it is a 2002 thread? LOL

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