what do i get??!!

[allecb]

55 gallon
7 tiger barbs
2 gbr

i want some activity at the bottom..please dont give me the generic " get a cory or pleco" as most of yall know, theres a HUGE list to choose from.. i know most plecos get 7+ inches plus.. im kind of picky cause catfish sometimes look like weird lumps like a slug..and some plecos have weird bristles that remind me of tentacles/spiders..

so based off the things i dont like, can you please help me find a bottom dweller suited for my tank!?

ooh! i like panda corys.. ill try to find some, but still..list off some fish :]

[jooranda]

wot bout clown loach or sae an clowns well some even eat snails if u have them in ur tank but u gotta check compatability cause u have tiger barbs an they nippy fish or so i hear

[allecb]

wot bout clown loach or sae an clowns well some even eat snails if u have them in ur tank but u gotta check compatability cause u have tiger barbs an they nippy fish or so i hear

the fact they get 16+ inches, and like to be in schools makes it impossible to put them in my small 55g tank..

[jpappy789]

Not all plecos get that large...and the ones with bristles are from the Ancistrus genus. That still leaves a lot of possibilities.

For plecos, start looking here:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/numbers.php?mode=l&thumbs=16

A Chaetostoma spp. would probably work. They're commonly sold under the names bulldog or rubbernose/lip pleco. The species sold in stores only get to 4-5".

I'm sure other members more familiar with L-numbers could get you a whole list of suitable plecs.

A more limited list is here... http://www.scotcat.com/common_name.htm

The cats on that list are mostly found in stores or pretty easy to find online.

Another direction I would look is Synodontis

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=29#413

Again, there are more knowlegdable members who could help pick out species that would work. Some are social and others are fine by themselves.

And then there are loaches...probably the best site would be www.loaches.com (http://www.loaches.com) if you want to get some ideas. I would probably stick to the 5-6" range for your tank. Once again, there are lots of members who could help out with them.


As you can see, there are way too many species to just name off...its your tank so why not just do some research given the links I posted and find out what YOU like?

[jooranda]

sorry didnt look at wot size tank u had good point !! so wot bout dwarf loach they cute

[jpappy789]

Y. sidthimunki? Possibly, but I'd be worried about how they do with tiger barbs. Also, they're a little pricey and since they do best in a large group its can add up. At best you'll find them for $10 a pop...most LFS's are in the twenties!

[Wycco]

i want some activity at the bottom..please dont give me the generic " get a cory or pleco" as most of yall know, theres a HUGE list to choose from...

That rules out most Plecos... Plecos are fairly shy and many are nocturnal- my bulldog took months to come out whilst I was around during the day.

Even so- I wouldn't describer her as active... and when she is active she's on the sides of the tank eating biofilm... NOT on the bottom.

I've noticed my Aeneus corydoras are more active than my Palaetus- other species I couldn't say- but the Aeneus are far more active. (the advantage of the Palaetus is that they school a little more- although still it's only a loose school).

Corydoras .. often take long naps during the day though and like to hide out under the caves for a while out of the light. They're not hyper-active by any stretch... Food gets them moving though! ;) Few sights are cuter than a group of Corys all gathered around eating from the same pellet.

Active and bottom dweller don't always go together- I personally love the Kuhli loaches- but again- they'll hide more often than not.


Thinking outside the box: Cherry barbs are fantastic little fish that are often overlooked. They're not true bottom-dwellers and so most people wouldn't consider them for this topic- but they certainly prefer to occupy the lower half of the tank that the top- and will help clean food off the bottom... they're more active than most corydoras or Plecos- not in the least bit shy- very colourfull and very hardy.


If it wern't for the rams I'd suggest ghost shrimp... mine were shy at first but after a few weeks became active and scurried along the bottom everywhere- your problem with them though is your choice of fish would find them tasty.

Still- if you don't mind them being feeders they'll entertain for a while.

[cam191919]

the reason cories are so generic is because there fun little fish, but the synodontis jpap mentioned are cool as well

[Squawkbert]

C. trilineatus - several of them, or C. sterbai - both are very attractive, active and are even better in groups. For a 55g tank, I'd get at least 5, maybe 8-10.

[CornBreadjiffy]

could you send me some pics of these so that i can see them

[clb2196]

I say get a whole bunch of kuhli loaches- like 12, at least. I only have 6, and generally there's 1 or 2 swimming around when the lights are on. The more you have (and the more hiding spots they have, which makes them feel more secure) the more you'll see them. They're very entertaining little fish!

[allecb]

i just got 3 Corydoras paleatus. the worker said that they will school with panda corys? i was thinkin bout gettin 2-3 panda corys to make it a nice school.

[allecb]

That rules out most Plecos... Plecos are fairly shy and many are nocturnal- my bulldog took months to come out whilst I was around during the day.

Even so- I wouldn't describer her as active... and when she is active she's on the sides of the tank eating biofilm... NOT on the bottom.

I've noticed my Aeneus corydoras are more active than my Palaetus- other species I couldn't say- but the Aeneus are far more active. (the advantage of the Palaetus is that they school a little more- although still it's only a loose school).

Corydoras .. often take long naps during the day though and like to hide out under the caves for a while out of the light. They're not hyper-active by any stretch... Food gets them moving though! ;) Few sights are cuter than a group of Corys all gathered around eating from the same pellet.

Active and bottom dweller don't always go together- I personally love the Kuhli loaches- but again- they'll hide more often than not.


Thinking outside the box: Cherry barbs are fantastic little fish that are often overlooked. They're not true bottom-dwellers and so most people wouldn't consider them for this topic- but they certainly prefer to occupy the lower half of the tank that the top- and will help clean food off the bottom... they're more active than most corydoras or Plecos- not in the least bit shy- very colourfull and very hardy.


If it wern't for the rams I'd suggest ghost shrimp... mine were shy at first but after a few weeks became active and scurried along the bottom everywhere- your problem with them though is your choice of fish would find them tasty.

Still- if you don't mind them being feeders they'll entertain for a while.


wow nice and helpful. i liked reading it. im gonna try out the Corydoras paleatus. i got 3 of them

[jpappy789]

Make it close to 10 or 12.

[minka-1974]

Synodontis are lovely ... I had a featherfin years ago who lived for 14years!

Also Pim pictus are very active and pretty. Sadly I haven't seen one for sale for a long time. Google search says to keep them in a trio but I had a single one who was always out and about and never hid.

[thorpbrian]

I have three pictus catfish (pimelodus pictus) in the bottom of my 55 gal. They can get up to 8" and are pretty active for bottom dwellers. Not to mention they are beautiful looking.

I got mine at PetSmart and they pretty much sell them at all the LFS in my area.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile70.html

Edit: Oops just noticed the original date of this thread is old...