Good "cleaner" fish for 10g tank

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Choco

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Jan 12, 2008
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I have a 10g tank housing a small turtle and a few minnows, and I want to get a bottom feeding fish that will clean the gravel of waste & uneaten food.

What do you guys suggest? The gravel I use are pretty standard aquarium gravel 2-5mm in size.
Does fish like chinese or siamense algae eater also eat the waste & stuffs on the gravel? or they just eat algae? (my tank doesn't have much algae)

Also, I prefer fishes that are cheap ($5?), doesn't grow too big, and preferably a fast swimmer to avoid being caught by the turtle.
(I had 5 minnows in there for over 3 months and the turtle can't catch any of them, but then he is only 1.5-2" in size)
 
Choco said:
I have a 10g tank housing a small turtle and a few minnows, and I want to get a bottom feeding fish that will clean the gravel of waste & uneaten food.

What do you guys suggest? The gravel I use are pretty standard aquarium gravel 2-5mm in size.
Does fish like chinese or siamense algae eater also eat the waste & stuffs on the gravel? or they just eat algae? (my tank doesn't have much algae)

Also, I prefer fishes that are cheap ($5?), doesn't grow too big, and preferably a fast swimmer to avoid being caught by the turtle.
(I had 5 minnows in there for over 3 months and the turtle can't catch any of them, but then he is only 1.5-2" in size)
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the only fish I can think of is called Gravellus Vacumatium, avalible at your local LFS for around $7. :D Yep, thats right, there is no fish that will clean up your tank. most of the common "cleaner fish" actually produce far more waste than they supposedly clean and will get too large (CAEs get about 10" as adults) for the average tank. just get a good gravel vacuum and use it every time you do a water change, and your problem will be solved.

also, im assuming your turtle is a red-eared slider (like 90% of all pet sturtles) and he too will probably outgrow your tank in good time.... id give him a year, maybe two before you'll need to upgrade.
 
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fishcatch22 said:
the only fish I can think of is called Gravellus Vacumatium, avalible at your local LFS for around $7.
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Other versions include Pythonii Vacuumasciatus and the Large Mouth Gravellus Vacumatium known as Vacumatium Chaka Chaka. Be careful. These things range in length from just a couple of feet to more than 25 feet. Make sure your rig can handle something that big!?!?!
 
Elbow grease and minimize nutreints and light.
 
TheFanatic said:
Other versions include Pythonii Vacuumasciatus and the Large Mouth Gravellus Vacumatium known as Vacumatium Chaka Chaka. Be careful. These things range in length from just a couple of feet to more than 25 feet. Make sure your rig can handle something that big!?!?!
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I got a 100-footer in my 100,000 gallon tank

Filtration is a PIA :grinyes:

On a more serious note, no fish can clean up a tank better than a gravel vac and some extra elbow grease.
 
Wouldn't otos and cories do well? Or even shrimps and snails?
 
snuffy said:
Wouldn't otos and cories do well? Or even shrimps and snails?
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cories dont really do much cleaning, they only nab any excess food that make sit to the substrate, and even then they need supplemental feeding... otos eat algae, and are delicate and really should only be kept in heavily planted tanks. shirmp and snails will ehlp, but they're by no means a solution. the only trhing that will cleam yhour tank is a good gravel vacuum.
 
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