bottom feeders/cleanup crew for a 10 gallon hex

G

galen

AC Members
Jan 26, 2007
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NY
i still have my 10 gallon hex setup. its doing great and that sword, well, is sending out leaves like four inches above the glass plane on top! anyway, its awesome.
now i got a whisper 40 filter running with a spong on the intake- it keeps water crystal clear and clean. but theres always a alot of excess plant debris, fish food thats on the bottom.
now, the bottom is small compared to most tanks, 12" by 14" in a hexagon shape with sand from lake ontario as the substrate. so, what could i stick in there to help clean up this problem?
thanks
 
In FW there isn't anything that would be considered a "Clean-Up Crew". It's true that "Bottom Feeders" will eat flakes and such if they float to the bottom, however, fish flakes should very rarely reach the tank substrate. If so, this is a sure sign of over feeding.

The best thing for uneatten food is a Gravel Vac and food should not be allowed to stay in a tank for more than 2 hours of so, max

As for maybe getting some bottom dwelling fish for a 10G...maybe 3 or so Panda Corys depending on your stock and fish species (but they will require their own unique foods).

Inverts are another option, again depending on stock and fish type.
 
Because of the small size of the tank (I'd suggest cories if it wasn't a hex), really you should probably get a few ghost shrimp if you want uneaten food taken care of. Don't forget to feed them, too. Mind if I ask what other fish are in this tank?
 
other fish in the tank are: 1 paradise fish. lol, its sad but im having trouble picking other fish i want in the tank! allow me to clarify one of my statements: there isnt alot of food, just a few flakes here and there that kinda tend to get stuck behind the rocks or in the stalks ofthe swords. its mostly plant matter that collects.
ok, i like the invert idea. that sounds nice. what about some cherry shrimp on the bottom?

EDIT: here's a link with pics of my tank (looks virtually the same)- http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139036&highlight=hex
 
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o wow, thanks for telling me lupin! what would you recommend for a good bottom feeder?
 
galen said:
o wow, thanks for telling me lupin! what would you recommend for a good bottom feeder?
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It's really difficult to figure out what would work with a paradise to be honest. Knowing them, I've seen belligerent attitudes and if yours is just like others with the typical behavior, then any fish put there may be endangered. I was thinking cories as well but not sure with a paradise. I would never try a paradise with other fish. A bigger tank though..you can have hara haras for a change.:)
 
well, what about a good size cory, maybe the roughly the same size as the paradise fish? would that perhaps make the paradise "think twice" before attacking the catfish?
 
galen said:
well, what about a good size cory, maybe the roughly the same size as the paradise fish? would that perhaps make the paradise "think twice" before attacking the catfish?
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But your hex tank is too small to support a group. You are thinking of Bronchis splendens and these are too big for a 10g, let alone a group to socialize with.
 
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