choosing the right bottomfeeder

[troy272]

maybe a chinese algae eater. they get to be about 5.5 inches long. although ive heard 12" but i doubt it. you could try that unless it will get eaten by another fish.


clown loaches are also good.

 

[gourami]

i've heard that chinese algae eaters can be very distructive (but never kept one so i don't know if thats true). you could always go for yoyo loaches (great character fish).

 

[Puffernewbee]

maybe a chinese algae eater. they get to be about 5.5 inches long. although ive heard 12" but i doubt it. you could try that unless it will get eaten by another fish.


clown loaches are also good.

My LFS has two chinese algae eaters and they are currently about 8 inches.

 

[devon 88]

Sucking catfish are the best for cleaning up the botten of the tank.i have lots of the on the botten of my tank

 

[FreddytheFish]

my favorite bottom feeder is a kuhli loach- theyre so fun to watch

you could also try corry cats, or, if u want a combination bottom feeder/ algae eater try a small pleco

i wouldnt do a golden algae eater, my friend had one, it stressed ut his other fish and some of them died

 

[ghinksmon]

Careful with some cats and loaches that may be small enough to eat. Even if you consider the catfish an expendable risk, if it chokes your bichir with it's spines you lose both of them. Corys and clown loaches should have a choking hazard on them considering your tank mate. The chinese algae eater is at least a soft bodied treat.

But you now have the white tipped cat, Arius species? These are almost always sold as freshwater but typically do much better in brackish water.

 

[telecubby]

I have a heavily planted 30 gal tank with a 5" senegal bichir.

I can't gravel vac very effectively because i'm using TMS as substrate and I have alot of plants that tend to get in the way.

I'm looking for a bottomfeeder to help maintain the floor of my tank. I was thinking of maby a small squad of full sized corys but I'm concerned that they might get eaten when my bichir is big enough. I'm currently using ghost shrimp. they do a good job and helikes having them around but the only place I can get them for a reasonable price is about thirty miles away and I don't like having to restock every couple of weeks.

Ay suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

10 kuhli loaches or 6 zebra loaches. try switching to algae eating shrimp (they eat meat too)& last longer are faster & most vigorous.A bit more to look @ ,ghost shrimp are too easily overlooked or eaten

 

[telecubby]

botia striata is the zebra loaches they rummage food out of everywhere & need less of them than kuhlis to do the job / maybe get 6 khuli's & 4 loaches be a nice cleanupcrew the kuhlis go deeper & the loaches scavange surface debris so quickly it doesn't get a chance to mold or rot .

 

[telecubby]

baby loaches are like puppy dogs & eat poo .some never grow out of it like kuhli loaches, if you loose a kuhli under an undergravelfilter for a year, & he comes out one day all fat ,you know he's been eating alot of something under inches of gravel.