Single bottom feeder for 20 gallon?

[nyrstockman]

I have a pleco (L187a) and 12 bloodfin tetras in a 20 gallon (24x18x12). The substrate looks lifeless. Any bottom feeders that can be kept by themselves? Diurnal prefered


Temp- 76-78

Perfect water parameters:help:

 

[Glabe]

Dwarf cray?

 

[nyrstockman]

Those are kind of expensive aren't they? Do you have any experience with them?

 

[vanillarum]

How bout a nice group (6 ?) of corys ? They will liven up the tank. Or maybe some sids (a little more $ for these, but they are the energizer bunnies of the fish world) ! Mine never stop !! Good luck.

 

[Glabe]

I don't have any experience with them, but you can get them for $10 each (when you buy a group tho)

I did love my marbled crays even tho they ate every single scrap of live plant in my tank. They even devoured a huge cloud of java moss. but they never pestered any fish

 

[vanillarum]

Crays WILL eventually eat your fish, trust me. Might take a little longer, but they will. Good luck.

 

[Fractalis]

Crays WILL eventually eat your fish, trust me. Might take a little longer, but they will. Good luck.

true but there are a few that prefer to eat fish after they die of age or illness rather than injury

 

[Glabe]

true but there are a few that prefer to eat fish after they die of age or illness rather than injury

^ +1

they are definitely scavengers, not predators. I didn't lose a tiger barb to a cray in the 4 months i had them. i need to get ahold of the guy who bought the tank and see how they're doing...

 

[fishorama]

I'd go with an Amano shrimp or 2 or a small group of dwarf corydoras (habrosus, etc)

 

[LauraL]

I love corys, but they get big and fat, so a group of 5 of them (minimum recommended school) might crash your bioload. Consider 5 or 7 otocinclus. They're much smaller than corys, very cute, and pretty good at cleaning things up.