Bottom-feeders........Cories

[TXFish]

Another question from a newbie........do bottom-feeders like Cory Cats count towards the bio-load of a tank?? Also, do they eat algae??

After my 20 gall tank cycles, I'm planning on stocking it with Tetras, a few Platies, and --possibly-- a Betta. I'm just curious if I need to include a "clean-up crew" into this mix and reduce the numbers of the others, or does the clean-up crew really affect the bioload that much? I'm just trying not to overload the tank.

Advice/suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[bbrown]

Cory cats do not eat algae and you must feed them a pellet form of food which will sink to the bottom. They do contribute to your bioload as they produce waste which must be handled by your biological and mechanical filtration. I would suggest some species of algae eater in your 20 gal. If you want to keep it small, try some otos if you can get them in your area. The ottos will keep any live plants free of most algae and keep the glass clean.

 

[talloulou]

Corys are great and should be kept in a school. It's best to have 3-5 but you definitely need at least two. They are great for finding all the food that sinks to the bottem. I always have some in my community tanks for cleaning the gravel. And while they love algae wafers they won't clean algae off your glass.

 

[Tiffi]

For algae you could get some Amano Shrimps. A group of 5 or 6 should be fine for your aquarium. They don't add as much to the bioload as fishes do plus they are intersting to watch (something differnt).

Look in the Fish and Plant Profile forum for Amano Shrimp information.

 

[rich311k]

I think a small group of corys would go nicely in your tank with the fish you want to keep.

 

[Guest]

I have some cories in my community tank now. This is the first time I've kept them, but now I don't think I would have a tank without them. So darn funny to watch. Mine like to play in the bubbles from the airstone. LOL. HTH

 

[Skyrmir]

I'd have to suggest come cories myself, mainly because they're amazingly entertaining fish to watch.

Having said that, they are not much for cleaning algea. But they do keep the gravel looking nicer. Even the mulm they won't eat they usually either spread out so it's not so noticable or push it into area's where it's all in one spot for vacuuming.

Algea is really easier to control yourself, by not overfeeding and a few real plants. Anacharis is a really good one for algea control. Grows fine in low light and it's easy to trim/replant as it grows.

 

[Xzap]

I keep about 13 cories/cats in a 90 gal and my substrate (Eco Complete) stays amazingly clean. Be sure to feed them shrimp pellets as they LOVE it.
They will find and eat anything left on the bottom, plus they are fun as heck to watch them do the "Cory Dance"

Thx,

dave

 

[Bubble_B0y]

do bottom-feeders like Cory Cats count towards the bio-load of a tank?? !

ALL fish add to the bioload of a tank - the only difference is that some fish add more bioload than others.

small fish (eg. tetras, white clouds, cory cats) produce very little waste and have very little impact on the bioload.

large fish (eg. goldfish, pleco, bristlenose) produce large amounts of waste and can stock up a tank very quickly.

you could probably keep 15 neon tetras for 1 small goldfish!!!

In my opinion, the cory cats would be perfect for your setup.
Not only because they take up very little bioload, but because they are an effective clean-up crew.
They eat the leftover food and crumbs and stir the sand/gravel.
In fact, they may be helping the bioload by removing uneaten food, which may have added to the ammonia load.