eco23
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi everyone,
I've been tossing around different ideas for a cleanup crew for my 48 gallon. My 2 main priorities are to help keep the substrate free of leftover food and to help keep my (fake) plants clean. I'm having a small diatom outbreak, but I know thats normal for a newer tank. After research, I'm starting to lean towards shrimp.
I originally wanted Corys and Otos, but I have normal aquarium gravel which I've read is bad for Corys, and I also know they won't clean the plants and algae very well. I'd also like to keep my bio-load low.
So, questions for shrimp...
1) How many are best to keep a 48 gallon tank clean?
2) I have very soft water with low alkalinity. I run crushed coral to help, but I don't know if that is suitable to provide the calcium/ minerals the shrimp need.
3) Do different shrimp do different things? I know Amano shrimp love algae, but are they not as good as Red Cherry's at keeping the substrate clean? Should I mix and match?
4) I don't have a suitable QT yet, are shrimp prone to bringing disease into a tank if not quarantined?
BTW, I have small peaceful schooling fish, so nothing that would want a shrimp snack.
Thanks as always!
I've been tossing around different ideas for a cleanup crew for my 48 gallon. My 2 main priorities are to help keep the substrate free of leftover food and to help keep my (fake) plants clean. I'm having a small diatom outbreak, but I know thats normal for a newer tank. After research, I'm starting to lean towards shrimp.
I originally wanted Corys and Otos, but I have normal aquarium gravel which I've read is bad for Corys, and I also know they won't clean the plants and algae very well. I'd also like to keep my bio-load low.
So, questions for shrimp...
1) How many are best to keep a 48 gallon tank clean?
2) I have very soft water with low alkalinity. I run crushed coral to help, but I don't know if that is suitable to provide the calcium/ minerals the shrimp need.
3) Do different shrimp do different things? I know Amano shrimp love algae, but are they not as good as Red Cherry's at keeping the substrate clean? Should I mix and match?
4) I don't have a suitable QT yet, are shrimp prone to bringing disease into a tank if not quarantined?
BTW, I have small peaceful schooling fish, so nothing that would want a shrimp snack.
Thanks as always!