interesting bottom feeders

[Tcal01]

My 10 gallon tank will be cycled very soon and I wanted to hear everybody's ideas on what bottom feeders i could put in it. Any input helps and is appreciated.

 

[absolutangel04]

Pygmy corys or Asian stone catfish!

 

[CRUSHER]

Crawfish... Shrimp... since it's a 10 gallon, you might want to get a bottom feeder that has a max growth of around 3 to 4 inches.

I have a 30 gal community tank with 3 different kind of tetras-15 ... 3-german rams, 2-bamboo shrimp and around 8-ghost shrimp . they all seem to share in cleaning up the bottom.

 

[Tcal01]

The Asian stone catfish is really cool. I have considered crystal red shrimp. But how many could I keep it if I kept them with around 6 other fish

 

[KaylNeko]

Depends on the fish. They'll be fine with some fish (like a lot of tetras or corys), not so much with others. The 'others' don't have to be aggressive fish--shrimp with goldfish, just as an example, does not appear to work simply because goldfish get big enough to fit them in their mouth, and for most fish, if it fits in the mouth, it has a good chance to get eaten.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah, they look pretty awesome. I know they can be a bit difficult though. Personally, I am thinking about habrosus cories for my own 10g.
Assuming the other fish don't eat them, you could keep quite a few shrimp.

 

[Tcal01]

But how many shrimp could I keep with 6 fish. Most likely either red crystal or red cherry shrimp.

 

[KaylNeko]

Shrimp have very low bioload. In a ten gallon, I have 3 cherries and anywhere between 4 and 10 ghost shrimp (I put ten in...). Six to ten cherries/crystals would probably work if compatible with your fish. Might even be able to go up to 15 if they have places to hide.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Dario Dario babis might work, depending on the tank mates.

 

[Tcal01]

The tank mates are gonna be 5 celestial Pearl danios and 1-2 sparkling gouramis

 

[absolutangel04]

You could easily start with like 10 rcs. The sparklers will eat some of the shrimplets, but not the adults. If the tank is heavily planted, more shrimplets will live.

 

[jetajockey]

One interesting bottomfeeder that I've spend some time with is cyprinodon variegatus aka sheepshead minnow. However in a 10 I probably would limit it to a trio, 1 m 2 f, and other tankmates would play a factor in whether it'd work.

 

[Tcal01]

Yah I saw your profile on those. I bought some otos today and once I get a hold on things i want to get either amano or red cherry shrimp and regime the otos.

 

[jetajockey]

Why rehome the otos? They really don't contribute much to bioload and might need supplementation until the tank gets well established. They don't exist on algae alone, but they do need a well seasoned tank with lots of biofilm in it, since it harbors all kinds of flora/fauna. Either way, if they don't look plump then keep some fresh veggies in there for them and they should be fine.

 

[Tcal01]

So I could keep the 4 otos, 5 celestial Pearl danios, 2 sparkling gouramis( proboably one) and the shrimp?

 

[absolutangel04]

Personally, I wouldn't keep more than a pair of otos in a 10g. More than that might start to run into problems getting enough food. You could try it with a lot of supplemental food, but keep a close eye on them. Like I said, I wouldn't do it.
Other than that, it sounds fine to me.

 

[jetajockey]

I agree with only doing 2 otos also.

Also, in a 10g I'd go more like 6-8 CPD's since they are the only schoolers, but otherwise it sounds fine.

 

[Tcal01]

How many shrimp.could I keep in there?

 

[jetajockey]

I'd go with around 8-12 if it's RCS, because of their bioload, that # can be bent quite a bit. Let the tank get established a bit before adding them for best results.

 

[Tcal01]

Wow that many with 10 fish(max) too?