Need a good bottom cleaner fish

[ShawnKC]

I have a 30 gal. breeder with 10 zebra danios, 8 black skirt tetras and an electric blue crayfish. I just added some new plants and when I stirred up the gravel to bury the plant bases a butt-load of uneaten food stirred up. I did a 10 gallon water change with water pre-treated for chlorine and ammonia. I assumed the crayfish would do a good job of cleaning the gravel but I was wrong. I feed flakes twice a day along with the occasional algae wafer for the cray and have an AquaClear 70 filter.
What would you suggest as a good fish to add to the tank to help clean the gravel.

 

[DanRamirez57]

I would get some Cory catfish

 

[_skyla_]

i find my khuli loaches really good at getting into those tight nooks and cranies the others cant get into and they have quite a small bioload. Corys are great though also. Maybe if you do a smaller type of cory group like the panda or pygmy you could do a group of 4 khulis aswell.

 

[bettaowner]

Apistodoras are another option.

 

[Zimmanski]

Gravel or sand? I don't suggest corys with gravel, or any fish with barbels, IMO with gravel it's up to you and your gravel-vac, with sand use corys

 

[ShawnKC]

It's actually a combination of course sand a pea gravel. I don't presently have a gravel-vac but I will definitely need something as my crayfish died last night.

 

[tomoisawatergod]

Would pit ball or bull dog plecs be advisable?

I've heard that they are compatible with most fish, and also a good algae eaters.

 

[Zimmanski]

You definitely need a gravel vac either way. Sorry to hear about your loss

Even if you got a bottom dweller it should only be used to aide in your proper and routine maintenance, not replace it. Vacuuming the substrate is crucial to maintaining a good living environment for your fish, I don't like eating soggy three day old food so I don't force my fish to eat it either haha, though I do have several fish to help get some of the leftover food on the bottom I don't rely on them to take care of it all.

 

[jcolon]

Well, you may have found the culprit to your dead crayfish. Stirring up substrate debris could've release some toxin buildup as the food decays. Your fish are fairly hardy and could shrug it off, inverts are much more delicate.

+1 with gravel vacs. As for something to help clean the bottom ... Shrimp I think is the way to go. Ghost shrimp are inexpensive and constantly scavenge for uneaten food. They find the stuff fish just miss or can't get to. If you get them large enough, your fish'll leave them alone.

 

[ShawnKC]

Thanks everyone for your input. I will definitely get a gravel vac, and possibly acquire some shrimp. If I get crayfish again, I have found a breeder to order from and will make it a species tank. Thanks again.

 

[vanimal]

I like bumble bee catfish and maybe try feeding your cray a meatier diet.

 

[ShawnKC]

The crayfish died yesterday, but thanks for your suggestion.

 

[PolyptRus]

Cory's and loaches would be good options, mystery snails are amazing bottom feeders and are one of the only snails at least as far as I know that cannot reproduce on there own so as long as you have one than you won't be over run with snails. However when they get large enough they may actually munch on small fish mine killed a few guppies once it got to three inches.

 

[vanimal]

Cory's and loaches would be good options, mystery snails are amazing bottom feeders and are one of the only snails at least as far as I know that cannot reproduce on there own so as long as you have one than you won't be over run with snails. However when they get large enough they may actually munch on small fish mine killed a few guppies once it got to three inches.

How could a snail catch a guppy?

 

[PolyptRus]

How could a snail catch a guppy?

Good question but surprisingly I've seen it happen it catches the fish when they are in labour and starts munching on them. It's also killed a mama platy it leaves round patches of missing scales and round little holes in the fish

 

[vanimal]

Good question but surprisingly I've seen it happen it catches the fish when they are in labour and starts munching on them. It's also killed a mama platy it leaves round patches of missing scales and round little holes in the fish

Oh I thought it like snuck up on them when they were sleeping or something. Haha

 

[PolyptRus]

That may also be what it does. Maybe it's just my snail that is a killer though not to sure haha

 

[DanRamirez57]

Do you guys know if snails will eat baby shrimp?

 

[PolyptRus]

Do you guys know if snails will eat baby shrimp?

If it has the chance yes but if it can catch them is another question shrimp are usually pretty fast so they might be alright but snails are opportunists and will eat just about anything they can get a hold of

 

[DanRamirez57]

Ill just move him to another tank and not worry about it