help choose a bottom dweller

[milooo]

So i have 4 platys and 6 lambchop rasboras in a 20 gallon long tank that is planted with a sand substrate and plenty of driftwood and was wondering about what would be a good bottom level fish. I had a red tailed shark before but alas I did not have a good enough lid and I found him on he ground one morning. I would get another but then I got the rasboras and am worried that a shark would eat them or just dominate over them. I would like something that would eat some algae and scraps but really don't want to get costs because of their schooling. Preferably I would want a solitary fish that wont eat a 1" fish.
Im planning on getting a few more rasboras and don't want to be pushing the billows too much. Also I really liked the red tailed sharks behavior of actually swimming around. Anyone have a suggestion on a good choice?

 

[Jnthn932]

Have you thought about cories? They don't eat algae but are really cool bottom dwelling catfish. I have four right and they're some of my favorite fish. They herd together and scoot around the bottom of the tank lol. Any left over food and whatever else that happens to fall to the bottom is quickly eaten up.

 

[Jnthn932]

People say that you really should get more than one Cory but in my experience, I've never had a problem with just one.

 

[milooo]

I thought about them but I don't really want to get a whole bunch of fish for their school. I would much rather have a lonesome larger (3-4 inch about) fish that will swim around. I really liked the red tailed shark but I might just end up getting a few cories

 

[Adastra808]

Cory cats are one of the best (and cutest) bottom dwellers IMO. However they are a schooling cat fish and should be kept in groups of 3 or more. Another option for you, maybe a Syno petricola. They do ok with just a single and only get about 5inches

 

[Jnthn932]

Cories are awesome. I was hesitant as well because of their small size but after buying a few I really love them.

 

[redruckus]

black ghost knife? they tend to stick around the bottom but should have a place to hide in and around yur plants would be good

 

[milooo]

I want sort of a more slender fish. Like I said the red tailed shark fit in so well but after getting the rasboras (which are abou 3/8" right now) it would not be a good idea because it will get agressive as it matures. But the black with the smallbit of red gliding around the bottom and through all of my driftwood looked so nice.

 

[milooo]

A black ghost knife would be awesome but I don't think it will fit into the tank. I looked at them before though and they would be epic to have. They might eat the rasboras too though because they only get up to about an inch

 

[redruckus]

no BGKs are very peacefull fish and wont harm the other fish and if you buy them at about 3-4" they take a few years to get to the full 7

 

[aa108]

how about an albino bristlenose pleco or a clown pleco? they stay around 4" so they can probably fit in your tank.

 

[cyberkat]

What about a Kuhli Loach or two or three? These guys are 3" or so black with orange stripes and are eel like in looks. They do not school but they do like to be kept in groups of 3 or more. I have kept only 1 in an aquarium and he did great, I am planning on 4 in my next aquarium. These guys are really cool looking and are great scavengers. Also Kuhli's are a nocturnal fish and unless they feel safe they will hide most of the day. But if they do feel safe they will come out and scavenge around and play.

 

[Khalix]

7 inches? A friend of mine has a BGK that's around 12 inches and will nocturnally hunt any smaller fish in the aquarium. I guess it depends on the fish.

Loaches are a cool idea. I was going to suggest the yoyo's, but I am not sure what the minimum is since they do so much better in shoals.

 

[JoeBob]

I want sort of a more slender fish. Like I said the red tailed shark fit in so well but after getting the rasboras (which are abou 3/8" right now) it would not be a good idea because it will get agressive as it matures. But the black with the smallbit of red gliding around the bottom and through all of my driftwood looked so nice.

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents here, but red tailed sharks belong in much bigger tanks. Most people recommend nothing smaller than a 55. The corys are a great idea and come in lots of colors, I'm partial to the pandas. I have an albino bristlenose pleco that only gets 3-4" and is weird looking enough to be kinda cool. Good luck.

 

[milooo]

interesting... are they hard to take care of?

 

[tulip55555]

Kuhli loaches are fun to watch. They would love the sand. They don't eat algae though, just food that hits the bottom. They do better in schools, but their bioload is small.
Ottos are good algae eaters and they stay small, but not sure if 10g is appropriate. They also do better with a few in the tank. Maybe you could research required tank size.

 

[Morgie]

What about a single dwarf cichlid? I have a female kribensis in my 20 gal and she gets along well with all my other fish, and is not very territorial. She also has brilliant colors. As long as you don't get a pair they aren't aggressive. If you choose to get a dwarf cichlid just make sure you have some sort of cave for them to hide in. :>

 

[pistolero]

A small group of pygmy cories would probably do well in that tank. They like a sandy bottom. You'd want 5 or 6 of them but they stay pretty small.

 

[Galligak]

A small group of pygmy cories would probably do well in that tank. They like a sandy bottom. You'd want 5 or 6 of them but they stay pretty small.

+1 to the pygmies! I love corydoras and the pygmies would be awesome! I'm not sure about the plecos... I've read many places that most of them get around 6-7", but I've never had one for a personal experience tip.

 

[Mattefect]

Have you tried black mollies. Mine eat algae. Oh and dont get a blake ghost knife their nit good in a 20g but mollies are cheap an easy to care for. Hope this helps