AndrewH
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 198
I'm looking to get a small bottom feeder for my 10 gallon. Are there any catfish that will stay small and don't require a school to act "normal"?
Small non-schooling Catfish
- Thread starter AndrewH
- Start date
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morningman
Aquarium Advice Regular
How about some dwarf bristlenose, albino or brown...they'll do a great job!
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would not put a BN in a 10 gallon.
Perhaps you could start with the BN in your 10g, once it starts growing it may need to go into your 29g. I had two albino corys in my 10g when I started, 3 years later they are still fine. So they don't really need a school, but they prefer it.
Also, your 10g will soon become overstocked with just guppies. Trust me, I had the same thing in my 10g, 2F and 1M... Its been about 3 months and I have 13-15 fry growing out in my 10g and the adult guppies (2f/1m) are now in the 30g tank. I let the diamond tetras take care of any new fry. :-|
Also, your 10g will soon become overstocked with just guppies. Trust me, I had the same thing in my 10g, 2F and 1M... Its been about 3 months and I have 13-15 fry growing out in my 10g and the adult guppies (2f/1m) are now in the 30g tank. I let the diamond tetras take care of any new fry. :-|
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
I'm gonna agree with Rich, BN's need larger than a 10g. I had one that was about 5.5" and a poop machine. 
Cories definitely prefer a shoal. I wouldn't keep them in anything less than a trio.
Otos are cool catfish. They aren't really bottom feeders, but eat algae and enjoy algae wafers. You could keep a trio of them easily in a 10g. They also prefer to have groups, but stay about 1.5" so they are fine in a 10g.
Cories definitely prefer a shoal. I wouldn't keep them in anything less than a trio.
Otos are cool catfish. They aren't really bottom feeders, but eat algae and enjoy algae wafers. You could keep a trio of them easily in a 10g. They also prefer to have groups, but stay about 1.5" so they are fine in a 10g.
Zagz
Aquarium Advice Addict
Otos are a good option IMO. Probably the best option, you could get 3 of them, they don't have to be in groups but more of them are more interesting.
OP
OP
AndrewH
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 198
Totally forgot about Otos. Great suggestion I think I'll get a trio. Thanks!
Vikesfankevin
Aquarium Advice Activist
Just thought I would add that we started out with a 5 gallon and had 2 emerald corys and they did fine in there and now they are in a 29 and they get along so good together I decided not to get any more. They never leave eachothers side
gheitman
Aquarium Advice Addict
What about one of the dwarf cories (i.e. C. pygmaeus, C. habrosus or C. hastatus)? They usually don't get more than an inch in size and three or four would look great in that tank. I actually have a 10 gallon planted tank with nothing but about twenty pygmy cories.
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
I love pygmy cories--if you can find them!
hrm. a trio in a 10 gallon....i am scared to put a pair in my 29....even if you substitute foods the little guys need algae...1 in a ten would be pushing it...would have to have alot of light and algae problems.
course, thats just what i have read in every book or site on the little buggers, havent actually kept them cause of what i read,lol.
morningman
Aquarium Advice Regular
a small BN
I guess I suggested a small BN Cat because that's about all you can find anywhere these days....small ones! A full grown one would be a poop machine indeed, but when they are small, nothing can touch them as far as cleaning algea away in a hurry.
I guess I suggested a small BN Cat because that's about all you can find anywhere these days....small ones! A full grown one would be a poop machine indeed, but when they are small, nothing can touch them as far as cleaning algea away in a hurry.
While otos are great fish, they really aren't "bottom feeders" so if the idea is you are looking for something to eat uneaten food and so forth off the surface of the substrate, otos are not going to accomplish that goal. In a 10 gallon you could put 3-4 normal corys or 6+ dwarf corys, as long as the water column isn't already overstocked with fish.
A few other options if you are explicitly looking for bottom feeders:
- a handful (or two!) of ghost shrimp
- some combination of snails
As long as you have fish that are small enough where they don't see the ghost shrimp as food, then having a half dozen or more ghost shrimp will keep your substrate nearly spotlessly clean. (And since most pet stores sell them as feeders, you can usually pick them up at a price of around 6 for $1). A decent-sized apple snail or two, or some nice ramshorns, would do a fine job keeping the substrate clear of uneaten food and also help with some algae control as well, while at the same time adding some real color to your tank. If you have live plants you need to be sure you choose plant-safe snails such as the European ramshorn (Planorbis corneus or Planorbis rubrum) and Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS); if you have all plastic plants then basically anything is open to you, including voracious plant eaters like the Columbian Ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis). As for Apple snails, I believer there are at least 4 different species that go by that name, and some are plant eaters while others are plant safe, so you really need to do your homework on those if you have a planted tank.
