african and bottom feeders

[cluster]

what is a good bottom feeder for my 55G im setting p to be african ~ i currently have my kribs and yellow labs together in my 29G which they have been fine they just dont bother eachother but im considering taking the labs and possibly a few kribs over to the 55G, would cories fit in? i want some bottom feeders besides a pleco and a clown loach

Cheers,

 

[modernhamlet]

Labs and kribs come from very different bodies of water and have completely different requirements.

Are you trying to keep rift lake cichlids or west africans in your 55g? Your choice of bottom feeders depends heavily on that decision.

 

[cluster]

most likley Lake, since all this started due to me converting my one 29G for a puffer im thinking about getting, to do this i have to make space so i bought a 55G for the labs, and the other 29G will become strictly community with my ram,corys,neons

 

[modernhamlet]

For a Malawi setup, a bottom feeder isn't absolutely necessary. Mbuna are greedy eaters and rarely leave much food to hit the bottom. They also eat algae, though they won't keep the glass clean. That's where an algae eater comes in.

The best choice would be one of the Synodontis species endemic to the Rift Lakes, such as S.nyassae or S.multipunctatus. These are unfortunately fairly uncommon and pretty expensive. If you can't find/afford 3-4 of these, the other commonly used algae eater is the bristlenose, because it doesn't grow too large and can handle the high pH and the aggression of this type of aquarium.

Hope that helps!

 

[cluster]

yeah it does thanks, my main reason posting this was to see if cories would be compatible which i strongly doubted, i have seen plecos and clown loaches in these tanks - the decision isnt final yet still cloudy water will have a decision tomorrow

Thanks

 

[freshmike]

Synos. Multipunctatus or petricola, they look great in any tank!