Can I Get...

[CJH0825]

Can I get some shrimp for my tank as small algae eaters or would my rainbow shark eat them? I have a 55g tank.

 

[MrGT500]

he might eat the shrimp, as far as small algae eaters go, I would assume you mean something like otto cats? he wont eat them, rainbow sharks aren't really predatory, nut they are super territorial and he may beat them up trying to chase them off, you would be better off with some form of Siamese algae eater which gets bigger, about 5 to 7 inches.

 

[CJH0825]

Siamese or Chinese? I've had Chinese in the past. I was recently told that Chinese are very aggressive, But I never had a issue with mine. 

 

[attibones]

If you are looking for algae eaters, I would go with nerite snails. They are super hardy and efficient and your shark is not likely to notice them too much. If you wanted to try shrimp, Amano shrimp would be the best but I would test the shark with ghost shrimp first. If he doesn't attack them, he might do well with other shrimp too. Of course this doesn't always work. The rainbow shark may have a harder time seeing the ghost shrimp, so it may not go after the little guys.

 

[CJH0825]

I was thinking some snails but don't know anything about them.

 

[Meeresstille]

For snails make sure you don't have soft water. They need calcium and such for maintenance and growth of their shells. Now and then you can put a small slice of zucchini or algae wafers in for them. They are a cute addition to a tank, I find.

 

[attibones]

I love my snails. They are really easy to keep. I like to add mine after a tank has been running for a few months so that the tank already has a bit of diatoms which I believe are fairly harmless. Of course, make sure that your snails aren't on their backs. They have a hard time getting upright. Sometimes they'll fall off a leaf or something, so you may have to flip the snails over, but otherwise they are ridiculously easy to keep.

 

[CJH0825]

ya, I read somewhere that they can't turn over if on the back. I'm seriously thinking about it!!

 

[attibones]

They are really cheap and sturdy and effective cleaners.