'Clean Up Crew' for a SE Asia-themed Tank?

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

To begin, I only use the phrase 'Clean-up Crew' to identify the sort of fish I'm talking about, to the vast majority of the fishkeeping public.
Personally, I'm against sticking tool-names onto fish, because this appears to have some people looking at fish as simply tools to solve a problem they may have with their tanks; 'Algae-eaters' is another similarly mis-used term.

So I don't need a 'clean-up crew', because I do not have excessive waste in the tank.
I do not need an algae-eater, because, again, algae is not an issue in the tank.

I'm considering creatures that habitually inhabit the lower reaches of a tank and like to explore the wood and rocks. The small detail that they might consume any algae, or organic waste in the tank, is just a happy bonus! One important factor to consider is the relatively small size of the tank, at 100 litres or less.

With a South American-themed tank, the choices appear huge, with all manner of sucker-mouthed 'catfish' and, of course, the Corydoras. (My Axelrod Fish Atlas has even more, but that's a discussion for another thread).

With a SE Asian-themed tank, I found the task a little more problematic.
To be sure, there are many loaches to choose from, but these, like the Corydoras, need to be in groups to thrive. Unlike the Corydoras, they tend to be on the larger size, thereby negating their 'use' in smaller tanks.
Thankfully, I have a fondness for the Kuhli Loach.

Sucker-mouth fish are even less prevalent.
Scouring Thinternet, there is, of course, the infamous Chinese (and Siamese) Algae Eater...but these seem to generate a whole bunch of issues, other than size-related ones, as they mature.
Then there's a possible contender with the Hillstream Loach, but that does need more demanding waters in terms of a decent flow of good, clean water and excellent oxygenation. Another, more likely contender, could be the Panda Garra. Back in the day, these apparently had the same restrictive needs as the Hillstream Loach, but now it is suggested that, provided the water is clean and well-oxygenated, they can be quite happy without fast-flowing waters.
Granted, for the OCD Asian-themed tank, there are now Nerite Snails and shrimp. (I'd be cautious with some other snails, due to their reproductive qualities and some of their propensity to nosh down on healthy aquarium plants).

So...have I missed any?

 

[a guppy fan]

siamese algae eaters

 

[DoubleDutch]

A huge herd of Kuhli loaches ?

 

[seangee]

Have a look at dwarf chain loach (ambastaia sidthimunkee). They are hugely entertaining and you could manage a decent sized group in a 100l. As with most loaches 10 is better than 5

 

[Ch4rlie]

Am unsure about your water parameters and hardness for your tank and what other species of fish you have so far.

So am just going to simply suggest a fish specie and you can determine if it’s suitable for your tank set up, I quite like the look of those guys and am sure you could get a nice sized group of those for your 100litre tank as these species are small.

Granted they may be hard to find depending on your area and if any breeders nearby, but a suggestion nonetheless.

How about Hara Jerdoni, Asian Stone Catfish?

Hara jerdoni (Asian Stone Catfish) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Deffo one I hadn't heard of, thankyou.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

8 Kuhli loach were added to the tank and, if the water stays as good as it is and with two busy bubblers, I might add a panda garra. (Asian stone catfish are a tad too exotic for these parts).
I also understand that shrimp don't add too much of a bioload...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Panda garra are reasonably social and do better in groups. They are hugely adaptable and wonderful fish, though. I agree with the comment about dwarf chain loaches; you'll want at least 7 or 8 for them to feel comfortable and display some fascinating social behavior.

Stone catfish are wonderful, too, but in a completely different way. They have very poor eyesight--I suspect they are blind or very nearly so--and they just sort of bumble around the tank, oblivious to everything. Really comical. And not extremely active, so they don't take up a lot of space.

True about shrimp and bioload. I'm partial to amanos, myself.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

@WhistlingBadger
"Panda garra are reasonably social and do better in groups. They are hugely adaptable and wonderful fish, though. I agree with the comment about dwarf chain loaches; you'll want at least 7 or 8 for them to feel comfortable and display some fascinating social behavior."

From my studies, any social group would need a large tank, because they can be very aggressive towards each other, fighting over hierarchy and territories. Of course, these are relatively new fish to the general hobby and, I suspect, useful data is still being accumulated. The aggression in groups, for example, might disappear in tanks larger than 90 Imp.Gal., for example.

On the other fin, singles do appear to do well in tanks, at least down to 20 Imperial Gallon. One interesting point about aggression and stress, is that when under stress, they lose their black and yellow colouration and become mostly yellow. Unstressed fish are all clearly banded.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've kept panda garra in a 55g and a 150g (208 and 560l), both heavily planted with lots of cover, and I've never observed any true aggression. They do interact a great deal, and they seem to enjoy each other's company. Their colors do get paler when a pecking-order dispute is being settled (usually at feeding time), but mostly they get along fine. A single would probably do fine too. But I'd miss watching them interact.

They come from intermittent streams in the wild, which I suspect is why they are so adaptable. They do appreciate flow, though they don't absolutely require it, and they need a tight lid, as they can literally crawl up the glass and out of the tank, especially when they're in a new environment.