Coldwater Cleaning Fish

[webbkath]

Hi

I have always had tropical fish but have recently bought a small coldwater tank. I would like a fish suitable for cleaning the tank. The shop suggested the butterfly loach which would be ok with me but does anyone else have any suggestions please?

Thanks Kath x

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hi and welcome to the forum !
How many gallons is this tank? The butterfly loach is just another one of the many names for the hillstream loach. These are actually quite sub-tropical fish and can be quite expensive to look after as they require very strong filtration as they are very demanding fish oxygen-wise (their body shape evolved from the fish spending is time in rapids and fast flowing streams and rivers, they need a strong current in the tank to deliver them enough oxygen to thrive).
To make things more complicated, there are different varities of hillstream loaches (they all look very similar though), which grow to different sizes. Strong filtration is vital for these fish in the long term as the most common cause of death for these fish is either slow suffocation or starvation from innapropriate diet.
If you are going for a goldfish tank, these fish don't make very suitable tankmates (they can technically be kept together, they just don't make very ideal tankmates due to different care requirements). For more info see here;

http/www.loaches.com/species-index/beauf...a-kweichowensis

Making a good hillstream loach tank;

http/www.loaches.com/articles/hillstream...n-the-fast-lane

Pics or various types of hillstream loaches and similar loaches;

http/www.loaches.com/Members/martin/pict...streams-spotted


Basically, if you have the right tank setup for them, they'll eat the algae, but they'll need a more or less constant supply of it as its very difficult to successfully move them onto prepared foods like algae wafers and cucumber etc. So by keeping them, you must ideally always have algae in the tank for them to eat.
If you have algae problems in your coldwater tank, the best way to deal with it is to simply find the source of the algae problem after indentifying the type of algae/s that you have, and deal with it yourself .

 

[webbkath]

The tank is 40l I have never had coldwater before so I just wanted a small one to start with. I asked in the shop about cleaning fish as I always had plecs in the past in tropical tanks and dont know much about coldwater. I have got a standard filter along with an airstone so oxygen shouldnt be a problem. I havent got an algea problem but thought something to clean the tank bottom would be useful and I do like the sucking loaches. I have had various plecs in the past and most have usually tucked into pellets or flakes of some kind.

I did think that the shop advice might be a bit suspect which is why I asked on here Am I better off without a sucker type fish or are there any small alternatives?

Thanks a lot for your help

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

The tank is 40l I have never had coldwater before so I just wanted a small one to start with. I asked in the shop about cleaning fish as I always had plecs in the past in tropical tanks and dont know much about coldwater. I have got a standard filter along with an airstone so oxygen shouldnt be a problem. I havent got an algea problem but thought something to clean the tank bottom would be useful and I do like the sucking loaches. I have had various plecs in the past and most have usually tucked into pellets or flakes of some kind.

I did think that the shop advice might be a bit suspect which is why I asked on here Am I better off without a sucker type fish or are there any small alternatives?

Thanks a lot for your help

Unless you have an algae problem and you are really interested in fish like hillstream loaches, they you don't need any. If you choose the right lighting for the tank and keep it clean, you are unlikely to face any lasting algae problems . Most loaches are either tropical or sub-tropical (tropical fish are ones that live in temps 24 degree's or more, sub-tropical fish are 19-23 degrees, coldwater are 18 degree's or colder). The only loach i can think of that is coldwater (although going on sub-tropical) is the Weather Loach, but that will grow far to big for a 40litre. When it comes down to it, there are not a lot of coldwater fish that can live in a 40litre tank and not ourgrow it in the long term- here is a list full of many types of coldwater fish which aren't goldfish;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=44346

.
Catfish like cories or loaches like khuli loaches may help keep the subtrate a little bit cleaner, but pretty much all such fish need a sand or very fine gravel substrate (sand is better though) as these fish look for food in the substrate by filtering through it. They still need to be fed their own food though, and they won't eat old uneaten food or waste on the substrate- really though, if your substrate is dirty this is probably more of a reason not to get them though as such fish are prone to bacterial infections from feeding off dirty or rough gravel substrate.
You could could have some hillstream loaches in a 40litre depending on the particular type of hillstream loach and if you get decent enough filtration for them, they do make very enchanting and interesting little fish . But if you are only getting them for the algae and are not interested in them other than that, then i wouldn't really advise them.
The only really good clean up crew critters i'd advise are various types of shrimp like amano shrimp, but these unfortuantely aren't coldwater .

 

[webbkath]

Hi

thanks for I think I will leave the loaches. I have got four in my various tropical tanks to keep me entertained
Unless you have an algae problem and you are really interested in fish like hillstream loaches, they you don't need any. If you choose the right lighting for the tank and keep it clean, you are unlikely to face any lasting algae problems . Most loaches are either tropical or sub-tropical (tropical fish are ones that live in temps 24 degree's or more, sub-tropical fish are 19-23 degrees, coldwater are 18 degree's or colder). The only loach i can think of that is coldwater (although going on sub-tropical) is the Weather Loach, but that will grow far to big for a 40litre. When it comes down to it, there are not a lot of coldwater fish that can live in a 40litre tank and not ourgrow it in the long term- here is a list full of many types of coldwater fish which aren't goldfish;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=44346

.
Catfish like cories or loaches like khuli loaches may help keep the subtrate a little bit cleaner, but pretty much all such fish need a sand or very fine gravel substrate (sand is better though) as these fish look for food in the substrate by filtering through it. They still need to be fed their own food though, and they won't eat old uneaten food or waste on the substrate- really though, if your substrate is dirty this is probably more of a reason not to get them though as such fish are prone to bacterial infections from feeding off dirty or rough gravel substrate.
You could could have some hillstream loaches in a 40litre depending on the particular type of hillstream loach and if you get decent enough filtration for them, they do make very enchanting and interesting little fish . But if you are only getting them for the algae and are not interested in them other than that, then i wouldn't really advise them.
The only really good clean up crew critters i'd advise are various types of shrimp like amano shrimp, but these unfortuantely aren't coldwater .
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[tropicman]

Swan Mussels are a excellent filter aid to the coldwater tank they act just like a filter pretty cheap too!!

 

[J4MES]

Mussels are completely pointless, unless you have enough tiny food particles they will die of starvation and pretty much poison the water. DO NOT GET MUSSELS!
You could try a single weather loach, or a stone loach if you can find them.

J4MES

 

[OohFeeshy]

Depending on tank dimensions, the best setup would be a river-style setup for some hillstream loaches. Most are small enough for that sized tank, unlike goldfish etc, and they are interesting critters to keep. Stick in lots of river rocks and a big powerhead to create a current and they'll love it.

EDIT- No fish clean the tank. That's your job.

 

[tropicman]

well ive had 4 swan mussels for a year and a half now in my coldwater tank and they were a perfect cleaner so they arent as bad as j4mes says.

 

[J4MES]

well ive had 4 swan mussels for a year and a half now in my coldwater tank and they were a perfect cleaner so they arent as bad as j4mes says.

I was just speaking from my experiences, lol. How do you feed yours?

J4MES

 

[tropicman]

i don't i have seen them suck up miniture pellets from when the koi have spat them out lol and i have also seen them suck up sand and spit out all of it clean they are amazing