Disaster Continues....

[freddie21]

hi all
as mentioned earlier (in the emergencies forum) i had a disaster before when i done a water change 0 the substrate nutrients and pellets which are below the gravel have completely messed up my water - before i could not see anything through the tank.....now i can just about make out some of the rocks in the tank - which i suppose is a good sign that everythings settling down....however....im looking for some suggestions as to what type of fish i could get that would sort of clean the gravel - so that for all future water changes i could avoid touching the gravel - hence avoid disturbing the nutrient powder and pellets.....i was thinking of something that wont grow too big (please see my fish in my signature) like a loach?
thanks

 

[soybean]

Fish don't eat fish waste - you'll always need to do gravel vacs.

 

[coldcazzie]

One, what is your "catfish" that you already have?

Two, I'm presuming the reason you have such a substrate is because your tank is planted?

 

[freddie21]

[hi thanks for response...
my catfish is a Pimelodus pictus , and yes i do have plants in the aquarium.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid disturbing the powder nutrients on my next water change?
so would a loach of some sort not help in keeping the bottom of the tank clean?
thanks again every1

 

[soybean]

Don't be so vigorous. More frequent but gentler vacs will be better than one big in depth one.

Bottom feeding fish might eat leftover food, but they also need feeding specifically themselves, and they don't eat the waste you need to vac - they just add to it themselves.

A fish is very, very rarely a solution to a problem in the tank. Only you can remove the fish waste.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

freddie21, if you heavily plant your tank you don't need to clean at all as the faeces become the fertiliser. A great book, although quite heavy going if you're new to the subject, is Diana Walstad's book 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium'. Then stock with a few otos, corys and amano shrimp and you'll never have to clean again (almost).

As to fish not eating faeces, tell that to my guppies, tetras and rasboras. They may not eat it all but they do manage to reduce it a little.

 

[coldcazzie]

[hi thanks for response...
my catfish is a Pimelodus pictus , and yes i do have plants in the aquarium.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid disturbing the powder nutrients on my next water change?
so would a loach of some sort not help in keeping the bottom of the tank clean?
thanks again every1

Ok, then I can answer your question as follows: as the tank is planted then all you need to do is hover your vac over the gravel to suck up any large chunks of poop or leftover food. Anything else will sink down into the substrate and help feed the plants - it's called mulm and it's beneficial. you don't need to add any fish to "help keep the bottom of the tank clean". Any cleaning that needs doing is your responsibility.

On an unrelated note - your pictus cat is not suitable for your tank. The tank is too small for a start as they reach 6 inches, plus they like to be in groups so really you need 3-4 minimum (hence why the tank is too small). They're also predatory, so as it gets bigger it will start to eat your other fish. You won't see it, you'll just wake up one morning to fewer fish. I know they're adorable, and have loads of character (I've had one, when I was much less experienced) but I promise you it's not suitable. Please consider either taking it back to the shop, or rehoming it to someone else who can provide a more appropriate environment.

 

[freddie21]

freddie21, if you heavily plant your tank you don't need to clean at all as the faeces become the fertiliser. A great book, although quite heavy going if you're new to the subject, is Diana Walstad's book 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium'. Then stock with a few otos, corys and amano shrimp and you'll never have to clean again (almost).

As to fish not eating faeces, tell that to my guppies, tetras and rasboras. They may not eat it all but they do manage to reduce it a little.

hi - thanks for reply .
I do have about 10 plants in my 90litre tank. As for the fish u suggested...is the oto similar to a zodiac loach ? i quite like them. Im put off shrimps, as previously i had one which eat all my fish - as in - grabbed the fish by the tail and ate it alive - my local store said i must have had an evil odd one!
I have seen some sucking loaches which i really like - some are orange and some are grey and they are really thin and just attach their mouths to the glass of the tank - i think its called Chinese Algae Eater (CAE) - Gyrinocheilus aymonieri golden coloured. Would they be ok? How about the two catfish i have already that are stated in my signature - will they bee good gravel cleaners ha?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Ten plants wouldn't be anywhere near enough. It really has to be densely planted, at least a half the tank covered anyway. The oto is a catfish not a loach and is a cute little algae eater to keep your glass and plants clean. The amano shrimp I suggested is another algae eater and general eater of anything left over, a really good tank cleaner and it doesn't eat fish, unless they're weak or dead.

I would personally steer clear of the CAE as although it is a good algae eater when juvenile it usually gets less so when mature and it is often reported to severely damage other fish. Not sure about the upside down catfish but the pictus should hoover up anything they come across in the gravel and so should be good cleaners.

 

[ainsy]

Please don't take this the wrong way but I think you need to sort out your current problems and do a little more research before you think about putting any more fish in your tank.

 

[freddie21]

ohh noooo i love that catfish obviously il have to rehome for his sake and the other fishes'. thanks for letting me know. could you recommend anything similar than would be better suited for my tank? i love the way that catfish stands out .