Perfect Cleanup Crew

[Lexie3787]

I am considered apple snails, pygmy cories, otos, and ghost shrimp. What do you all think would be best for each of my tanks.

My 2.5 gallon has java moss, sand and a betta

my 10 gallon has sand 4 platies and neon tetras

 

[soritan]

Not sure how good apple snails are at cleaning.... generally, they're considered a 'novelty' snail, another aquarium pet. They need to be fed fresh veggies and whatnot.

I love ghost shrimp, they contribute very little to the bioload, are very active, and eat whatever they can get their 'hands' on.

Otos eat soft algaes, and IMHO should only be added to a tank with algae already present. I often read of "1 otto per 10 gallons". This isn't because they're messy, it's because it takes that much tank space to grow them enough algae, so they can eat. If you don't have algae, they'll need to be fed as well, and their food usually needs to be boiled so that it's soft. They're also rather notoriously delicate. I really dig 'em. It took me 3 tries to get an otto that lived past the first month in my tank (the rest died within the first 3 days).

I've never had pygmy cories, but they're very cool little fish. I hear they're one of the more active cories out there, and are very small. I'll be getting some, myself, once things settle down for me and mine.

 

[Mr.September15]

Pygmy corys would go great in the 10gallon maybe 3, but there also schooling fish so I wouldnt really know the exact amount. Ummm for the 2.5gallon you can get snails, and apple snail would work, but they make lots of waste also so im not sure how that works out.

 

[Lexie3787]

Well both tanks have algae. Would ghost shrimp do well with java moss or will they destroy it?

 

[soritan]

Nah, ghost shrimp don't care about algae, or plants. The apple snail does stand a high risk of plant-eating, though, since a person rarely knows what exact species of apple snail they're going to get at the pet store (unless you're quite studied and LOOK for a specific species). Some apple snails will simply eat and eat and eat and eat.

I have 5 ghost shrimp in a heavily planted tank. They don't care a whit about the plants, they barely care about the algae. They're all about fallen food. I don't feed them at all, and I make every effort not to overfeed my tank. They're still healthy and breeding.

 

[nino]

Some members on the forum say you can't truly cycle a anything under five gallons. Do you make regular water changes (like 100%)? I would say, if you do, to only put snails in there but keep in mind they are EXTREMELY messy. If you don't do 100% WC's then I would recommend a couple of ghost shrimp because unlike snails, they have a very small bioload and will pick up whatever your betta doesn't eat. I don't know if they would work with large water changes though

As for your ten gallon... if you've already got platies and tetras I'm going to guess that any more fish in there will make it overstocked. Otto's need a mature tank or they will quickly die off and cories need to be in a school of 3+. You could put snails in there but remember they are messy. I'd go for Ghost shrimp again. I actually find them much more fascinating to watch then apple snails.

Oh yeah, you could always get a smaller type of snail for algae control. Ramshorns and Malaysian trumpets are pretty small and although they can outrun your tank it is easy to control if you control the food supply since they don't reproduce if there is no food for their offspring to eat.


How's the java moss and other plants working out for you?

 

[deliverance]

could i put ghost shrimp in my 55 gallon(sand) with some yellow labs, Blue Johanni, and some Cobalt Blue Zebra cichlids or will they mess with them?


also i have a 29 gallon community tank(gravel) with mollies and some diff tetras and 2 barbs will they be fine with these?

if they will work how many for each tank?

 

[Lexie3787]

How many ghost shrimp for the 10 gallon?

Ill never do a 100% wc, I feel its too risky, but I do about 20-30% weekly.
And how many ghost shrimp in the 2.5?

 

[soritan]

Just about as much as you like in the 10 (*edit, again!: within reason. 50 ghosties in a 10 gallon would be a tiny bit absurd, don't you think?). At one point, I had 7 ghost shrimp in my 10. I think if I had to do it over again, I'd only get 4. They're like a pack of crows, and happily outcompete any slow moving things in the tank for food. (*edit: You dont' have slow moving things, though, so I wouldn't overly worry about it. I have ADFs, and any competition for my frogs means they don't eat.)

For the 2.5, I'd get between 2 and 3. In fact, I think 3 would be the best choice, because they DO pick on each other sometimes, and 3 would help establish a tiny pecking order. If you have two simmilarly sized shrimps, two is fine. They don't get lonely, so if you want to test your betta (He may fancy a bit o prawn), you can get one to start off with and easily add, later.

 

[Lexie3787]

ghost shrimp wont ruin the java moss?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Think about looking at the cause of your algae. A little is normal, a lot is not.

Too much/too little light, direct sunlight, overfeeding, high nitrate and phosephate levels can cause algae.

There are options for your 10, such as shrimp or otos, but I think 2.5 is full with the betta.

 

[Shelly_Otterkin]

could i put ghost shrimp in my 55 gallon(sand) with some yellow labs, Blue Johanni, and some Cobalt Blue Zebra cichlids or will they mess with them?


also i have a 29 gallon community tank(gravel) with mollies and some diff tetras and 2 barbs will they be fine with these?

if they will work how many for each tank?

Your cichlids would love for you to put in some ghost shrimp. They make a great treat!

I would put about 7 in your 29gal, and I would replace your shrimp in the cichlid tank weekly. ( All kidding aside they do make a good live treat for your biger fish, I have a dojo that will hang on the bag when I bring them home from the LFS untill I release them. he will not do this to any other bag I bring home.)

 

[Ginge]

You could even try a rubbernose plec in your 10G

 

[Cheese Specialist]

You could even try a rubbernose plec in your 10G

Any proper plec (as in other than otos) would overpollute the tank.

 

[Ginge]

You could even try a rubbernose plec in your 10G

Any proper plec (as in other than otos) would overpollute the tank.

Not if there is good filteration