Rainbow Shark And Barbs?

[FishyFriend101]

Hi everyone,
I am currently creating a barb tank. So far I have 4 rosy barbs and 2 cherry barbs in a 29g tank. I plan on adding some more cherry barbs for sure and possibly some other barbs. I would also like a bottom feeder in the tank. I have a rainbow shark in my 45g that is always foraging on the bottom of the tank which makes me think it is a bottom feeder, despite it also often swimming around with the other fish. So my questions are: Are rainbow sharks bottom feeders? Can I have 1 or 2 in my 29g with barbs? Would they do a decent job of keeping the tank clean? I am also open to other suggestions for bottom feeders.
Thanks for the help

 

[DomH]

Well a part of fish keeping is you are the person who keeps the tank clean. Yes snails and shrimp can breakdown the poop of fish but they do not eat it. Gravel vacs or just water changes will do.


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[Byron]

The term "bottom or substrate feeder" is often misunderstood by relatively new aquarists.  While it is true that some fish do feed primarily from the substrate--and the so-called "sharks," loaches, many catfish, and most cichlids fall into this category--they must be fed proper sinking foods.  So they will not scavenge or "clean" as DomH has mentioned already.
 
The excrement of fish settles onto the substrate, and snails do eat it, but this is only another level of breaking it down.  Bacteria of many types are the true consumers of the organics that result, and when we have more fish than what these can handle, which is almost always, we intervene with water changes and vacuuming of the substrate.
 
As for the rainbow sharks, here you have another problem.  This fish will (or should) attain six inches, so it needs a larger tank than a 29g for just one; and it is a species that is territorial and combative so it should be kept as a solitary fish as far as its own species.  Other fish are possible, if carefully choosen.  I won't get into that as there is no space in the 29g for this fish anyway.
 
As far as other substrate-level fish, the first thing is to sot out the upper fish.  Barbs are one type of cyprinid, others are rasboras, danios, and loaches.  All of these are shoaling fish, which means that they live together in largish groups, and they have an absolute need to be in a group or various problems are inevitable.  Most of the fish do well with at least six in the group, but some species need more, and all will be better with more if space permits.  Being active (the cherry barbs are perhaps the only barb exception and are somewhat less active generally) they need space to swim.  I would recommend more cherry barbs (at least another four or five), and a couple more Rosy Barbs too for six of these in total.
 
Once that is achieved, you could still have a substrate-level fish to add some interest down there, but not the shark.  Some of the Corydoras catfish would work, also in a group of six to seven (these are shoaling fish too).  Most of the hardier loaches get a bit large for this tank.  Whiptail catfish can be interesting, but make sure it is the smaller common whiptail, Rineloricaria parva, and not the "Royal" which is larger.  One, two or three will be fine.  These are not very active, so if you want more movement, corys would be better.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Byron.

 

[Demeter32]

I'm with Byron in upping the barbs' numbers. Schooling fish are much more active in larger numbers whereas a few individuals act more reserved and just unhappy in general. Also, there are lots of different corys out there so you can choose a species to your liking