verry confused-MANY questions

[metfan581]

Problem
Hello, I am very confused. In my ten gallon i had 2 albio corys to eat all the flakes that fell to the bottom of the tank. They were used to reduse amonia and prevent over feeding. Now in my twenty gallon high I have no bottom feeders, amd I realize that there has been alot of flakes on the bottom of the tank. could I get some kind of bottom feeder to prevent amonis problems? I wasn thinking of a skunk loach or albino cories.also i dont know if i want a bottom feeder because what if my fish have eggs/fry wont ther get eaten. Well I now don't know what to do. yes there is good/strong filiteration there is a peguin 330, however there are still flakes on the bottom and my fish won't eat them. What should I do. And I was also thinking that my tank is stocked already and if I should add more fish. But then I was thinking that my tank is a bit cloudy and I think its because of the glass. So I cleande the glass and got my self 3 ottos. The otto (there is only one left) dosen't cleann the glass though. Which made me wounder should I get more ottos i decided yes anout two, but what if they don't claen the class. I do often but it dosen't stay clean and itha not alge its just dirty so I have been doing water changes which helps a very little bit. BUt why is the water cloudy, ther is no amonia in the tank.

In conclusion
-can you recomend a good bottom feeder to eat up all the flakes on the bottom of the tank-well do you think i need one
-can you recomend a way to get rid of the cloudyness
-can you recomend a good glass cleaner-do you think i need one-do you think more ottos would work

Remember
-ther is 1 otto
-there is no amonia
-i have done water changes, cleaned the gravel, changed filter pieces


PS
-sorry for the spelling and the bad grammer
-sorry that it is sooooooo long-but I am extermely confused

 

[ccg]

If there are a lot of flakes on the bottom you should start feeding them less.

Inless you are trying to feed bottom feeders you don't really want flakes going to the bottom like that, try and reduce the amount you feed your fish, or try and feed them less but more often.

Good luck.

 

[metfan581]

i feed them less but they chew the flakes spt them out then oly eats half of what they spit out

 

[chishnfips]

yip feed them less. I have no problems and I have no bottom feeder

 

[ccg]

Maybe you could try crushing the flakes and making them a little smaller so they don't have to spit them out like that. My fish only do this when the food is to large.

Good luck.

 

[metfan581]

thanks what about the cloudy watter

 

[Katchan]

Cory's are great to clean up the "extras" but they do really prefer groups of 3+, so your lshould really consider getting 4 (1 for you 10gal and 3 for the other, but it also depends on current stocking levels) cloudiness may be because of the extra food causing an bloom in the water, I'd cut back on how much your feeding the fish. Also consider a Bristlenose or similar (not a common or sailfin plec unless you plan on getting a MUCH bigger tank down the line) for green control, but a scour sponge will do the same for glass cleaning.

HTH

Katchan

 

[metfan581]

its not green
and how big do the
plecos get
cause its a small crouded tank

 

[metfan581]

there should be a pinned topic that mentions fish pic size and ways they clean

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What is your tank cleaning regime and how often do you do it and go about it?
What are your current water stats i.e ammonia/nitrates/nitries?
What tank occupants/species do you currently have in your tanks and their individual numbers?

I think you have got how it all works out a little amiss, let me explain;

a. The notion that bottom feeders like corys help get rid of ammonia is a little amiss;
Overfeeding your fish can cause bad water quality because the uneaten food rots and causes water quality issues; if you feed your fish accordingly and the right amount you shouldn't have to deal with these problems though.

Corys do eat food that floats to the bottom but they cannot live healthily totally upon flakes alone- you should be substituting their diet with catfish pelets or algae wafers/tablets and similar foods.
Corys can help keep the bottom of the tank clean especially if you have sand but you should gravel vac/syphon/clean your gravel/sand just as much as you would do without them in the tank.

Corys also need to be in groups of at least 4 to be happy and if you have mixed species together it is recommended you have at least 2 of each of the same kind.
They also prefer sand over gravel as it doesn't damage their barbs/whiskers and allows them to filter through the bottom of the tank easier.

b. Unless you have algae in your tank, a tank glass cleaner like plec isn't needed at all.
There is some controversy over plecs though, let me explain(i will use common plecs as an example).

Yes common plecs do eat algae but in the long run they don't keep water quality any better; plecs in general are high waste producing fish in comparison to other fish(i.e neon tetras, which are very low waste producing fish) meaning they can actually make water quality worse.
Also, many plecs grow huge- common plecs and sailfins in particular can grow up to 18inchs and produce a heck of alot of poo when they strart getting big and will grow about an inch a month; a sailfin would definatly outgrow your tanks.
Plecs also are mainly nocturnal, meaning you will have to create somwhere in the tank during the day for them to sleep that doesn't have loadsa light in it.

Also, not all plecs eat the same types of algae and so won't nesarsarily eat your algae if its the wrong type; they also need their diet substituted with alage wafers/tablets as more than often they clear the tank of algae and then starve.

c. The water cloudyness is probably a bacterial bloom if its whitish, and will clear up with water changes in a week or 2; bacterial blooms are usually associated with new tanks.
How long has your tank been set up for?

d. Depending on what you already have, i would raise your current albino cory population to 4.
I would suggest either getting more albino corys for your main tank or going for peppered, bronze or adolfo corys or a similar species.

Skunk loachs are known to be very terrotorial although don't quote me on that.

 

[metfan581]

thanks


the tank is since 2-27-05
20H
-3 long fin blue danio
-1 strawberry platy
-2 long fin gold danio
-2 long fin leapord danio
-2 long fin zebra danio
-2 male german guppies
-1 ottos
-1 strawberry platy FRY

i cleaned out the gravel 1week ago
replaces the filter cartrige 3 days a go


amonia 0
ph 7.0

 

[metfan581]

its been cloudly since 4-15-05

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

When you say your tank is "20H" are we talking gallons here? if so your tank is already fully stocked and if we're going by the one inch of fish per gallon its overstocked...if you want more fish it may be worth rehoming some of your existing ones otherwise you could end up with some bad water quality issues.

I would also try and find out your nitrates and nitrite levels in your tank as these are some of the most important water stats to know.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

ps: how much do you feed your fish roughly and what?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

actually, if you cut down on feeding, your fish will learn to scour the bottom for all those extra bits they spit out originally. my guppies have always been especially good about picking up any crumbs; they're naturally little pigs. if you are feeding to the point that even the guppies aren't scrounging around, then you are feeding WAY too much!

also, the oto won't do anything about cleaning your glass unless its algae making it dirty. simple crustiness is something you'll have to live with; brown algae will eventually die away with regular water changes (which reduce nitrate levels). one reason your oto may be ignoring your glass is that he's munching on the food crumbs in your gravel! again, reduced feeding will significantly alleviate the problem.

why did you change your filter cartridge? let me guess; that's what the filter instructions said to do. since your tank is still fresh from cycling, you've probably started a mini-cycle by removing the cartridge and the majority of the beneficial bacteria with it. unless your cartridge is irretrievably clogged, the best thing to do with it is just swish it a few times in the water you remove during a water change. this will knock off the dirt but leave most of your bacteria in place. plus it'll save you a small ton of money by making your catridges last 3-4 times as long! don't feel bad about it though; most of us never knew to just clean the cartridges until we started at TTF. i know i didn't.

(btw, excellent starting post! spelling isn't an absolute essential, but complete sentences are a beautiful, beautiful thing.)