Wanted!Bottom Feeder

[Iain]

Hiya guys, hows it going?Anyway, another question from my grandad here, as he has got the first 12 fish in and they have settled in nicely after about 2 weeks, so he now wants to insert some bottom dwellers. Now he is not sure which would be best as he has quite large gravel and loads of spreading plants such as java fern.He likes pleco's but these can grow too large so i suggested something like kuhli (coolie) loach or zebra catfish but only if he is able to change his substrat. However, he does not want to empty his tank and all the fish and change it! Does he have any other choice ? Thanx!

 

[CFC]

12 fish in 2 weeks?How long did your grandad have the tank set up for before he added fish?New tanks take at least 6 weeks to "cycle"and should only have 1 or 2 hardy fish such as goldfish or zebra danios added during this time.Anyway back to the question asked,any of the corydoras catfish will suit a tank of your gdads size and are not fussy of substate although sharp substrates should be avoided so they dont damage their barbels when searching for food.They should be kept in groups of at least 3 and dont get any larger than 3".

 

[mickdee66]

Hey Iian,
I've got a couple of Chinese algea eaters and they seem to be very active and interesting to watch. Another idea but not totally bottom dwellers are ghost shrimp. They are so cool! The little buggers clean up the eccess food at the bottom and you can actually see the food moving through their bodies. You granddad may want to wait a few more days/weeks before adding more fish though. One good thing he's got going is the plants. They will really help if he's got good lighting, they will put off plenty of O2.
Good Luck...

 

[catman]

I don't know the size of your grandads tank, but there are many plecs that only grow to 5 or 5 inches, or a bristlenose cat....

 

[Gibbo]

I agree, most Ancistrus (Bristlenoses) only get to 4 - 5 inches and are very cool, fun fish to own. Also Corys such as Peppered or Bronze would be advisable because of their hardiness (they are shoaling fish however). As suggested, wait a couple more weeks before adding more fish, and then add only 2 or so per week. Test kits are an essential part of the hobby. Monitor your water conditions frequently and don't feed too much, watch the fish closely and after a short time you will work out how much they need in a feeding (as much as can be eaten in 2-3 minutes is the golden rule). Just try a little at a time to guage their appetite.