Bottom feeder advice

[Fish2468]

I’m seeking advice on what bottom feeders I should add to my tank. I’m looking to add maybe 5 to my tank. I have a 30 gallon fully cycled tank with 10 kerri tetras and a few platys currently. I was going to add a bunch it cory cats but am hesitant because I have standard tank gravel that might not be smooth/small enough for them. All the decor is artificial and I have limited space for any additional driftwood so plecos are likely out because they need wood. Any thoughts?

 

[xxEMOxLIZZARDxx]

What are your water parameters? How hard or soft is your water and what is the pH? That might help people figure out what fish would work for a bottom of the tank fish.

 

[Fish2468]

Ph is around 7.2-7.4. Water is on the harder side. I do regular maintenance, and keep nitrite/ammonia at 0. And nitrates always below 20ppm.

 

[Back in the fold]

Best bottom feeder ? The Kuhlii Loach. They get in everywhere , they are fun to watch and they don’t bother your decor or other fish.

 

[Ichthys]

Best bottom feeder ? The Kuhlii Loach. They get in everywhere , they are fun to watch and they don’t bother your decor or other fish.

...and they don’t add much to the bioload either, being so thin. Excellent choice, if your water isn’t too hard. Get a dozen or so, and give them something to get inside, like half a coconut shell.

 

[Byron]

What does "on the harder side" actually mean in numbers? We have seen very soft water referred to by water authorities as "hard."

You are correct that Corydoras need soft sand; primarily so they can properly filter feed as nature intended, but gravel also causes bacterial issues for them, and this more often than roughness is the reason for barbel loss (and worse).

Kuhlii loaches I feel should also have soft sand because they frequently bury themselves.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Loaches.com lists 15 species of Pangio including Pangio kuhkli which isactually rare in the hobby. However, most of the Pangio are called by the generic name kuhl. The most commonly found species called kuhli in stores is Pangio semicincta.
https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pangio-semicincta/

This species need to be kept in groups of five or more and does need the substrate Byron said.

 

[Ichthys]

They should be on sand ideally, but they have no trouble burying themselves in gravel.

 

[Fish2468]

What does "on the harder side" actually mean in numbers? We have seen very soft water referred to by water authorities as "hard."

You are correct that Corydoras need soft sand; primarily so they can properly filter feed as nature intended, but gravel also causes bacterial issues for them, and this more often than roughness is the reason for barbel loss (and worse).

Kuhlii loaches I feel should also have soft sand because they frequently bury themselves.

I don’t usually pay as much attention to water hardness, but if I recall correctly kh and gh are around 120 ppm

 

[BrianK]

I have a bristlenose pleco in my tank.

 

[Byron]

I don’t usually pay as much attention to water hardness, but if I recall correctly kh and gh are around 120 ppm

This illustrates my caution about using subjective terms. This is in the moderately soft range. GH is extremely important because it directly affects the fish's life processes. Some need the minerals, some donot, and while some are mid-way, others are very definitely at the opposite ends.

 

[Fish2468]

This illustrates my caution about using subjective terms. This is in the moderately soft range. GH is extremely important because it directly affects the fish's life processes. Some need the minerals, some donot, and while some are mid-way, others are very definitely at the opposite ends.

So is there a fish suggestion in there somewhere, or just a critique in post terminology ?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

So is there a fish suggestion in there somewhere, or just a critique in post terminology ?

Rude!
Yes, he did have suggestions. Just because you don't like the answers, doesn't mean you have to sulk and get snappy.

What does "on the harder side" actually mean in numbers? We have seen very soft water referred to by water authorities as "hard."

You are correct that Corydoras need soft sand; primarily so they can properly filter feed as nature intended, but gravel also causes bacterial issues for them, and this more often than roughness is the reason for barbel loss (and worse).

Kuhlii loaches I feel should also have soft sand because they frequently bury themselves.

This illustrates my caution about using subjective terms. This is in the moderately soft range. GH is extremely important because it directly affects the fish's life processes. Some need the minerals, some donot, and while some are mid-way, others are very definitely at the opposite ends.

He's saying that the water quality companies often list water as hard, when in fishkeeping terms, it's realistically more moderately soft.
You might not normally pay much attention to pH/GH etc, but Byron does, and finding out your actual GH would affect which fish he would recommend that would thrive in your water parameters and tank set up. If you've ever even lurked here, you'd know that Byron is one of the most able people here to give a great list of potential fish. So your rudeness is pretty bizarre.

 

[Byron]

So is there a fish suggestion in there somewhere, or just a critique in post terminology ?

The initial question asked about suitable fish, and a couple of us said we needed the parameters to be able to offer advice on suitable fish. Now that we know the GH is in the 6-7 dH (220 ppm) range, there are many more options than if the water was in fact "hard." However, the gravel is an issue for a lot of otherwise suitable fish species. Some of the loricariids would work, the smaller plecos, Farlowella, Whiptails and such. There are some loaches that remain smaller, under 3-4 inches. Some of these do need wood to be healthy because the bacteria and fibre in wood is needed to maintain a healthy digestive system (there is another current thread on this very topic).

In re-reading this thread, now that we know the GH is this low the platies will struggle long-term. Tetras are well suited, but not the livebearers.

 

[Fish2468]

The initial question asked about suitable fish, and a couple of us said we needed the parameters to be able to offer advice on suitable fish. Now that we know the GH is in the 6-7 dH (220 ppm) range, there are many more options than if the water was in fact "hard." However, the gravel is an issue for a lot of otherwise suitable fish species. Some of the loricariids would work, the smaller plecos, Farlowella, Whiptails and such. There are some loaches that remain smaller, under 3-4 inches. Some of these do need wood to be healthy because the bacteria and fibre in wood is needed to maintain a healthy digestive system (there is another current thread on this very topic).

In re-reading this thread, now that we know the GH is this low the platies will struggle long-term. Tetras are well suited, but not the livebearers.

Ok, thank you for the advice and information