Cleaning fish

[Aussie]

how many catfish would i need for my 3ft community tank with 7 rummy nose tetras and 6 tiger barbs and adding 4 more little fish. well the question is how many catfish would i need to keep this tank very clean and what are some good catfish which will do a good job at the cleaning up.

 

[Doggfather]

Depends what type of "clean up" you want to be done really!

clean the substrate and eat all the food that frops down, or eat algae off the glass?

 

[Aussie]

Eat alge of the glass and objects in the tank and keep the bottom clean from old food and their crap.

 

[tstenback]

cories (about 2") do great work on the bottom. Ottos (about 1.5") are great algae eaters but a little difficult to acclimate to your tank without some loss. Bristlenose plecs (about 4-5") are great all roound cleaners. HTH

 

[Aussie]

yes i have a bristlenose already hes a champ does some great work and will cories go with him since he is terriotorail and how many could i put in my tank.

 

[Hitman]

Just one. That'll do.

 

[Ben]

cories must be kept in groups of threes

that would be fine in ru tank Aussie

 

[Aussie]

ok then i will get 3 of the same pair

 

[Hitman]

Hey BEA,

I was talking for the pleco's, not for cories....

 

[Aussie]

oh i know that 1 plec onli but i am getting 3 more corys.

 

[FishDan]

Eat alge of the glass and objects in the tank and keep the bottom clean from old food and their crap.

There are a number of fish that will eat algea of the tank/decorations, and they have been mentioned already. Cories, however, are not really scavengers and also need to be feed some sort of sinking pellet or food. I don't know of any fish that will clean up "the crap" or other waste. The only way to take care of this is to do waterchanges/gravel vacuums.

\Dan

 

[Aussie]

oh ok