Lone Catfish Needed For Small Tank.

[finz]

Hello cat-folks. I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion on a catfish/loach for my setup. I have a 6.6 US gallon tank which currently has 2 small leopard danios and a betta. I'd like something which will help eat up some of the food missed by the above fish, nothing too big obviously (maybe 2" max) and won't need to be kept in a large group/shoal.

I'm looking for... the Lone Catfish (cue Lone Ranger theme).

I plan on adding an Otto at some point when the tank is mature enough and shows some algae growth.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Teelie]

I don't think there are any that will go in such a small tank, and Otos are a shoaling fish so you'd do better with five or more which is definitely too many for a tank that size. Your danios should be in a larger group too, preferably a 10g. As to the leftover food on the bottom, some kind of snails would probably work better. They have a lower bio-load on the system and aren't as picky, though they won't eat the poop.

 

[finz]

I don't think there are any that will go in such a small tank, and Otos are a shoaling fish so you'd do better with five or more which is definitely too many for a tank that size. Your danios should be in a larger group too, preferably a 10g. As to the leftover food on the bottom, some kind of snails would probably work better. They have a lower bio-load on the system and aren't as picky, though they won't eat the poop.

hmmm... don't snails bring their own set of problems to a tank as well? I have no experience with them, so I really don't know. Also, I've seen many folks with only 1 or 2 ottos in their tanks. Wasn't aware that they were shoaling fish as well. I've had 1 otto for quite some time in a different tank and he seems healthy and active.

What about other bottom dwelling creatures? I'm open to any suggestions. Shrimp, freshwater lobsters, etc... do any of these scavenge?

Thanks.

 

[Teelie]

With snails, it really depends on the species. Some are pests but most are harmless under the right conditions. Shrimp are about the same as snails except they have to have iodine and a place to hide when they molt so they can be more difficult. Most of the "lobsters" and crabs are scavengers and oppurtunists who'll take a fish if they get the chance, especially in a tank so small. Otos will live longer and do better in groups though they can be kept alone for a while, it's not a way for them to thrive. If it's possible, I'd suggest moving up to a larger tank like a 10 or 20g which gives you more freedom and choices.

 

[anvil63]

Not sure about this, as the smallest tank I've ever kept is a 29gal, but assuming the tank is very lightly stocked wouldn't a lone Synodontus Nigriventris work in a 6.6gal?

Carl

 

[Teelie]

Not sure if they'll be okay in anything smaller than a 10g though they certainly are small. That might work but I don't know much about them.

 

[big mick]

Ghost shrimp stay small, maybe 2-3 (cant really picture size of tank...I work in litres and cant really be bothered to work out the size but...) they are great escape artists and are alot better at getting OUT of any small holes in the hood than they are at getting back IN the small holes so make sure its secure. I dont see your betta bothering them.

 

[Teelie]

That's roughly 28 liters, 4 liters a gallon. Ghost shrimp would be fine except they need iodine for molting and a hideout, something that may not work out so well in there.

 

[finz]

Well, I did a lot of reading last night on both shrimp and snails. Yowzer... too much info!

I like the idea of shrimp, because they are interesting looking critters, but I don't want them high-tailing it out of the tank. The top on this tank is in 2 sections - A clear cover which fits the entire top opening of the tank and the light. Of course, there are openings in the cover for my filter, heater and air line, and they are large enough that a small shrimp could get out. The iodine thing doesn't sound great either. So all species of shrimp require iodine? Bummer.

I guess snails will have to do - I found a couple snail salesmen on line. I'll check them out further.

Thanks for all the info and sorry for getting off topic w/the snails & critters.

p.s. I'll research that cat too.

Checked out the catfish (upsidedown cat) - They need to be in groups of 5 or more as well.

Snails here I come!

 

[smithrc]

shrimp arnt that bad.... ours have never escaped and we have external filter pipes and alsorts of gaps for them to escape...

Iodine is not needed - a good deit is fine (they will eat almost anything the fish will )

ont small plec that hasnt been mentioned is the pitbull - gets to 2" max and are really quite (we have 7 that I'll be breeding)

they are good algea eaters too

 

[finz]

So your shrimp tend to stay in your tank? And you don't add iodine to the water? How long do they live (on average)?

The Pitbull Pleco has me intrigued - Being an avid PitBull keeper/advocate myself (the dog that is). So where do they get that name from? I saw some examples at Planet Catfish and they look great, but nothing like a PB. They also recommend that you keep them in groups as well. The size is right though and it apparently isn't a very active fish, so it shouldn't spook the Betta.

I'm not sure I've ever come across one in the many LFS in my area though - I would have remembered with that name.

Smithrc - Are you planning on selling any of your future fry?

 

[Teelie]

If you're lucky, you don't need iodine additives in your water but you still need to have places for them to hide when they do molt. They'll also jump from tanks so you do need a lid.

 

[Valyrian]

What about a kuhli loach?

 

[Teelie]

Those do better in groups and a 6g is too small for them anyways.

 

[finz]

I really like Khuli's and have kept them in the past with much success - Only problem is that it's now recommended that they too be kept in groups. 6 or more. I'm seeing an interesting trend these days. At least, it seems to be the Internet trend. Do all fish need to be in groups now? Obvious exceptions aside (Bettas, etc...).

In the past, I was able to keep a single Khuli, one or two corys, etc... not the "shoals" that now seeem to be the trend. My Khuli was around for quite a while, as were my corys. Now, it seems everything should be in groups of 6 or more.

I guess I'll go back to my old methods of choosing tank mates - Common sense.