The Janitor Crew

[Dlraden]

Looking for opinions, I know a scary thing to ask for on the internet, on what I am calling my planned janitor crew. I am looking to keep the scrapping of algae and other cleaning tasks down threw the actual fish. Looking for as much of a natural cycle as I can manage. I know I will always have to add food and do water changes and gravel cleaning but if I can make the changes and other cleaning smaller and less invasive I believe this will be less stress on my eventual fish. I am looking to do snails and shrimp for the cleaning crew, my last tank had catfish and pleco and I was not overly happy with this arrangement.

So the question. Right now the Nerite snails are hard to find both locally and online. The Mystery snails get a little large for my taste. So any comments on Malaysian Trumpet snails? My understanding from the research is that they will propagate in the tank unlike Nerite and Mystery based on the food supply. So if they start expanding I need to look at what is causing this, am I overfeeding so there is more waste or an algae problem so there is something with the plant and fertilization. My main concern with the breeding was the experience with my last tanks. I had a community tank and I am forgetting the fish but at the time it was supposed to be hard to impossible to breed and I wound up with the local fish store no longer taking the juveniles. I started using them as feeders for my Gars with the other feeder fish. They really needed Planned Parenthood. This time I am going single tank and I am sure no one is going to want excess MLTs locally. So do I do less of the Mystery snails and wait the couple years for them to die of old age then move to Nerite, keep looking for Nerites, or tank the run of the MLT and let them be an indicator of other issues in the tank?

Thanks
Dlraden

 

[seangee]

I have mts in all my tanks and wouldn't be without them. Their population is controlled to a certain extent by the amount of available food. if the numbers get too high go in at night about half an hour after the lights go out and pick them off the glass. You should not see them when the lights are on. I started with 4 in 2004. I have no idea how many I have now - so their commercial / resale value is zero.

They do breed a lot more prolifically in hot spells. Once you have them you will never not have them, even if you change your substrate completely.

 

[Dlraden]

Seangee thanks for the response. I am wondering if having a few Loaches such as a small school of Zebra or Yo-Yo Loaches would keep the numbers in a reasonable count or if they would eat them all. Still cycling my tank empty but trying to plan for the Janitor count first then fill the rest of the fish load after.

Thanks
Dlraden

 

[seangee]

Would not make much difference. The MTS shells are pretty much loach proof. I have some in the tank with dwarf chain loach. They love snacking on the babies if / when they can find them. When I bought my original 4 I had a much bigger tank with 5 Clown loach which the MTS survived. these were around 10" when I sold them