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A big thank you - Bottom feeders to share with Harlequins

BarryH

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25 Feb 2017
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Location
Derbyshire
A couple of months ago I set up a tank especially for a small shoal of Harlequin Rasboras. When I feed the Rasboras, some of the food inevitably falls to the bottom of the tank which I have to remove with a net.

Can anyone recommend something small I can get that will share the tank with the Rasboras and feed on the pellets and other bit of food that falls to the bottom of the tank? I'd thought of Kuhli Loaches but as I have no real dark places for them to hide apart from the Hairgrass, I doubt if they'd be suitable.

Having always kept a number of tanks for fancy Goldfish, food falling to the bottom of a tank has never been a problem before.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Tim. Can't see the image unfortunately but I'm sure I can find one somewhere.
 
I guess you probably want fish but amano's would do a good job of grabbing the stuff that hits the bottom
 
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I guess you probably want fish but amano's would do a good job of grabbing the studd that hits the bottom
No, never had shrimps and know very little about keeping them but I'm totally open to any suggestions. We do have Pro Shrimp not too far away in Mansfield.
 
Very jealous! I really want to go there

Well my amano's definitely go crazy and grab any food they can when I feed the tank. They're really easy to keep, help with algae and don't bother fish or other shrimp (if you later got cherries, etc)

You could get some and still get a bottom feeder too if you want
 
Very jealous! I really want to go there

Well my amano's definitely go crazy and grab any food they can when I feed the tank. They're really easy to keep, help with algae and don't bother fish or other shrimp (if you later got cherries, etc)

You could get some and still get a bottom feeder too if you want
Great, thanks for the help. I'll have a read up on what they need and give them some serious thought.
 
How big is the tank? Pygmy cories are about as cool and cute as you can get but do better in a decent sized group.

Amano shrimp will eat your left overs and also eat algae, so win win, but you could also have cherry shrimp (or any of the other colour variants) do a similar job if you prefer them. Cherry shrimp will breed and multiply fairly quickly once settle but amano won't.

Hara jerdoni are another option, although they do like hiding places so perhaps not ideal given why you ruled out kuhli loaches. They are shy but very cool to watch.

Rosy loach might be another fun option if you can fit a group in. You could even have a mixture of fish and shrimp.
 
Pygmy cories are about as cool and cute as you can get but do better in a decent sized group.

Amano shrimp will eat your left overs and also eat algae, so win win, but you could also have cherry shrimp (or any of the other colour variants) do a similar job if you prefer them. Cherry shrimp will breed and multiply fairly quickly once settle but amano won't.

Hara jerdoni are another option, although they do like hiding places so perhaps not ideal given why you ruled out kuhli loaches. They are shy but very cool to watch.

Rosy loach might be another fun option if you can fit a group in. You could even have a mixture of fish and shrimp.
Thanks Mort, what a great post, really helpful. Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?
 
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Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?
Yeah shrimps are proper scavengers and will eat almost anything very good clean up crew and constantly graze across the plant leaves helping to keep them.free of debris if you start with 20 cherry shrimp in 6 month you will have a great colony of any where between 50_100

J
 
Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?

As J sums up excellently above, shrimps are considered cuc and any fish really need to be target fed as well (shrimps will appreciate the odd food parcel even if they are getting plenty of natural food and leftovers). I never really consider fish as cuc, they do eat some leftovers but shouldn't be reliant on them and need to be fed proper food themselves.
 
Jay, Mort, thanks for the help, really appreciated. As I mentioned above, we have Pro Shrimp not too far away so I'll get in touch and see about ordering.
 
I managed to get out today and paid Wharf Aquatics in Pinxton a visit. I was mainly looking at their small cleaners to go with the Harlequins. So much choice and everything that had been suggested on here, they had in stock. Still not sure but I think I've narrowed things down between the Pygmy Cory, Otocinclus and Shrimps.

Really helpful staff and one said the Pygmy was good at picking up left over food while the other two would take any algea too.
 
Otos wouldn't be my pick as 'clean up crew' - they do eat some types of algae but they can be fussy - they prefer the softer stuff. They are also going to need target feeding e.g. algae waffers (if you can get them to eat them) and courgette slices etc. They are lovely fish, but not what I'd pick to clean up after harlequins. I'd also go for a 3'+ tank for them as they are a little bigger and dart quick when startled (not sure how big you have?).

Shrimps are omnivorous so good for algae and fish food clean up. The corys aren't going to eat algae but will pick up food from the bottom. Dending on your tank size, you could consider both shrimp and cory.... if it's a big tank the otos too! They'll all work together as they have slightly different niches.
 
I like Cory's as a bottom feeder there good little cleaners IMO snails do a better job than ottos but if you can have both they are beneficial ultimate cleaners are the shrimps i believe if you have a good colony

Cheers
Jay
 
Not kept them myself, but I was thinking of going for some Micronemacheilus cruciatus (vietnamese hovering loach) in future, similar to the aforementioned rosy
 
Hi all,
Really helpful staff and one said the Pygmy was good at picking up left over food
Not in my experience, they aren't difficult to keep, but they like really small food items and are quite "picky" eaters.

I'd definitely go for snails and shrimps. If you don't mind their looks <"Asellus work really well">, and tend to be less heavily predated than shrimplets are.

Snails
 
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