My grass shrimp don't seem to do the complete job. I got them since my Ganbusia and Darters only eat the new food they see drop. I would like to stay all native. But, I don't have too. My tank is not heated. Where can I buy a Sucker Minnow, are they good cleaners.
Thanks
Best Tank Cleaner Fish
Started by
Guest_njJohn_*
, Oct 09 2009 01:38 PM
27 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 01:46 PM
I'm not sure if by sucker minnows you mean young white suckers or suckermouth minnows, but either way, they are not algivores. Stonerollers are algivores but aren't effective glass cleaners; they just leave little J-shaped clean marks on the glass. I have heard Florida flagfish are good algae eaters; the ones I kept didn't do much, but I may have just had too much algae in that tank for any small fish to handle.
Snails are the best living algae cleaners. There are plenty of natives to choose from- your darters may go after the little ones but robust snails such as many periwinkles, viviparids, and ramshorns should be OK. Nothing beats a good scrubber, though.
Snails are the best living algae cleaners. There are plenty of natives to choose from- your darters may go after the little ones but robust snails such as many periwinkles, viviparids, and ramshorns should be OK. Nothing beats a good scrubber, though.
#3
Guest_andyavram_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 02:56 PM
since my Ganbusia and Darters only eat the new food they see drop
This implys you just want something to eat the food the other fish miss. In that case most of your minnows - bluntose, fathead, blacknose dace, stonerollers, etc... will find and eat that food. A small madtom would probably work also.
If you are asking more what Newt answered, than I would follow his advice. I completely agree on the goofy looking marks stonerollers leave on the glass!
Andy
#4
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 04:17 PM
You're right, I didn't read that closely! Sorry.
#6
Guest_Brooklamprey_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 05:13 PM
Paint a siphon to look like a sucker.... that is the best cleaner fish that will not add anything more to the bioload.
#7
Guest_cam191919_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 06:20 PM
sorry, fish dont clean tanks, people do
#8
Guest_lozgod_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 07:19 PM
Check out Pingi Logsuckers. They are cold water non native. I have a couple. They eat algae and pretty much anything else edible on the plants, moss, glass, driftwood, substrate, etc.
#9
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 09:51 PM
I heard northern red belly dace and florida flagfish eat algea, not sure though.
I have some luck with non native algea eaters. So far I had the best success with oto cats, however you should be careful with otos in fairly new tanks as they are more fragile and occasionally don't adapt to cleaning and starve. However most of the time they do better than chinese algea eaters.
Chinese algea eaters, or as i call them, chinese bloodworm eaters, will eat algea, especially when small. Larger ones prefer the food the other fish eat but will snack on algea from time to time. The advantage of these guys however is they behave just like shiners and fit right in in a rough and tumble shiner tank.
I recently got a pleco but it is too soon to judge how well they clean algea.
I want a fish that can clean longer growths of algea myself, nothing eats the long green hair and fish food gets tangled in it, and only my tesselate darter will dig through it for tangled food, the other fish in my darter tank won't dig through it.
I have some luck with non native algea eaters. So far I had the best success with oto cats, however you should be careful with otos in fairly new tanks as they are more fragile and occasionally don't adapt to cleaning and starve. However most of the time they do better than chinese algea eaters.
Chinese algea eaters, or as i call them, chinese bloodworm eaters, will eat algea, especially when small. Larger ones prefer the food the other fish eat but will snack on algea from time to time. The advantage of these guys however is they behave just like shiners and fit right in in a rough and tumble shiner tank.
I recently got a pleco but it is too soon to judge how well they clean algea.
I want a fish that can clean longer growths of algea myself, nothing eats the long green hair and fish food gets tangled in it, and only my tesselate darter will dig through it for tangled food, the other fish in my darter tank won't dig through it.
#10
Guest_njJohn_*
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Posted 09 October 2009 - 11:39 PM
I've been siphoning out the uneaten micro-waffers.
One of the tesselated darters loves the waffers. His belly buldges with them. The other one don't go for the waffers, but loves freeze dried bloodworms. Both love live brine shrimp. I just hate to waste the waffers.
One of the tesselated darters loves the waffers. His belly buldges with them. The other one don't go for the waffers, but loves freeze dried bloodworms. Both love live brine shrimp. I just hate to waste the waffers.
#11
Guest_schambers_*
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Posted 10 October 2009 - 01:16 PM
I occasionally put an ancistrus, aka bushynose pleco in one of my native tanks. They will keep the glass, rocks and wood sparkling clean. They also hide a lot and don't grow over about 4 inches. So far they don't seem to mind room temperature tanks.
#12
Guest_WattaMelon_*
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Posted 11 October 2009 - 07:20 PM
We have a healthy population of native snails, grass shrimp, and dwarf crays that do a fantastic job, but for those spots that accumulate detritus faster than they can handle, a turkey baster/siphon works great.
#13
Guest_lozgod_*
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Posted 12 October 2009 - 12:11 AM
If you have docile fish nix my recommendation. The pingis are wayyyy too competitive. Mine got to go. I am calling the LFS tomorrow and seeing what their policy is on returning fish. My guy in Delaware would give me 1/2 the original amount in store credit. They have white cloud minnows there. 4 for $3. The pingis were $7 so that would work perfect.
#14
Guest_njJohn_*
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Posted 12 October 2009 - 12:42 AM
White Clouds are nice and low temperature to boot.
I know what cleans like crazy. But not worth the bio-load. GOLDFISH! They have a feeding process. Eat everything and then vacume the gravel.
I think I'm going to get a small Otto Cat.
I know what cleans like crazy. But not worth the bio-load. GOLDFISH! They have a feeding process. Eat everything and then vacume the gravel.
I think I'm going to get a small Otto Cat.
#15
Guest_BTDarters_*
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 01:24 AM
I'd have to second the recommendation for a small madtom and/or stoneroller. They both do good jobs, though the madtom probably won't eat flake.
Brian
Brian
#16
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 20 October 2009 - 10:21 PM
You guys must have missed the numerous ads for my patented Sparkle Shrimp ™. They clean the aquarium so well it sparkles. Sparkle Shrimp ™ are the result of 16 years of research, selective breeding, and the latest techniques in molecular biology. Here are just a few of the benefits of using my patented Sparkle Shrimp ™:
-They consume all types of algae including hair algae and the dreaded blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).
-They consume fish offal.
-Their genetically enhanced metabolism converts all forms of nitrogenous waste (yes, ammonia, nitrites, AND nitrates) into nitrogen gas which dissipates harmlessly into the atmosphere.
-They are possessed of a foul taste which discourages predation (97.1% of fishes which consume just ONE Sparkle Shrimp ™ will assiduously avoid repeating that mistake).
-Just TWO Sparkle Shrimp will keep a 38 liter aquarium completely free of undesirable algae, and will consume enough nitrate to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR WATER CHANGES!
-Sparkle Shrimp will not harm your expensive vascular plants
-They GLOW IN THE DARK!
-And they're only a DOLLAR!!
See my website at www.sparkleshrimp.com. Be patient, due to heave traffic my website has experienced frequent outages.
-They consume all types of algae including hair algae and the dreaded blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).
-They consume fish offal.
-Their genetically enhanced metabolism converts all forms of nitrogenous waste (yes, ammonia, nitrites, AND nitrates) into nitrogen gas which dissipates harmlessly into the atmosphere.
-They are possessed of a foul taste which discourages predation (97.1% of fishes which consume just ONE Sparkle Shrimp ™ will assiduously avoid repeating that mistake).
-Just TWO Sparkle Shrimp will keep a 38 liter aquarium completely free of undesirable algae, and will consume enough nitrate to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR WATER CHANGES!
-Sparkle Shrimp will not harm your expensive vascular plants
-They GLOW IN THE DARK!
-And they're only a DOLLAR!!
See my website at www.sparkleshrimp.com. Be patient, due to heave traffic my website has experienced frequent outages.
#18
Guest_FirstChAoS_*
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Posted 21 October 2009 - 12:04 AM
I know what cleans like crazy. But not worth the bio-load. GOLDFISH! They have a feeding process. Eat everything and then vacume the gravel.
Including any fish that will fit in their mouth, the degree of carnivory in a so called "vegetarian" goldfish is amazing.
#19
Guest_schambers_*
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Posted 21 October 2009 - 10:42 PM
Including any fish that will fit in their mouth, the degree of carnivory in a so called "vegetarian" goldfish is amazing.
Really? Mine won't eat fish.
#20
Guest_SlimSanta_*
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Posted 22 October 2009 - 12:36 AM
Large Rana tadpoles seem to do a fairly good job of eating leftover scraps and algae. They remain tadpoles for at least a year, sometimes more.
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