Looking for a good clean up crew

Subject: Looking for a good clean up crew Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:15 pm

I looking for a good clean up crew to help me clean the bottom of my tank. I love clown loaches but I dont have the room. Can anyone suggest a good crew?

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Sun Mar 01, 2009 5:41 pm

Snails will do a nice job or a group of zebra loaches if you like loaches. What else is in the tank? Is this your discus tank?

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:13 pm

Yea its my discus tank I forgot to say that. snails are out because I have algecide to keep alge from growing on the bottom of my tank. Flourite sand is great for plants but even better for alge :banghd:

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Cory cats or pictus cats

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:17 pm

2 or three pictus cats would complement it well.

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Mostlycichlids wrote:: 2 or three pictus cats would complement it well.

They would be good in schools to

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:49 pm

I have 5 cory cats now. I'll check out the pictus cats

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Mike D wrote:: I have 5 cory cats now. I'll check out the pictus cats

There good cats

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

I love the apple snails here but I don't find any of them to be a very good clean up crew. It's sort of like mowing a field of grass with a blindfold on. They sure let you know if a fish died though. They like to clump up on them in a giant snail ball. Wink

Are you just trying to clean up extra food bits and stuff? Shrimp work pretty good for that.

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

saint_felony wrote:: I love the apple snails here but I don't find any of them to be a very good clean up crew. It's sort of like mowing a field of grass with a blindfold on. They sure let you know if a fish died though. They like to clump up on them in a giant snail ball.

Are you just trying to clean up extra food bits and stuff? Shrimp work pretty good for that.

Shrimp work as well, as long as they don't get eaten.

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:21 am

The algecide kills inverts so those are out. Looking to clean up the extra food bits and stuff.

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Mike D wrote:: The algecide kills inverts so those are out. Looking to clean up the extra food bits and stuff.

Then I think pictus cats are good for ya

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

Instead of using an Algaecide, I recommend picking up a handful of Marimo Balls, and tossing them in.

One of my tanks is right next to one of the turtle enclosures, and the UVB light had the algae go nuts in that tank. I had read somewhere that the balls would thwart algae fairly well, so I got a few, tossed them in and the scrubbed down the really covered parts on the glass. I didn't bother to do the back since the tank was up against a wall, but in about a two week pretty much all the algae was gone.

May be cheaper in the long run than getting the algaecide every week. Though if it were me I'd totally leave the algae on the bottom. It only bugs me when it blocks my view, otherwise I leave it. Smile

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:19 am

I didn't think about that. The alge turns a light brown in a day from the time I notice it and it takes forever to get up with the grav vac. I might get both just because I cant pass up getting a new fish. What a Face

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

So any updates?? What did you get??

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:27 am

Been Working my :cens:

off and haven't had time to get any. When I do I'll post pics Twisted Evil

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

I've never seen the light brown algae, so I'm not sure what to expect from that. All my algae is the dark green and fuzzy type. At very least if I ever had brown algae, it got out classed by the green stuff. Smile

I got a bag of balls from here, and they came nice. Not sure if there's anywhere else cheaper out there though.
http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/moss1.htm

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Mike D wrote:: Been Working my off and haven't had time to get any. When I do I'll post pics

Ok I'll be looking foward to seeing some pretty pics as always Mike. Smile

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:55 pm

Thanks SDD!

Saint Its funny that you posted them I'm about at place an order with them right now.

Banned Posts : 910 Age : 31

Mike D wrote:: Thanks SDD!

Saint Its funny that you posted them I'm about at place an order with them right now.

cool

The Turtle Whisperer Posts : 1930

Heh. I'm waiting for them to get some more of that red lotus stuff in then I'll be ordering too.

I do have to warn you though. Those Marimo balls do not stay in one place. Some days they sit on the bottom, other days they float around the tank. They're very random and seem to have a mind of their own. I enjoy that about them but I know some people who had them that that used to drive them up a wall. Wink

Subject: Re: Looking for a good clean up crew Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:43 am

Plant weights should do the trick.

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Looking for a good clean up crew

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