Catfish

[Photoman]

Hi. I am right now cycling a 37 gal tank. Tetrasa and mollies. 8 fish one died. After cycling I would like to have a catfish in it. I am looking for for that eats algae and keeps the bottom "clean", I have a pleca in my other tank and it is getting a bit large. What would be a god catfish for this tank. Angels are going in it when I am sure the tank cycled. thanks

[meh]

I would be catious with angels bc a pair will eventually take over the tank. I would wait until the tank is cycled before adding anything else. I would prefer nothin in the tank to cycle

[Photoman]

Thanks for the tip. I am going to get a catfish after the tank is cycled.

[Wailua Boy]

For algae control probably a small school of 5 Otocinclus or you could get away with a bristlenose catfish; however the BNC tends to be a bit messier. They will have no problem keeping your tank free of algae and will require addition feedings of algae/vegetable matter. BNCs are not the most plant compatible fish, depending on the plant species in your aquarium. You may also add, depending on your filtration/bio-load a small school of Corydoras catfish or a pack of kuhli loachs as a scavenger.

[meh]

But Ottos need a well establish tank

[PVT-Kanaka]

I'm for the kuhlis. I am one of two people in the world that cannot seem to keep Cory-cats alive. That, and to be frank, I love loaches!

[C. Andrew Nelson]

I've never had any problems keeping cories alive. I'm crazy about cories. Having said that, I also vote for
kuhlis. My daughter has them in her tank and they are just too much fun.

[ballpc]

When you keep cories, you need large groups of them..... LOL



That's about 100 Green Corydoras aeneus @ 27 days old. If you think the adults are cute, you should see a large group of them foraging when they are about 3/8 inches long.

Here they are 27 days earlier.....



Dennis

[Photoman]

I have a Cory cat in another aquarium and doing well. I never knew they had to be in a group. Kuhlis are fun. But we only see them once in a while. Than I count to see if all of them are still alive. I have 4. When I just bought them they would swim all over the tank. Now they hang in just a small area. Are all loaches algae eaters?

[Diana]

No. Most Loaches are not algae eaters. Most of them search the substrate for food. Many eat snails.
In aquariums they will often eat fresh or lightly cooked vegetables (some species and some individual fish like vegies more than others).
They will usually go for the higher protein carnivore wafers and pellets such as shrimp pellets. Smaller Loaches like Kuhlies like the smaller New Life Spectrum pellets, Omega One Shrimp Pellets, high quality flakes and pretty much all the frozen or freeze dried things like brine shrimp and bloodworms. They will eat the food the other fish miss.
The only Loaches that regularly eat algae are a highly specialized group called Hillstream Loaches. They require cooler water and very high oxygen levels such as usually found in fast moving water. They are not a 'cleaning crew' sort of fish, but a fish worthy of setting up a special tank to meet their needs.

Fish that will eat the flat stuck-on sorts of algae usually have a sucker shaped mouth. Many catfish in the Loricariad family will eat algae, though a few are looking for higher protein, and some specialize in wood. Otocinclus and similar sized Loricariads are good in a small community tank. They are OK alone, or in groups. The general guide is 1 Oto per 10 gallons. For larger tanks you could look into the Rubberlip Pleco (OK in tanks of about 20+ gallons) or the Bristlenose Pleco (Minimum tank size about 45 gallons)

[ballpc]

.....or the Bristlenose Pleco (Minimum tank size about 45 gallons)

That must be a misprint. I typically spawn these fish in 10 gallon aquariums.

Dennis

[C. Andrew Nelson]

Smaller Loaches like Kuhlies like the smaller New Life Spectrum pellets, Omega One Shrimp Pellets, high quality flakes and pretty much all the frozen or freeze dried things like brine shrimp and bloodworms. They will eat the food the other fish miss.

My daughter's Kuhlies love New Life Spectrum pellets, and they go absolutlely nuts for bloodworms. And yes, they manage to get every morsel of food the frogs and the Endler's miss. Can't say enough good things about Kuhli loaches.