# Recommend a Bottom Dweller



## Stoosh (Sep 10, 2007)

Please see below from my other post in the Cichlid forum.

"Hi I'm new to this forum but have a around 3 years fishkeeping under my belt.

A couple of months ago I lost most of my stocking of my 80 UK Gallon due to two bouts of diseases the first being tail, fin and mouth rot and then I think it was velvet disease. All i was left with was 2 silver dollars and an angel fish, now two months on I have adopted two silver sharks to replace two lost due to the disease.

I still have no explanation for the sudden onslaught of disease but I do know I was not as keen on maintenance as I was before so this may have had some part to do with it.

What i was wondering as I know that Angel Fish can been keen on eating Neon Tetras as they are there natural pray in the wild, is there an alternative Tetra which shoals in a similar fashion to the Neon as I would like to build a large shoal in my community.

Thanks in advance for your replies."

Could anyone recommend some good bottom dwellers. I have had a common pleco and a sailfin who both died unfortunatley due to the diseases, I also have experience of clown loaches and very limited experience with cory's.

I am really looking for something a bit different to the above compatible with my current fish and easy to care for.


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## FishHead (Nov 16, 2006)

if you wanted to get a tetra, how about some of the larger ones like lemons, buenas aires?

you can get cories or smaller plecos for bottom feeders..


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## Stoosh (Sep 10, 2007)

FishHead said:


> if you wanted to get a tetra, how about some of the larger ones like lemons, buenas aires?
> 
> you can get cories or smaller plecos for bottom feeders..


Do the lemons or buena aires shoal together similar to neon and are they reasonably priced? The reason I ask is I am wanting to build a shoal quite quickly and at my current budget I can't afford to buy alot of fish at a high price.

I always fancied a couple of bristle nosed plecos but they don't seem to be common at the fish stores i goto, i guess i could enquire about getting them ordered in. Also what are the hardiest cories you can get as I didn't have much luck with some in the past.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2007)

What type of substrate do you have and what do you keep the temperature at? Cories should work as bottom dwellers, but its good to know more info on your setup to make sure they'll fit in well. Loaches would also work. Kubotai, Yoyos, and Striata/Zebra loaches would go nicely with what you have. They are shoalers, so don't have less than 4.

The hardiest cories I've found are C. aeneus, or Bronze cories. There is also an albino type of C. aeneus. They are usually pretty cheap (in the US) and hardy. In that size tank, I'd go with 10-12....you could build the group up slowly though.

Silver/Bala sharks will eventually outgrow your tank. They can get over a foot long and need a shoal, so you should really have more like 5-6 of them. I'd trade them in for some Cories or loaches if you can.

edit: Just noticed you started a thread for tetra suggestions. Lets keep this one about Bottom dwellers.


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## Stoosh (Sep 10, 2007)

JustOneMore20 said:


> Many tetras will go fine with Angels. Rummynose tetras are excellent schoolers who are too big for Angels to eat IME. They are tighter schoolers than Neons and more active. Lemon tetras are also good. I'm not sure how tightly they school though.
> 
> Harlequin rasboras are another option for a tight schooler that will do well with Angels. While not tetras, they are great little fish to keep and inexpensive (in the US).
> 
> ...


I quite like the look of the Lemon Tetra's through researching on wikipedia I also noted immediatly the fin nipping tendancies of BA Tetra's which ruled them out.

One of my Bala's is around 6inch the other 3inch, i have been advised in the past about this and told it would take some time for them to grow, but am considering rehoming them shortly.

In regards to my setup, the tank is an UK 80Gal which is a kind of oddity from the tanks locally as it is quite deep instead of long, the substrate is medium - large round gravel, temperature is kept around 78-80C, the decor is 3 large rocks and a couple of artificial aquarium plants, for filtration I have an undergravel filter (I know alot of people look down on these now) and also a fluval 4+ and another filter similar in filter size to the fluval but is a cheap make. Aeriation of the tank is from the undergravel filter and the outlet pipe air inlet from the fluval.

Hope this all makes sense!


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## FishHead (Nov 16, 2006)

What about grabbing a few Oto's for the bottom? snails?


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2007)

Stoosh said:


> One of my Bala's is around 6inch the other 3inch, i have been advised in the past about this and told it would take some time for them to grow, but am considering rehoming them shortly.


Not only will they get too large, but they are very active fish. Angels are more slow going and I'd be afraid the sharks would stress the Angels out. The sharks need alot of swimming room. 



> In regards to my setup, the tank is an UK 80Gal which is a kind of oddity from the tanks locally as it is quite deep instead of long, the substrate is medium - large round gravel, temperature is kept around 78-80C, the decor is 3 large rocks and a couple of artificial aquarium plants, for filtration I have an undergravel filter (I know alot of people look down on these now) and also a fluval 4+ and another filter similar in filter size to the fluval but is a cheap make. Aeriation of the tank is from the undergravel filter and the outlet pipe air inlet from the fluval.


Since you have med-large gravel, I'd suggest loaches instead of Cories. Both like to dig/play in the substrate, so a finer substrate is better. But, loaches are more active and depending on the type, don't spend a lot of time digging around. Cories on the other hand, IME, spend alot of time digging/nosing around in the substrate and having larger gravel can trap alot of food (maybe not since you have the UGF) and can cause them to have barbel erosion. Hopefully that makes sense. IMO loaches would be your best bet....I'm not sure which are more common in your area, but the ones I mentioned in my other post will work.


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## Stoosh (Sep 10, 2007)

FishHead said:


> What about grabbing a few Oto's for the bottom? snails?


I shall do more reasearch into these but they look like they would fit into my tank well. Whats a minimum grouping for these? 5-6?


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2007)

In your size tank, 6-8 would be fine. Otos eat algae though and algae wafers, so if you don't have alot of soft brown and soft green algae in the tank, be sure to supplement them if you get some.


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## Stoosh (Sep 10, 2007)

JustOneMore20 said:


> In your size tank, 6-8 would be fine. Otos eat algae though and algae wafers, so if you don't have alot of soft brown and soft green algae in the tank, be sure to supplement them if you get some.


My tank gets lots of green algea which needs regular cleaning to stop it over taking the tank so there should be plenty of food plus I will get them algae tabs like I used to my plecs.

Just need to check availabitlity around here and pricing.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Stoosh said:


> ... is there an alternative Tetra which shoals in a similar fashion to the Neon as I would like to build a large shoal in my community.


I can recommend Red Serpae Tetra.
Based on 8 months of experience they are a very hardy shoaling fish and my angels do not bother them.
The photographs at
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/tetrafish/serpaetetra.php
do not "do justice" to the fish.
Mine are much redder with a more pronounced "black spot".

Silver Dollars with distinct markings are also very nice, hardy, shoaling fish but they get very, very large (ie. 6" to 8") and grow to 4" within several months.




Stoosh said:


> Could anyone recommend some good bottom dwellers. I have had a common pleco and a sailfin who both died unfortunatley due to the diseases, I also have experience of clown loaches and very limited experience with cory's.
> 
> I am really looking for something a bit different to the above compatible with my current fish and easy to care for.


I can recommend Corydoras sterbai.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=316
These are very pretty fish, are very active and they "play together a bunch".
I very much enjoy their antics.
Please note that contrary to the literature sterbai do not need rock or wood holes for hiding.
They do seem to enjoy "hanging out around" "planted plants".

I can also recommend Botia almorhae (Yoyo Loach)
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae/?searchterm=yoyo
These come in many variations:
dark and light with distinctive markings
dark and light with light markings.

TR


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