Cleanup crew?

[Mclane]

I have a 125 planted tank with 13 discus of various sizes. Besides BN what other fish, snails etc. do you use to help keep your planted tank clean? Thanks

[wild4discus]

Cories are good for eating up leftovers.

[Mclane]

I have 4 of those. Have you ever tried Amano shrimp?

[briztoon]

I believe the term "clean up crew" is a bit of a misnomer.

There are fish that will eat food that your discus might miss. (My discus don't miss any) Corydoras are good for this. So to omnivorous/carnivorous L numbers such as L134 Leopard Frog pleco, Royal Whiptail catfish, or even bottom dwelling cichlids such as Mikrogephagus ramirezi or Apistogramma species. Golden Mystery snails also eat left over food.

There are also fish that eat algae, such as Otocinclus species, bristlenose catfish, Siamese algae eaters.

However, all fish produce waste. The more fish you add to a tank, the more waste they produce.

You are far better off taking a proactive stance. Don't over feed your fish. Set the tank up with minimal areas for waste to collect and build up. Put lights on a timer to stop algae growing. Use appropriate filtration and keep to an appropriate water change schedule.

[woopaul5]

I use Amano shrimp and Nerites. Amano shrimp creates a lot of waste, not sure how much it pollutes the water but it'll look like you little rabbit turds everywhere.

But as stated above controlled feedings and timed lights are your true heros. Took a lot of trial and error but I recommend 4-6 hr light on period and a minimum of 50% WC every 3 days or sooner... this is what has worked for me

[jmf3460]

I love nerites. they don't live long in discus temps and I end up replacing them at least once a year but I do think they do a great job on the glass and wood. their down fall is the tiny cystic eggs they leave all over the wood and glass but it doesn't bother me much its just an aesthetic downfall. nerites, ancistrus and corydoras are my clean up crew. amanos do wonders but not in my discus tanks, don't know if they could handle the heat of discus tank but ive never tried amano with discu so idk.

[Mclane]

Thanks for all the input. The last thing I want to do is create more "waste", that's what I'm trying to get rid of! ��

[Mclane]

What type of lights do you use? I've tried all kinds.

[Jack L]

i use

farlowella
cory
ghost shrimp
amano shrimp
ottos
and nuisance snails that came with plants ( that are reaching infestation proportions) but they do a good job of consuming the beefheart mess.

based on others post i have some mystery snails in q tank at moment

shrimp do poo, "everyone poops"


not only do they play a role, they are interesting to watch.