# which fish???



## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

im trying to find oout which fish are best for cleaning the inside of the tank?

i did have some sucking loaches but they were atcking the other fish so i gave them away.  
but now i can csee just what a fab job they did!!!!

i would like to replace them with some thing thats not going to distress the fish anymore but also clean the inside for me.

any thoughts?!?!?!?


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## ktreffin (Jul 28, 2006)

Hello fiona,

I guess it depends on what you mean by cleaning the inside of the tank. For the bottom I would have to recomend cories (Corydoras). They are great cleaners of left over food, and from my experience are not aggressive at all. 

For the walls and deco's in the tank, take a look at the Otto's (Otocinclus affinis). These little buggers will eat their weight in algae. These guys run small, and once again in my experince are extremely docile. 

I have owned both of these and have good experiences with both. Hope this helps.

Ken


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## Rachel (Jul 17, 2006)

Thanks for the info, Ken. I was wondering the same thing. It's great to have fish around who reduce the amount of manual tank maintenance!


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

The best fish to clean the glass/plants/decor is a pleco. They're nocturnal so you don't usually see them working but they really do a good job keeping algae away. 
If there is already alot of algae in your tank, a pleco might not be able to clean it off, so you would have to clean it yourself but after that a pleco would do a good job keeping the algae away.

Brie


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

the overall best fish to have for an algea eater is , what Brieanne said, a pleco. But there are many different type's of pleco's. The best one is a bristlienose. Common pleco's, what i have , do EXCELLENT so absolutely either get a pleco or some cory's, they do great in a group.

Nick


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## ktreffin (Jul 28, 2006)

I agree that a pleco could be a good edition, however you must be very careful in picking out the species. Keep in mind that some plecos can reach up to 18 inches long. I read on another board about a 15 inch pleco being in a 15 gallon aquarium. Correct me if I am wrong but the Bristlenose can get up to 5" which is still a resonably good size fish. Just do your homework before you purchase so you don't regret it down the road.


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## ORACLEkidd71 (Aug 2, 2006)

fiona said:


> im trying to find oout which fish are best for cleaning the inside of the tank?



yes i have to agree. i have had a plecostomus for years and also with every one of my fish tanks. i think thats the best way to go. i have never had a problem with them and other fish.


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## ORACLEkidd71 (Aug 2, 2006)

*sorry dont listen to us.....*

sorry after doing alittle more research. i have found that pleco ( plecostomus ) dont do well with gold fish or slow moving discus. they will eat the scales right off the fish.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

> sorry after doing alittle more research. i have found that pleco ( plecostomus ) dont do well with gold fish or slow moving discus. they will eat the scales right off the fish.


I disagree. Not all loricariids can attach themselves on the sides and eat the mucous membrane. A lot are in the same origin as the discus but not all can do the attaching on the sides.
I'd say ancistrus are a good choice to be kept with discus. More than that, they can eat algae.


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

I agree with Blue. Bristlenoses are also a good choice because they stay fairly small. And they're cute.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

> Correct me if I am wrong but the Bristlenose can get up to 5" which is still a resonably good size fish.


Proven right. At the moment, I have only one as it's very rare due to Law of Supply and Demand. I'm planning to keep discus in two weeks.










> i did have some sucking loaches but they were atcking the other fish so i gave them away.


I assume that this is a Chinese Algae Eater. They are very well-known for attacking the fish by sucking in the mucous membrane. Not a very good fish IMO. A lot of people I know complained that their CAEs keep sucking on the fish which I had replied that removal is the best option.
This fish alone reaches 25 cm in size. Being boisterous, neither are they suitable together with timid fish.

If you are looking for a good algae eater, ancistrus and otos are your options. Siamese Algae Eaters are also good at consuming thread algae but not a good tankmate with timid fish as they can be boisterous.

My advice is that before you buy, do a little more research or ask in the forum for experiences. It's never too bad when you ask for the fish's requirements.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

i had a sucking loach and he killed all my fish


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## SimplySplendid (Aug 1, 2006)

CAE tend to defend territory and can continually attack other fish. Adult CAEs are best kept alone, or in the pet store.


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

I had a CAE in my big tank. Thanks to blue I managed to take it out and put into my 10 my lower priority tank. Yes a bristlenose is the best option.
But where did you hear that they will eat the scales off other fish? A pleco? Wow , I've never ever seen that or heard of it. I only have 1 common pleco in my 55 gallon, and usually there always in hiding except for night, but my lil guy is out all the time...Cleaning the tank right up. Love him!!!


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## ktreffin (Jul 28, 2006)

With all of the pleco lovers, I am surprised that we are not seeing pleco spelled "ple*co" instead of "pleco".....


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

I dont get it....???? :x


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## ktreffin (Jul 28, 2006)

There is an old superstition that = If a pleco owner spells pleco, "pleco" then he would curse his pleco and it will die. If however, you spell pleco, "pl*co" then the curse can be avoided and your pleco will live to see another day. Are you superstitious???


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Everything happens. Superstitions are only for the gullibles.
They are myths and we, as hobbyists, shouldn't believe much into nonsense.
I understand that you are just stating that.

I wouldn't let that myth spread in this forum. This will create nerves on those who keep plecs. So that myth should never be repeated again in other threads.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

u could try ottos


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

plEco :lol:


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

sorry about my delay in replying guys, been very busy with work!!!  
thanks very much for all the advice!!
i have now got a pleco which seems to be doing the job very well.
i did get some sucking loach thing but they thought it would be fun to make the life of the other fish bad!

i started to a problem with snails in my tank, not good. i didnt want to fill the tank with cemicals co iv also got a tiger loach!!


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

sorry, not a tiger loach, he's a clown loach!!!


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

If you only have 1 than he'd be MUCH happier in a group of three. Is he doing good on the snails?


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

i have a pleco now, he is great st doing the job for me.
i did a water change to day and since then the water has been really cloudy?!?!
i dont know y, i took a good 30% out and replaced with fresh treated water.
i hope its just the water doing its thing!!
mind you since then little dave ( my pleco) has been really busy, its good to see him out and about :wink:


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

flattrack23 said:


> If you only have 1 than he'd be MUCH happier in a group of three. Is he doing good on the snails?


yeah tigger fish (my clown fish!!) is doing great with the snails, i see what you mean he would be happyer if there was more of them in there for him but im rapidly running out of room in my tank and dont want to stress them out by being over filled!!! 
:?


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

fiona said:


> sorry, not a tiger loach, he's a clown loach!!!


Ahh. Right choice!  Make sure it has lots of friends. 

Regarding plecos not going well with discus...Actually, if the pleco is fed well, it will not want to feed on other tankmates. Depending on the pleco, if you give it the variety of foods it requires, it will not search elsewhere. For example, with us humans, we will not eat food on the ground or in the garbage, unless we cannot find any other source of food. So for most herbivorous plecos or otto, feed them algae discs, blanched zuchini (corgette), frozen skinned peas, fish flakes, etc.


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

Yay, Fiona! You have a clown loach called "Tigger", as do I ! I've got to get Tigger some buddies (more clown loaches).


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

blue_gourami45 said:


> Yay, Fiona! You have a clown loach called "Tigger", as do I ! I've got to get Tigger some buddies (more clown loaches).


how many should i have, like i said i am starting to really run out of room, would just 1 more be ok?


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

blue_gourami45 said:


> Yay, Fiona! You have a clown loach called "Tigger", as do I ! I've got to get Tigger some buddies (more clown loaches).


well i didnt name him my boyfriend did but its stuck now and i think it cute


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

fiona said:


> blue_gourami45 said:
> 
> 
> > Yay, Fiona! You have a clown loach called "Tigger", as do I ! I've got to get Tigger some buddies (more clown loaches).
> ...


If your tank is large(about 55 gallons), 3 can be kept. They are fish that love to socialize and you'll need to get 2 more(depending on the tank space).


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

2 more it is then!!!


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## alohamonte (Aug 15, 2006)

been reading along... so you have a 240litre with 1 pleco, 1 clown loach, 1 CAE (you called it a sucker loach), anything else?? any live plants?


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## fiona (Jul 27, 2006)

well i got rid of the sucker things, took them back to the shop as they were upsetting the other fish.

now iv got little dave (my pleco) all is good. 

i have got 3 live plants in the tank, dunno what they are thoug, i just buy what i like the look of and what i know the fish like.


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## saganco (Nov 4, 2006)

Stolen from another website (disconcerting to me because I have 3 gold algae eaters in my livebearers 55g tank and my kitty LOVES "suckyface" and he and the fish taunt each other - really cute. One is about 1.5 inches and the other two are about 3 inches.):

CHINESE ALGAE EATER

Sold as many names including- cold water algae eater, CAE, SAE
Gyrinocheilus aymonieri 

Unlike the other pictures of fish above ( excluding the Otocinclus) , these fish have a sucker mouth and are the most recommended to stay away from. There is also a gold color morph of this fish , pictures below, that is commonly sold as "gold algae eater". They are known to quit eating alage at about 4 inches long ( 10 cm) and start to feed off the slime coat of flat bodied fish. It will eventually get 9 inches or 27 cm long. The gold version is only supposed to attain 22cm long.

This fish is distinctively different from the other fish and is notorious for loosing taste for algae as it ages and then starts eating slime coat off your other fish resulting in sores and wounds.

WAHHH! I'm not looking forward to them behaving badly. I just lost my two beautiful SAE's this morning to some kind of chemical disaster in the tank, the other fish seem to be recovering after removing 5 gallons off the bottom of the tank where SAE's lived. They were about 3-3.5 inches long and I'd had them for a year and a half. Sad day here


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