Favorite cleaner uppers for community planted tank

[timmyg]

Everyone have favorite snails, shrimps, or bottom feeders that do the various clean up duties in their tanks?

for my small tank I really like the cherry shrimp and otocinlcus.

I have owned glass shrimp but they were unappreciated from the viewing perspective cause they were so dang hard to find.

snails - golden & blue mystery snails are readily available so that is all I have been exposed to.

Im sure there are some extermely vibrant patterned snail shells in some of your tanks.

[jvision]

Malaysian Trumpet Snails are a must have, IMO. From there, sky's the limit! I've often used BN Plecos, Otos, cherry and Amano shrimp, and sometimes SAE.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Depends on the size of the tank. My favourites (in no particular order): SAE, cory cats, otos, BN plecos, cherry shrimp, Pomacea bridgesii applesnails, Asolene spixi snails and ramshorn snails.

[timmyg]

what do you use to keep the trumpet population in check?

I have used pea puffers however they can be mean little buggers to my other fish so I would prefer another way keeping the trumpets in check, or eliminating the trumpets altogether.

[MarkN]

what do you use to keep the trumpet population in check?

I have used pea puffers however they can be mean little buggers to my other fish so I would prefer another way keeping the trumpets in check, or eliminating the trumpets altogether.

For my Snails I keep one tank with a group of clown loaches. Once a week or so I pick out snails and throw them into their tank! They get to eat and the snails are gone rather quickly! On that note if anyone has extra trumpet snails I will take them. For cheap or free I would be happy to cull someones herd if they need it.

Edited November 6, 2008 by MarkN

[tbemis]

I like nerite snails (zebra, olive, etc). BN Plecos.

[firestorm]

In my planted I have all sorts of clean up crew. A clown pleco, SAE's, ghost shrimp, otocinclus....and even a dwarf frog that comes out every now and then lol (don't know how he has managed to survive all this time). I also like zebra snails cause the only way to populate is brackish water, and they don't get out of control. Otherwise I do have trumpets in my sandy tanks and some mystery snails in others. I also like BN's and other types of shrimp.

[jvision]

The only way I've had Trumpets get out of control was in fry tanks where I fed heavily - probably over fed, actually. Otherwise, they seem to stay in check by themselves.

[Vallisneria]

IN my larger planted tanks I have: BN plecos, SAE(good for BBA and hair algae), MTS.

In my smaller planted tanks: BN plecos, Otos, zebra snails, amano shrimp, cherry shrimp

[Slough Shark]

Otos and BNP for fish. I liked amano shrimp for as long as I had them and have only ever had pond snails which were good snacks for the loaches.

[timmyg]

Crystal Red Shrimp

I saw Crystal Red Shrimp at Big Al's Edmonton yesterday. Very nice little shrimp for 6$ each.

I have a new favorite shrimp.

[sherlock]

Has anyone had a problem with the BN pleco's eating plants? I have heard that they like to chew on sword type plants.

[Vallisneria]

I've had my BN pleco chew holes in my sword plants but its usually when I haven't been feeding enough veggies. Upping the zuchini I gave him helped stop it.

[snaggle]

Mine would be corys, ottos and plecos. I curently have 4 types of pleco and 2 types of corys in my 150.

[timmyg]

there are some really cool pearl snails at Big Als right now.

size of zebra snails but in pearl white, with white heads too.