What type of bottom feeder fish goes well with Cichlids?
February 25th, 2010 | by admin |I have a tank that houses 5 cichlids which are pretty good size (3-4 inches), and the pleco that is in with them at the moment is the same size as they are – however he is getting chased around by the cichlids. What types of bottom feeder fish can coexist in the same tank with cichlids, without being chased around? Thanks!
syn. petricola. google it.
8 Responses to “What type of bottom feeder fish goes well with Cichlids?”
By Darryl R on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
I have heard yoyos were good with cichilds. Cichilds all have their own temperaments and personalities, so one person might say it works, and might be the opposite for you.
This article is saying no loaches with Malawi Cichilds.
http://www.loaches.com/articles/why-loaches-should-not-be-kept-with-malawi-cichlids
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By panochitalickr on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
Plecos are good.
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Cichlid breeder
Local Pet Providers
http://www.localpetproviders.com
By Imani S on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
knife fish are good
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By rooster_nugget on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
syn. petricola. google it.
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By julie v on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
How big is the tank? What kind of cichlids? Plecos aren’t bottom feeders, and shouldn’t be relied on as such, but they are generally compatible with cichlids. You could go with a synodontis cat, if you have a sizable tank.
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I was a petco fish specialist until I quit due to a disagreement with policy, and I have kept fish for 5 years.
By JohnnyBolla on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
More information is important here, because a lot of this depends on what you mean by bottom feeder. Anything with a downward facing mouth is a bottom feeder, and so are fish like Geophagus cichlids. A Pleco eats off of the bottom, but isn’t really a tank cleaner.
I think you mean "Creatures that eats the crud that accumulates on the bottom of the tank".
Some good choices for this include certain catfish, loaches (also anything called a Botia), Chinese algae eaters, and a lot of non-fish options, like shrimp, crayfish, or snails.
With any animal in an aquarium, you need to keep in mind things like it’s aggression level, the type of environment it wants, and how it will interact with everything else. Some catfish are very docile, like coryadorus cats, and some are predators that will kill everything in your tank. Some dig a lot and some eat plants. Keep in mind, 20% of all the vertebrate species on Earth are catfish, and they have types that fit every ecological niche in water on the whole planet. Plecos alone have several thousand species, and they are wildly different. Some eat wood, for instance.
I have both African and South American cichlid tanks, and I have a common Pleco in the South American tank. He’s about seven inches long, and will grow another two feet or so if all goes well, so keep that in mind. he eats some of the algae on the glass, but mainly he likes vegetables I put in there for him. If I didn’t feed him veggies, he’d eat most of the food I put in there for the other fish. He’s armored so the others don’t mess with him too much. He is NOT a tank cleaner.
In my African tank I have a Synodontus catfish. The Malawi Cichlids leave him alone. He doesn’t seem to do much cleaning either.
Loaches DO clean the tank up. They won’t mess with algae, but they eat food that hits the bottom, snails, and small fish. they are voracious eaters too, and like to steal fish eggs. If you have Africans this won’t be a major concern. Some of the Loach species are pretty small though, so if you have an oscar, he’ll get eaten. He is too fast for the Mbuna to catch, and likes to hide under things and can bury himself in the sand, so he’s not an easy meal.
I hate to say it, but if cleaning is your goal, get a siphon and a magfloat.
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By gardenlady on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
Chinese Algae Eaters – they are quick and can defend themselves with cichlids.
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By Banana Republican on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
I’ve got 3 synodontis catfish in with a pair of cichlids in a 50 gallon tank. They can take a bit of chasing from the cichlids, but other than that, they don’t do much except hide (though the one that was added most recently will chase the cichlids sometimes as well).
Even the one-eyed one doesn’t seem bothered by the cichlids too much. Well, not now that he’s bigger than them anyways.
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