new additions

**Whitney** · 11-03-2006, 05:51 PM

Hi all,

New Question......

I want to add some bottom feeder and cleaner fish to my 30 gallon tank and I'm trying to decide what will get along well with my blue ram, harlequins, and diamond tetras.....

any ideas? I've been considering getting a pair of clown loaches and maybe an upside down catfish or two. Should I be thinking about getting a glass cleaning fish? What do you all think?

**Fishguy2727** · 11-03-2006, 08:49 PM

The best thing for that setup would be a school of cories or small species of loaches/botias (not clown loaches). Clown loaches are way too big for that setup and need a bigger school. The glass cats are just skittish little things that end up really stressed. And the upside down cats are not that great at cleaning things up and get realtively large (4"). They would be okay in your tank, but they won't really help keep things clean and you may not see them much at all.

**Whitney** · 11-05-2006, 01:55 AM

ok....I went to my local fish stores today and there are a few options.....

-leopard cory cats

-zebra loaches

-yoyo loaches

-sidthimunki botias

-dogo loaches

Any thoughts? What fish will be good cleaners? How many should I get? Can I mix them?

**Fishguy2727** · 11-05-2006, 02:18 AM

Any but the Dojo will be great in there. All should be schooling so you will want to at least end up with, if not start with, 6.

**Whitney** · 11-05-2006, 02:40 AM

6...in my 30 gallon tank.....really? I was thinking 2 or 3. I don't want to overstock my tank or make my ram feel crowded.....

Of course I'm happy to get 6 if that's the right number....is it?

**Fishguy2727** · 11-05-2006, 02:51 AM

It will be fine if it has enough filtration and you do big and frequent enough water changes. I would go with the smaller species, such as the cories. The schools need to be 6 or more and for a species that is naturally schooling, the school is vital for their long term thriving.

**kimmers318** · 11-05-2006, 09:40 AM

How many rams, harlequins and tetras do you have already that makes you wonder if you wouldn't be overcrowded? I have found that yes, it is safer to overstock when you have bottom feeders with the top guys, but they will still add to bioload. In my opinion, 3 cories is a nice number, even if I would rather have 6+ in all my tanks :) Yoyo loaches don't eat much and you will hardly ever see them in a gravel bed in my experience....mine are great now that they are in sand. Clown loaches will get too big. If you would like something that will run around eating off the bottom, and clean the glass you might consider a bristlenose pleco, or one of the other small species. Mine can be seen eating constantly....loves algae and is so unnoticeable even my past ram didn't bother him too much. Don't forget, that most of your bottom feeders will appreciate having their food supplemented with something other than the "scraps" that hit the bottom. Mine all love frozen foods of any sort, algae tabs, tropical tabs and these soft pellets hubby has for his mbuna. Plus, fresh zucchini is a big smiley treat for them!

**Whitney** · 11-05-2006, 02:24 PM

At present, I have 3 diamond tetras, 6 harlequin rasboras, and one blue ram in a 30 gallon bowfront. I'll attach some pictures to give you a better idea....

Initially I had been pretty set on loaches, but since reptileguy's cory suggestion, I've been reading up on them. What do you all think about corydoras compared to loaches (yoyos or sidthidmunkis, I think). I read today that the loaches can be a little semi-agressive.

I had been planning to also get a couple of clown plecos (or another dwarf pleco)....are bristlenoses better? Should I not get corys AND plecos? Will they interfere with each other?

Thanks everyone, you're all a huge help.

**Whitney** · 11-05-2006, 02:30 PM

Here are some pictures of my tank....the backround is a spongy faux rock.....I am a little concerned that if I get a pleco or another "sucker" fish that it will suck on the foam and hurt itself (the instructions that came with the backround said that it's non-toxic- but I'd imagine it's not really healthy to ingest).

**Fishguy2727** · 11-05-2006, 02:59 PM

I have not used that type of background so I am not sure on that. Cories and plecos are fine together because they have different niches, so they don't really compete with eachother. Some loaches can be semi-aggressive, but the smaller ones usually aren't bad. I have a pair of bristlenose plecos in my 55 with discus and they are great. I think the cories would be better since they are generally smaller. They are active all the time and will help keep the tank clean for you.