# Advice on clean up crew



## Tom72 (10 Apr 2021)

Hi folks, Happy Saturday, I am wanting to introduce a clean up crew into my 200 ltr nature scape. Ideally I would like a combination of amano shrimp and nerite snails. The tank is really well planted  and I have just started CO2 injection. I have kept amano before, but I’m not sure that the fish in the aquarium would leave them alone. The fish I am concerned about are 2 Pearl Gourami’s, 2 Kribs and a shoal of stunning Odessa barbs. I fear they would make a tasty meal from the shrimp. But if experience by fellow hobbyists shows it’s worth while then I will give it a go. I’m also interested in Nerite snails but not sure how many I should buy or how many the tank will support safely.


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## PARAGUAY (10 Apr 2021)

Siamese Algae Eaters would be ok If you see juveniles two or three with a view to rehoming and keep one later.


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## Tom72 (10 Apr 2021)

PARAGUAY said:


> Siamese Algae Eaters would be ok If you see juveniles two or three with a view to rehoming and keep one later.


I’ve always struggled to find any, and seen many so called Siamese algae eaters which are not right. I have the tank quite heavily stocked or rather I don’t won’t to increase the load on the system. I know they are great for BBA, thanks for the suggestion.


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## EA James (10 Apr 2021)

Tom72 said:


> and seen many so called Siamese algae eaters which are not right.


They often get mixed up with flying foxes, the easiest way to tell them apart is the black stripe running along the body. SAE are more ragged along the edge. I have a couple of SAE and they're great fish. 
With regards to Amano shrimp, the females get big and would probably be fine in your set up. Perhaps see if you can find someone with some adult females. Mine are huge! Bigger than my adult cherry barbs.
I also have horned Nerites, they are excellent at cleaning but beware they lay alot of little white eggs on hardscape, my black lava rock has been spoilt by these!


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## PARAGUAY (10 Apr 2021)

That was what l was thinking as they grow return a couple to the shop keep one. If you can find any have a look at the description for true SAE as many shops describe the unpredictable flying fox as SAE @Tom72


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## John q (10 Apr 2021)

I don't keep shrimp due to similar concerns with the rainbows and angelfish eating them but have 3 horned nerite snails in the tank and can confirm they do a fantastic job of cleaning things. I've yet to encounter the dreaded egg deposits, but guess time will tell on that one.
Do you have any algae eating fish at present?
Ottolincus would be a good choice.


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## EA James (10 Apr 2021)

See the jagged edge of the SAE on the bottom. Easy to tell apart when viewed like this but not so simple when there isn't the other to compare to. I've never kept Flying Foxes but i believe they're a bit boisterous compared the the placid SAE.



John q said:


> I've yet to encounter the dreaded egg deposits


Lucky you!!! Fingers crossed it stays that way. 


 Cheers


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## sparkyweasel (10 Apr 2021)

It's the other species of _Crossocheilus _that get confused with SAEs. Most of them look very similar.


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## Tom72 (10 Apr 2021)

Yep they are tricky to get correct, however I don’t want any sae because of the bio load, I am looking at amano shrimp and nerite snails, and how many snails to stock in 200ltr.


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## Tom72 (10 Apr 2021)

John q said:


> I don't keep shrimp due to similar concerns with the rainbows and angelfish eating them but have 3 horned nerite snails in the tank and can confirm they do a fantastic job of cleaning things. I've yet to encounter the dreaded egg deposits, but guess time will tell on that one.
> Do you have any algae eating fish at present?
> Ottolincus would be a good choice.


Hi John q,
Yes hi have a long lived Otto in the tanks, he must be 4 years at least. I don’t really want to increase the number of fish. How big is your tank and how big are the snails. I was thinking of getting about 10 to 20 or is that too many. The is kept on the cooler side and I understand that this helps stop/reduces egg laying


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## John q (10 Apr 2021)

I only have 3 at present in 240l tank. I want to see how they fair with my Assassin snails and also conscious about having enough algae to feed all the algae eating inhabitants presently in the tank, which consists of 3 ottolincus, 3 suspected otothyropsis, 2 panda gara and a bristlenose.

They've only been in the tank 2 weeks and I can definitely see that algae has gone off the wood I have in there.
I am a little aprensive about the eggs that could be laid and even more worried now that you mention temperature because my tank is kept at 25.2c.

The nerite snails are about 15mm diameter.


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## EA James (10 Apr 2021)

I have 10 horned Nerites and my tank temp is 24. Here you can see all the eggs, pain in the a*se! None on the wood though just the rocks.
I’ve got 3 assassins in there to that as far as I’m aware haven’t got hold of any of the nerites yet


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## John q (10 Apr 2021)

Is there no way of getting them off the rock? Good to know about the assassin snails.


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## EA James (10 Apr 2021)

John q said:


> Is there no way of getting them off the rock?


If they were out of the tank then yeah i guess but pretty much impossible in the there. I can't pull them out either as you can see, not unless i rescape that part of the tank which i don't!


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## Tom72 (10 Apr 2021)

John q said:


> Is there no way of getting them off the rock? Good to know about the assassin snails.


On my 40ltr I have 3 nerites and half a dozen amano. The temp is about 23 Celsius, I saw one snail lay a small trail of eggs, 30 minutes later they were gone, I think it was most likely that an Amano was quick on the scene to clean up, or a little less likely I have a tiny dwarf catfish, it’s mysterious and hardly ever seen, I sure it survives on the eggs of amano’s, galaxy danio (celestial rasbora)* and now snails perhaps.
*not sure what the correct name is for these little guys any more.


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