# A big thank you - Bottom feeders to share with Harlequins



## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

A couple of months ago I set up a tank especially for a small shoal of Harlequin Rasboras. When I feed the Rasboras, some of the food inevitably falls to the bottom of the tank which I have to remove with a net.

Can anyone recommend something small I can get that will share the tank with the Rasboras and feed on the pellets and other bit of food that falls to the bottom of the tank? I'd thought of Kuhli Loaches but as I have no real dark places for them to hide apart from the Hairgrass, I doubt if they'd be suitable.

Having always kept a number of tanks for fancy Goldfish, food falling to the bottom of a tank has never been a problem before.


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## Tim Harrison (26 Jan 2020)

Pygmy corys ?


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## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

Thanks for the suggestion Tim. Can't see the image unfortunately but I'm sure I can find one somewhere.


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## Tim Harrison (26 Jan 2020)

If you click on Pygmy cory in my post above it's linked to the entry in Seriously Fish. It's also where I got the image from


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## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

Brilliant, thanks for the help Tim.


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## Fisher2007 (26 Jan 2020)

I guess you probably want fish but amano's would do a good job of grabbing the stuff that hits the bottom


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## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

Fisher2007 said:


> I guess you probably want fish but amano's would do a good job of grabbing the studd that hits the bottom


No, never had shrimps and know very little about keeping them but I'm totally open to any suggestions. We do have Pro Shrimp not too far away in Mansfield.


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## Fisher2007 (26 Jan 2020)

Very jealous!  I really want to go there 

Well my amano's definitely go crazy and grab any food they can when I feed the tank.  They're really easy to keep, help with algae and don't bother fish or other shrimp (if you later got cherries, etc)

You could get some and still get a bottom feeder too if you want


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## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

Fisher2007 said:


> Very jealous!  I really want to go there
> 
> Well my amano's definitely go crazy and grab any food they can when I feed the tank.  They're really easy to keep, help with algae and don't bother fish or other shrimp (if you later got cherries, etc)
> 
> You could get some and still get a bottom feeder too if you want


Great, thanks for the help. I'll have a read up on what they need and give them some serious thought.


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## mort (26 Jan 2020)

How big is the tank? Pygmy cories are about as cool and cute as you can get but do better in a decent sized group.

Amano shrimp will eat your left overs and also eat algae, so win win, but you could also have cherry shrimp (or any of the other colour variants) do a similar job if you prefer them. Cherry shrimp will breed and multiply fairly quickly once settle but amano won't. 

Hara jerdoni are another option, although they do like hiding places so perhaps not ideal given why you ruled out kuhli loaches. They are shy but very cool to watch.

Rosy loach might be another fun option if you can fit a group in. You could even have a mixture of fish and shrimp.


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## Gill (26 Jan 2020)

I would also vote for the rosy loach,  Very Active fish with lots of colour variations


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## BarryH (26 Jan 2020)

mort said:


> Pygmy cories are about as cool and cute as you can get but do better in a decent sized group.
> 
> Amano shrimp will eat your left overs and also eat algae, so win win, but you could also have cherry shrimp (or any of the other colour variants) do a similar job if you prefer them. Cherry shrimp will breed and multiply fairly quickly once settle but amano won't.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mort, what a great post, really helpful. Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?


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## Jayefc1 (27 Jan 2020)

BarryH said:


> Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?


Yeah shrimps are proper scavengers and will eat almost anything very good clean up crew and constantly graze across the plant leaves helping to keep them.free of debris if you start with 20 cherry shrimp in 6 month you will have a great colony of any where between 50_100 

J


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## mort (27 Jan 2020)

BarryH said:


> Would I be correct in thinking the Shrimps make a better clean up crew than the Pygmy Cory?



As J sums up excellently above, shrimps are considered cuc and any fish really need to be target fed as well (shrimps will appreciate the odd food parcel even if they are getting plenty of natural food and leftovers). I never really consider fish as cuc, they do eat some leftovers but shouldn't be reliant on them and need to be fed proper food themselves.


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## BarryH (27 Jan 2020)

Jay, Mort, thanks for the help, really appreciated. As I mentioned above, we have Pro Shrimp not too far away so I'll get in touch and see about ordering.


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## BarryH (29 Jan 2020)

I managed to get out today and paid Wharf Aquatics in Pinxton a visit. I was mainly looking at their small cleaners to go with the Harlequins. So much choice and everything that had been suggested on here, they had in stock. Still not sure but I think I've narrowed things down between the Pygmy Cory, Otocinclus and Shrimps.

Really helpful staff and one said the Pygmy was good at picking up left over food while the other two would take any algea too.


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## tam (29 Jan 2020)

Otos wouldn't be my pick as 'clean up crew' - they do eat some types of algae but they can be fussy - they prefer the softer stuff. They are also going to need target feeding e.g. algae waffers (if you can get them to eat them) and courgette slices etc. They are lovely fish, but not what I'd pick to clean up after harlequins. I'd also go for a 3'+ tank for them as they are a little bigger and dart quick when startled (not sure how big you have?).

Shrimps are omnivorous so good for algae and fish food clean up. The corys aren't going to eat algae but will pick up food from the bottom. Dending on your tank size, you could consider both shrimp and cory.... if it's a big tank the otos too! They'll all work together as they have slightly different niches.


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## Jayefc1 (29 Jan 2020)

I like Cory's as a bottom feeder there good little cleaners IMO snails do a better job than ottos but if you can have both they are beneficial ultimate cleaners are the shrimps i believe if you have a good colony 

Cheers
Jay


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## MWood (29 Jan 2020)

Not kept them myself, but I was thinking of going for some Micronemacheilus cruciatus (vietnamese hovering loach) in future, similar to the aforementioned rosy


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## dw1305 (29 Jan 2020)

Hi all,





BarryH said:


> Really helpful staff and one said the Pygmy was good at picking up left over food


Not in my experience, they aren't difficult to keep, but they like really small food items and are quite "picky" eaters.  

I'd definitely go for snails and shrimps. If you don't mind their looks <"_Asellus _work really well">, and tend to be less heavily predated than shrimplets are.

Snails


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## BarryH (29 Jan 2020)

Thanks again for the help Darrel. The main thing that's putting me off getting shrimps at the minute is acclimating them into the tank. Never tried drip feed before.


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## Fisher2007 (30 Jan 2020)

BarryH said:


> Thanks again for the help Darrel. The main thing that's putting me off getting shrimps at the minute is acclimating them into the tank. Never tried drip feed before.



Don't be put off, it's easy.  I just got a bucket.  Added the shrimp plus water from the bag and put it on the ground next to the tank. Then got a piece of airline tubing and put one end in the tank (wedge that end behind a lily pipe or use a peg or similar to clip it in place) then part way down the tube tied the tube itself in a simple oveehand knot.  Now place the other end of the tube in the bucket and give it a suck to start the syphon.  Once started you can adjust the flow rate through the tube by tightening or loosening the knot.  You want a steady/constant drip.  Leave it running for 30-60 mins and then net the shrimp and add to the tank


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## Jayefc1 (30 Jan 2020)

I do like wharf there really friendly and not a bag choice of hardscape too 

J


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## Conort2 (30 Jan 2020)

BarryH said:


> Thanks again for the help Darrel. The main thing that's putting me off getting shrimps at the minute is acclimating them into the tank. Never tried drip feed before.


I’d go with shrimp for clean up as the others have mentioned already. Proper scavengers that will eat almost anything. The corys will need to be target fed and can’t be relied upon to ‘clean up’. In fact I can’t think of any fish that can will properly clean and scavenge, unlike shrimp and snails who will munch anything.

 In regards to drip acclimatisation, don’t be put off. It really is easy to do, is just abit more time consuming that’s all. A piece of airline with a knot tied In it and a small bucket and container is all you’ll need.

cheers

Conor


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## BarryH (1 Feb 2020)

Still on the same vein and taking the advice of going down the shrimp route, I'm thinking of getting the Neocardina Red Cherry shrimps.

Thinking of visiting Pro Shrimp in Mansfield, when I buy the shrimps, will I automatically get a mix of males and females? Never kept shrimp before or even seen them in anyone's home tanks, just the YT videos. Any help or advice would be most welcome.


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## mort (1 Feb 2020)

You'd be unlucky to get all the same sex from a random group of shrimp. It's easy to tell the difference between sexes and any shop selling them should happily do you a mix.
I've bought bits and bobs from proshrimp (not shrimp though) and the service has always been excellent, so I'm sure they will be able to offer good advice.


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## BarryH (1 Feb 2020)

mort said:


> You'd be unlucky to get all the same sex from a random group of shrimp. It's easy to tell the difference between sexes and any shop selling them should happily do you a mix.
> I've bought bits and bobs from proshrimp (not shrimp though) and the service has always been excellent, so I'm sure they will be able to offer good advice.


Like yourself Mort, I've bought from Pro Shrimp before but never livestock. It wasn't until I watched a few YT videos that I realised that shrimp are not the dull, lifeless creatures I'd imagined they were.


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## BarryH (29 Feb 2020)

A few weeks ago I asked for recommendation for bottom dwellers to help clean up and live in a tank with Harlequin Rasboras. Among the many helpful suggestions were shrimp, something I had never kept or even experienced before.

After some searching, I went with the shrimp and bought two separate groups of ten Red Fire Cherrys from two different stores. Now they're in and settled, all I can say is I have never seen so many people staring into a tank as much as the one with the shrimp in it, really great to see all the interest. At first it was a game of "spot the shrimp" but now they're a bit braver and out more often we see them all the time.

So a big *thank you* to all for the help and suggestions, especially those of you who broadened my horizons and suggested the shrimp.


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