Not only do bottom feeders help keep your tank healthy, but they can be a joy to watch. The Bristlenose Pleco is perfect for aquariums that are gallons in size or larger. The species prefers to have hiding spots in the tank and can get along well in peaceful communities. The species grows to be between three to five inches in size. This fish can handle peaceful and smaller semi-aggressive tank mates. This can make the Pleco hard to find at times, but this is a natural behavior. This species of Pleco comes in a dull range of colors like green, black, brown, white, and yellow.

Bristlenose are nocturnal fish that like to forage for vegetation at night. Their diet should mainly consist of plant matter with only a small amount of meat mixed in. This fish can live up to twelve years in captivity. Cory Catfish are able to live in tanks as small as gallons in size.

Pepper Cory prefer a moderate amount of lighting and plenty of plants to hide in. Pepper Cory loves to spend time at the bottom of their tank, where they find meals in the substrate. For this bottomfeeder, you will want to avoid rough gravel. Pepper Cory will grow between two to two and a half inches, with the females of the species being smaller.

Cory Catfish are small and should be housed with tank mates of the same size; This species also prefers to be kept in groups, so make sure that your tank has at least two Pepper Cory at all times. Unlike some other fish, this species does prefer to live in a colder environment, making them a bad match for fish like the Freshwater Angel.

Like most catfish, this species usually comes in colors like green, tan, and brown. They are omnivores, and you should ensure that they have algae wafers to eat on along with some protein-based foods like worms. The Pepper Cory can live upwards of fifteen years in captivity when well taken care of.

Crayfish are less commonly seen in tanks than their fin equipped counterparts. The Crayfish has to be kept in a tank that is gallons in size or more. Crayfish will shed their exoskeleton from time to time and become easy to injure. To help protect them during this time, you should have a tank with several small hiding holes where the Crayfish can seek refuge. Keep in mind that this is one of the largest species of Crayfish and will grow to be between six to eight inches in size.

The downside to having a Crayfish is that while they are excellent cleaner, they are not good for a tank with small, slow-moving fish. You should avoid keeping your Crayfish with shrimp or snails that could easily become a meal. With that being said, they can generally live with even more aggressive fish species without much of a problem. The Crayfish can be a beautiful specimen that comes in shades of red, purple, black, yellow, and white. The Crayfish is an omnivore but does need protein in his diet.

The Crayfish is happy to be fed brine shrimp and algae wafers. This species of fish is incredibly hardy and can live to be four years old.

The Kuhli Loach can be kept in small-sized gallons tanks, making them perfect for smaller communities. You will need to be careful if you are setting up a tank for a loach. These fish only grow to a max size of four inches and have a slender body.

Be sure to use precaution with your filter and tubing to keep your Kuhli from getting trapped. Kuhli Loaches should also be housed with peaceful tank mates as they have a delicate body. Peaceful communities with small fish will be best for this species. You will also need to make small hiding spots that the loach can retreat to if they feel threatened.

Even some small semi-aggressive fish will be too much for this species to handle. The Kuhli is generally a mix of yellow, brown, and black in color. Kuhli Loach should be kept in sand substrate aquariums where they will naturally spend their day filtering the sand.

Surprisingly, they are omnivores and will eat both algae and small bits of protein. They can be fed using wafers or finely chopped brine shrimp. In addition to acting as a natural substrate filter, these through cleaners can live up to ten years. If you are going for a micro-community set-up, then the Bumblebee Goby is a perfect choice and needs only a gallon tank to live happily.

Instead of just sucking to the bottom of your tank, the Bumblebee prefers to swim around the bottom layer looking for food. In fact, the male Bumblebee Goby can often be a bit territorial.

This is another small species and only grows to be a maximum of four inches. While the Bumblebee Goby do prefer to live alone, they can be integrated into a community tank. When they are first introduced, they do tend to act shy, so give them a few days before deciding how well they have adjusted to your community. Like their name states, they are a mixture of yellow, black, and black stripes, with the males often having brighter coloring.

Bumblebee Goby tend to eat free-floating food and prefer live shrimp that they can chase down. Avoid algae wafers for this species, and instead, add in some frozen shrimp or flakes. This picky eater usually lives for around four years. This is a bottom feeder that will add a bright splash of color to your tank. These shrimp can live in a tank as small as 5-gallons in size. Blue Velvets have a great reputation for being a good beginner fish, especially if your tank needs extra cleaning.

Their small size does put them at risk for getting caught in the filter as their full-grown size is usually around two inches.

You will also need to keep multiple Blue Velvets in one tank for optimal cleaning. Like the name suggests, the Blue Velvet has a bright electric blue coloring that makes them easy to find. In general, they can do well in a peaceful aquarium, but larger fish may easily find themselves snacking on the blue velvet.

This is especially true if you have fry in your tank. In general, if you have any small species of shrimp, you should expect a few of them to eventually get eaten. Blue Velvet Shrimp are able to eat pretty much any type of fish food. They are scavengers by nature and take pleasure in digging out food particles from the substrate. To ensure they are getting enough to eat, you can add in an algae wafer or even pick up some shrimp food.

On average, a Velvet Shrimp will only live around two years max. Nerite Snails are a perfect choice if you want to add a bottom feeder to an established community. The Nerite Snail is happy in a slightly dirty environment and only needs a tank size of 5-gallons. In fact, the species will fare best in a tank that has living plants and been through a few water cycles.

Nerite Snails are extremely small and will only reach a half an inch in size for most breeds. Like with shrimp, you will need multiple Nerite snails for cleaning, especially if you have a larger tank. Since Nerite Snails are so small, it can be easy for them to be consumed by larger fish.

Even some larger peaceful fish may end up confusing your new snail colony for food. There are many different colors and shell patterns of the Nerite Snails, including zebra patterns, plain colors like black and white, and even a horned variety. Like most snails, this species is a vegetarian. They love to eat the algae and live plants in your tank. To help with their diet, simply add in some algae wafers. The average Nerite Snail will live for around two years.

The Geophagus does well in larger aquariums and should be housed in no less than a gallon tank. They prefer to live in tanks with a large quantity of live plants or driftwood to hide in. This is a rather large bottom feeder that can grow to be around ten inches in size.

You should avoid housing more than one Orange Head at a time unless you have ample room in your aquarium to provide each fish with their own sifting grounds. This species prefers to have calm, peaceful tank mates. The Orange Head Geophagus body is made up of a plethora of colors. On the species body, you will find thin black stripes, a reddish-orange had, and blue fins. This species feeds itself by using its mouth to sift through sand to find food particles and invertebrates.

This fish will need a fine sand substrate and can be fed using brine fish. To ensure your Orange Head is getting the proper amounts of nutrients, you should only feed it high-grade foods. This species can live up to three years. The Siamese Algae Eater is a popular choice for Algae management that can live in a gallon tank or larger.

It is an easy to care for fish that is often confused with the Siamese Flying Fox. They are a species that is able to easily be kept alone. This species comes from a warmer environment and prefers a tank with tons of vegetation. Siamese Algae Eaters tend to grow around six inches in size.

Like many small fish, the Algae Eater does best in a tank with peaceful fish. They also are able to be kept completely alone or in a school if you need them to clean a larger tank. The species has a simple coloring, a white body with a single black stripe running through the middle.

 
 

 

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Jagged rock and gravel substrates are dangerous to the kuhli loach as the fish can damage themselves as they slither along the substrate.

Sand or smooth rock is best. Leaf litter is also a good addition to a kuhli tank. It provides hiding places and lowers the pH at the same time! These loaches like acidic, tannins filled water. Last, but not least, Kuhli loaches need to be kept in groups for them to be confident and active! Some say you need at least 3 in a tank, but a minimum of 5 to 6 would benefit them much better!

Kuhli loaches are omnivorous, but protein-rich foods should make up the majority of their diet. A variety of live and frozen foods make for a healthy loach! Bottom feeder pellets, as well as shrimp pellets, can also be fed. Differentiating one sex from another is very difficult unless the female is pregnant. Then her belly will appear much larger as it is full of eggs.

Adult Size : 12 inches. With their black and orange striped appearance, this large loach may have the same colors as the Kuhli but otherwise is a very different fish. The clown loach ‘s torpedo-shaped body and proportionally large tail fin help make this fish an active and strong swimmer.

The downward turned mouth and whisker-like sensory organs also aid in foraging for scraps of food. Clown loaches are notorious busybodies, and they’re even busier when they are kept in groups.

They are very interactive with each other and are even known to form tight social hierarchies! These fish truly show their full range of natural behaviors when they are in a school of at least 6 individuals. When kept singly or with a few others, the clown loach can become rather reclusive.

So make sure your clowns have plenty of friends! Even though this species is peaceful with others, it is usually recommended to keep clowns in a species only tank. Their sheer size and activity level pose a hazard to small, slow-moving fish. If you are looking to add another species to your clown tank, aim for peaceful species that tolerate highly oxygenated and fast-flowing waters, as clowns prefer such waters. Also, keep in mind that these speedy giants will not tolerate other bottom feeders as well as they do top-dwellers.

The bottom of the tank ain’t big enough for the two of ’em! You’re going to want to start out with a tank of at least gallons. A tank that size may seem unnecessary for young clowns, but they grow fast. And when you’ve got 6, inch fish zipping around, gallons will seem like nothing! As previously stated, clowns prefer strong currents. A powerhead , bubbler, strong filter , or some combination of the three will help you achieve that current. This bottom feeder, like most others, should be kept on sand.

They enjoy the light-obscuring effects that come with the addition of floating plants! Driftwood and rock caves should be added to provide your clowns with ample hiding space! They have also been known to prefer sleeping out of sight! When adding plant cover, the denser the better! But make sure to leave plenty of open swimming room! Clown loaches are highly sensitive to substandard water parameters. Because of this, it is very important to regularly check for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates!

A neutral ph is good for them. The clown loach is omnivorous but the diet should be mostly comprised of meaty foods. Snails are a known favorite, but any other live, frozen, or pelleted food will be devoured. The fish are not picky eaters. As long as the diet is quality and varied, your clown will do just fine. Females tend to grow faster and larger than their male cohorts. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to breed this fish so there is limited information available.

As the name implies, the zebra loach , or Candystriped loach, is adorned with black and blue vertical bands that form neat stripes across the body. The base color peeking through these stripes is a pale yellow. Large rayed fins help propel this speedy species through the water. The striped pattern that appears on the body also appears in the fins, making this fish completely striped from head to tail. Not all Zebra loaches are created equal, some lucky specimen have strangely formed bands that form unique complex patterns!

Candystripe loaches are one of the smaller species of loach, because of this they are often considered a better choice rather than the larger clown loach. These fish make excellent additions to community aquariums. Highly active and social, they do best when kept in groups of at least individuals.

They are known to pick at long-finned and slow-moving fish but usually keep to themselves. Fast swimmers that stick near the top of the water column like barbs, rasboras , and tetras are usually left alone by the nosy loaches.

Species with long fins or appendages such as bettas , guppies , angelfish should be avoided. Gouramis , even though they are fast, may also need to be separated from the zebra loach. As their long, trailing feelers may fall victim to the rambunctious actions of the loaches. Gouramis are also generally shy and do not pair well with such active fish.

These fish are native to slow-moving, but well-oxygenated rivers and streams throughout Southern India. The best way to keep them happy and healthy is to keep them in an aquarium that closely matches their natural habitat. A gallon breeder tank would be a good starting size, but in a pinch, a tank as small as 30 gallons can work as well.

A sand substrate is a must however you can always add some smooth rock. Dense vegetation and plenty of hiding places make for a happy loach. But also make sure to leave open space for swimming. Since this species prefers a slower current, a powerhead is not needed. A strong filter, however, is absolutely necessary.

A strong filter output creates a good current, plenty of oxygen, and plenty of cleaning power. Zebra loaches are sensitive to foul water quality, and even a small amount of ammonia can harm them. Make sure your tank is fully cycled and free of contaminants before adding this loach. Low light and acidic water are important.

Any pH level higher than 7 should be avoided. Candystripe loaches will eat just about anything. Commercial bottom feeder pellets, live and frozen foods, and blanched vegetables should all be included in the diet. Like other loaches, females have rounder, thicker bodies than males. But there are no known reports of this loach breeding in captivity. Did you know? Most loaches do not have standard scales.

This is why they are so much more sensitive than other fish! Their small body scales and complete lack of scales on the head make them vulnerable to illness and injury.

Catfish are no doubt the most popular bottom feeder. It is estimated that there are over species of corydoras out there! For our intents and purposes, I am going to discuss their care as a whole, since many corydoras have similar care requirements. Adult Size : inches. Minimum School Size : There are so many different color variations, but the body of the corydoras remains the same.

These fish are rather stocky, with short, rounded fins and a forked tail fin. Corydoras have three sets of barbels. One set is on the top of the mouth at either side, the other at the bottom, and the third set is right on the chin, and much harder to see! Corydoras are very social and need other corydoras with them to thrive. They are also very peaceful and non-threatening to other fish.

They can be happily housed with any other small and peaceful fish like barbs, rasboras, tetras, and sometimes even the well-mannered betta! Pygmy corydoras can live in a tank as small as 15 gallons, but all other species need a tank of at least 20 gallons, sometimes more! The appropriately sized tank needs a soft, sandy substrate to maintain the health of their barbels. As for plants and hardscape, corydoras are one of the few that aren’t too picky.

Though, like any fish, they would certainly appreciate some live plants and driftwood. Corydoras prefer slightly acidic to neutral pH, anywhere between 6. Corydoras eat both vegetation and meat, though too much meat can cause upset to their digestive tract.

Commercial bottom feeder tablets, algae wafers, veggie wafers, and shrimp pellets are all a good staple. The occasional treat of bloodworms may be given. Spirulina, a type of algae, is also a good addition. Female corydoras are larger and noticeably rounder than males. When viewed from the top, the difference in body shape is clear. Breeding them is very easy.

Just provide them with quality food and pristine water conditions and they will handle the rest themselves. They will lay their eggs on the underside of leaves or on the side of the tank. So none of the cories you recommended other then the pygmy will work.

They can also be rather difficult to get, so it’s not recommended on my list. Same for Kuhli Loaches, I recommend 20 gallon long at least, you also might not see them much as they are nocturnal and fairly shy. They are also really slippery and will slip through the smallest cracks in your hood, so a tight fitting hood is recommended.

Otos are also neat! They only thing about them is that they require an established tank will likely only eat naturally grown algae, they might not take handmade foods. I am of the very firm opinion that we should not try to keep other fish with Betta fish. Bettas have zero need for company, are solitary fish in nature, and when we insist on adding fishie friends, we often risk the welfare of all the fish. But some snails will be ok with them.

A tank that has the bottom cleaned regularly, just regular tank maintenance has no need of a bottom-feeding scavenger. Fwiw, I’d never, ever, try to keep a Bamboo shrimp in a Betta tank. Bamboos are filter feeders that need high water flow rates way too high for Betta fish and loads of tiny particulate foods to eat that they will not find if we don’t provide them.

Far too many of them die of starvation because people don’t meet these needs. Their long antennae would also be hard to resist attacking, for a Betta fish. Even Ghost shrimp or Amanos and certainly Cherry’s are liable to be torn up by a Betta, but it does depend on the Betta’s personality.

Something like a Japanese Trap Door snail would work, they are algae eaters but will also eat other things, unlike most Nerite snails, that need algae to eat. Fishfur’s recent blog post: How to put together an Eheim Classic canister filter with pictures of all the connections. I would love to get some cories but Im worried that they like moderate to fast moving water amd my betta would not appreciate that.

I would also live a zebra loach but if theyre not on the endangered list they will be soon and apparently they’re not available because they’re not exporting them anymore. As much as Zebr aLoaches are nice looking and beautiful they are unsuitable for your tank. As much as Zebra Loaches are nice looking and beautiful they are unsuitable for your tank.

I agree that the Zebra loach can’t work in this tank, unfortunately, but, in most cases, when fish like that become endangered in the wild, if the demand for them is high enough, they will be farmed.

Dwarf Chain Loaches Ambastaia sidthimunki are like this – they are farmed and not wild caught anymore. They have to use hormones to spawn them on the farms but, it means it’s possible to keep them and not have to pay a fortune for just one of them. M y A quarium C lub. Any suggestions? You could try a shoal of one of the 3 dwarf species of cories. Whatever you choose, make sure you have a tank on standby incase it doesn’t work out. I have ghost shrimp in my 20gal and have had them a while.

There is less of a chance the ghost shrimp will get eaten by the betta than a red cherry. Hi Fabi, would just like to note a few things. Those may interest you: How to upgrade from a 10 gallon to a 20 gallon tank.

Hey guys : I have a tank that could use a bottom feeder or scavenger animal Why your fish may be at the bottom of the tank. Or the Pygmy Cories and th Snails are the only options. Those may interest you: Which is the best bottom feeder for 15 gallon betta tank? Preferably Effici

 
 

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It is the best substrate for aquarium plants and a must-have for a high-tech planted tank. Plants that feed predominantly through their roots will thrive when they are planted in aquarium soil. Unlike other substrates, soil does not have much variation and usually comes in only a few sizes and colors.

The sizes of the granules are generally large enough for water to be able to flow through, so it adds a lot more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Aquarium soil is an active substrate. This means that it contains properties that alter the water chemistry of the tank.

The substrate typically lowers the PH of the water , keeping it below 7, and makes the water softer. This creates an ideal range of parameters for most tropical fish and shrimp , which makes it possible for some hobbyists to keep sensitive strains of shrimp.

However, this would not be good for live-bearers like guppies because these fish need more minerals in their water. A solution to this issue is to manually add minerals into the water during water changes , or to add another substrate like crushed coral which slowly releases minerals into the water over time.

Buce Plant offers UNS Controsoil which does not leech ammonia after being added and is known to be less messy than other aquarium soils. Although, keep in mind that some aquarium soils can initially release ammonia into the water after being added. This can be an issue in newly set up tanks because it can lead to ammonia spikes, which is not only harmful to the livestock in the aquarium, it is also a big factor for the growth of algae.

These plant-like organisms are unsightly, and most aquarists try to avoid having it in their aquariums at all costs. Learn more about algae in the planted aquarium by clicking here. After a while, aquarium soil becomes depleted of its nutrients. It is recommended to add root tabs into the soil after a year or two to rejuvenate it.

Fortunately, there is no rule stating you have to pick only one substrate for a tank! In the world of aquascaping, it is very common to implement multiple substrates into an aquarium. For example, if you want to add sand to give your tank a bright and clean look, but you also want the aquarium to be heavily planted, then you can get both soil and sand.

By placing the soil in the back and sand in the foreground, you can place the live plants into the aquarium soil so they can grow in a nutrient-rich substrate. Meanwhile, the sand will be more visible at the front of the tank. It is recommended to use rocks or other forms of decoration between each substrate as a barrier to prevent them from mixing together over time. Many aquascapers add onto this method by placing some gravel around the rocks to create the illusion of depth, so they use all three of the main types of substrates.

You can be as creative as you want, as long you are able to get the necessary materials. Luckily, online retail stores like Buce Plant exist to give fish-keepers access to a multitude of live plants and hardscape material.

Next page. From the manufacturer. Tetra ShrimpWafers Bottom feeders such as catfish and loaches need a sinking food that provides the proper diet and complements their natural grazing behaviors. Great for: Bottom Feeders Catfish Loaches.

Downward shaped mouth means bottom feeder Just looking at a fish’s mouth can normally tell you what form factor of food he or she needs.

The best food types for fish with downward shaped mouths include sinking wafers and tablets. Why Tetra? Tetra My Aquarium App The Tetra My Aquarium app provides solutions for great aquarium water care, sends timely reminders for maintenance activities, while helping you manage your water care products, food and equipment inventory.

Tetra PlecoWafers Tetra AquaSafe Tetra EasyBalance Find the perfect food for your fish Nutritionally balanced, complete daily diet for herbivore bottom feeders such as plecos Makes tap water safe Optimizes water quality Trust your tank to Tetra Contains zucchini, algae meal and fiber to support desired digestibility Safe, gentle chlorine removal Regulates pH and buffering Get all the fish keeping essentials Formulated with a stabilized vitamin source and guaranteed nutrient percentages Protects fish against stress Provides safety net between water changes.

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1. Videos for this product Click to play video. Customer Review: Satisfied. Customer Review: Amazing wafers for fishies. Videos for related products Click to play video. Tetra AquaSafe Plus 3. Aqueon Algae Rounds Fish Food. Ultra Fresh – Vegetables Shrimp Pie. Hagen: diverterde salid Fluval Brand History.

Compare with similar items. This item Tetra Shrimp Wafers. Hikari Fish Food. Looking for specific info? See questions and answers. Customer reviews. How customer reviews and ratings work Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Images in this review. Reviews with images. See all customer images. Top reviews Most recent Top reviews. Top reviews from the United States. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Size: 3 Ounce Pack of 1 Verified Purchase. The fish went absolutely nuts for this. I tried to feed it to some cory catfish, but the glowfish tetra, the neon tetra, the guppies, and even the mollies went after it too.

The bag reseals securely and easily. My poached love this food and unlike others sold on Amazon, every single one of the pellets sinks to the bottom as they’re supposed to.

Highly recommend. These wafers sink quickly and provide good flood source for bottom feeders. It has always kept the food dry, and it has a great battery life, going over 6 months on a single charge. The programming and rechargeable battery are very similar to what you get from the Zacro feeder.

However, the battery charge on the Noodoky does not last as long as the Zacro. I got 6 months from one charge on the Zacro, but only 4 months on the Noodoky. For this reason, I took a point off for reliability for the Noodoky. The food goes into little individual compartments of a wheel inside a feeder. So, if you give the feeder the slightest bump, the wheel moves and dumps food everywhere. I cussed a blue streak more than once while testing this feeder. The mechanism works like old school clockwork, the big dial slowly turns like the hour hand on a clockface.

When the dial hits a peg, it pushes the wheel that you put food into along and dumps the food from one of the compartments out of the bottom of the feeder. This part works fairly well, but there is no indicator to let you know the feeder has power or is working. So you have to set it up and then keep checking back on it to make sure that the wheel is turning and dispensing food.

I kept having to mess with it to get it to work. Also, at most, you can only set up 14 individual feedings with this device. All the others on the list have a turning drum that you can load with 5 times as much food. As much as I hated the Fish Mate, this one is even worse.

For the first time ever, I handed out scores of zero points. You can easily program in scheduled feedings by downloading the free iLonda app and connecting the feeder to your phone or tablet over Wi-Fi.

They should be kept in groups of at least 2 individuals, but they can easily share a 3-gallon tank with some invertebrates.

Harlequin Rasbora Trigonostigma heteromorpha. Also known as dwarf livebearers, least killifish are among the lowest-maintenance nano fish. They do best in heavily planted set-ups, and you can expect them to be peaceful inhabitants when kept in pairs. Least Killifish Heterandria formosa. You can safely keep a pair of white cloud minnows in a 3-gallon tank. You can even skip the heater when setting up your nano aquarium. They are cold-water fish and among the hardiest nano fish in the fishkeeping hobby.

White Cloud Mountain Minnows Tanichthys albonubes. Celestial pearl danios are also known as galaxy rasboras , with an appearance that resembles a burst of color. Celestial Pearl Danio Danio margaritatus. Keeping a pair of honey gouramis in a 3-gallon tank puts you near the stocking limit of your nano tank. They make great beginner fish for a novice fishkeeper.

Avoid keeping 2 males together. Honey Gourami Trichogaster chuna. Some fishkeepers even prefer shrimp to stocking 3-gallon tanks with fish. You can keep up to 10 cherry shrimp in a nano tank, as their bioload is minimal. We have an entire article on how many cherry shrimp per gallon you can keep. Click here to check it out!

Cherry Shrimp Neocaridina davidi. You can keep them with most of the fish on this list, except bettas. Avoid overfeeding the tank mates of a pair of nerite snails. The population can explode easily. Check out our post on how many nerite snails you can keep per gallon! Nerite Snail Neritina natalensis.

Tank mate compatibility is one of the most important factors to consider when stocking any fish tank. In larger aquariums, fish have room to hide from each other, to define distinct territories, and to just simply avoid one another in general. In nano tanks, avoidance is rarely an option. Check out some creative 3-gallon aquascaping and stocking options here:. Aside from the obvious fish larger than 2 inches , there are a few stocking scenarios you should avoid, even with smaller fish.