Clean up crew recommendations for 55G planted tank

[Harry Muscle]

What would you recommend for a clean up crew for a 55G planted tank? So far
I'm thinking of getting 6 Jullii cory cats to take care of any extra food
reaching the bottom. However, I'm still undecided what to get to take care
of the algae. Is an Otto better than a SAE? Or do they just eat different
algae? How many should I get of each? Does it matter which species of
Ottos? Any shrimp that you would recommend (they would need to survive the
company of swordtails, guppies, kribs, siamese fighting fish, and some
tetras)? The only thing that I don't want is a pleco, I just don't like the
look of them.

Thanks,
Harry

P.S. My tank specs are: 7.4ph, ~7dh, 1.6wpg, dosing with Fluorish & Excel





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[Dunter Powries]

My moderate-low light/low tech guppy tank has nothing but red ramshorns for
scavengers, and is SPOTLESS. At various times I've introduced ottos and
shrimp, more out of boredom than necessity, and they've gradually been
starved out by the snails.

Harry Muscle > wrote in message
...
> What would you recommend for a clean up crew for a 55G planted tank? So
far
> I'm thinking of getting 6 Jullii cory cats to take care of any extra food
> reaching the bottom. However, I'm still undecided what to get to take
care
> of the algae. Is an Otto better than a SAE? Or do they just eat
different
> algae? How many should I get of each? Does it matter which species of
> Ottos? Any shrimp that you would recommend (they would need to survive
the
> company of swordtails, guppies, kribs, siamese fighting fish, and some
> tetras)? The only thing that I don't want is a pleco, I just don't like
the
> look of them.
>
> Thanks,
> Harry
>
> P.S. My tank specs are: 7.4ph, ~7dh, 1.6wpg, dosing with Fluorish & Excel
>
>
>
>
>
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[Empty]

"Harry Muscle" > wrote in
:

> What would you recommend for a clean up crew for a 55G planted tank?
> So far I'm thinking of getting 6 Jullii cory cats to take care of any
> extra food reaching the bottom.

If you have enough extra food reaching the bottom for 6 juliis in a 55, you
are feeding *way* too much.

> However, I'm still undecided what to
> get to take care of the algae. Is an Otto better than a SAE? Or do
> they just eat different algae?

They eat different algae. Otocinclus will eat the smoother algaes (green
spot to some extent, green slime better, and they love diatoms IME) while
SAEs prefer filamentous algaes.

> How many should I get of each?

Depending... I would get 4-5 otos and 1-2 SAEs, but I have a lot of wood in
my tank that needs some extra loving.

> Does
> it matter which species of Ottos?

otocinclus affinis is the only one commonly available, I believe.

Other otos can get spendy- buy them if the aesthetic value is enough for
you.

> Any shrimp that you would recommend
> (they would need to survive the company of swordtails, guppies, kribs,
> siamese fighting fish, and some tetras)?

Kribs would probably eat algae eating shrimp, if I had to make a guess.

> The only thing that I don't
> want is a pleco, I just don't like the look of them.

Bristlenose plecos are pretty cool, and clown plecos are much less ugly
than the average pleco. Clowns are pretty shy too, they generally come out
at night.

~Empty
--
'You're not friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love till it
kills you both. You'll fight, and you'll shag, and you'll hate each other
till it makes you quiver, but you'll never be friends. Love isn't brains,
children, it's blood... blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may
be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.'
Spike

[Dunter Powries]

Empty > wrote in message
...
> ...
> Kribs would probably eat algae eating shrimp, if I had to make a guess.

Unexpectedly, guppies are hard on shrimp, too. Mine just pick-pick-pick
them apart. So, probably swords would, too.

> > The only thing that I don't
> > want is a pleco, I just don't like the look of them.
>
> Bristlenose plecos are pretty cool, and clown plecos are much less ugly
> than the average pleco. Clowns are pretty shy too, they generally come out
> at night.

Clown pl*cos are neat. But mine was relatively expensive for a fish I only
see just for a couple of seconds once every few weeks. And mine is even
harder on broad leaf plants like swords and anubias than my common pl*cos
who spend most of their time sucking wood.

[Harry Muscle]

"Empty" > wrote in message
...
> "Harry Muscle" > wrote in
> :
>
> > What would you recommend for a clean up crew for a 55G planted tank?
> > So far I'm thinking of getting 6 Jullii cory cats to take care of any
> > extra food reaching the bottom.
>
> If you have enough extra food reaching the bottom for 6 juliis in a 55,
you
> are feeding *way* too much.
>

Actually I want 6 because I know they prefer their own company. I do
realize that if I were actually feeding that much I would be over feeding.

Thanks for the input,
Harry




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[RedForeman ©®]

> Clown pl*cos are neat. <snipped> And mine is even
> harder on broad leaf plants like swords and anubias than my common pl*cos
> who spend most of their time sucking wood.

Really? Clown pl*cos rasp the leaves pretty bad?? I was hoping to get one
for a new 55g but I guess I'll pass... dang... that sucks...

Do you think they could be trained to 'not' do plants?


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