15 gallon tank (cycled)

[Nickl117]

Good morning all!

I have a 15 gal vertical tank I set up for my mom in the living room, it has black sand mixed with some colorful gravel from petco. Both of my Cory cats died due to red blotches on their stomachs and I only have a few barbs/tetras in there. What kind of fish would you guys recommend to replace these coreys? Any fish that live in vertical tanks? Side note I have a 30 gal in my room with sand substrate, but it consistently gets dirtier than I would like. Is there any clean up crew that works with sand? I have like 5 coreys in there but they're not exactly working.

 

[tlindsey]

Good morning all!

I have a 15 gal vertical tank I set up for my mom in the living room, it has black sand mixed with some colorful gravel from petco. Both of my Cory cats died due to red blotches on their stomachs and I only have a few barbs/tetras in there. What kind of fish would you guys recommend to replace these coreys? Any fish that live in vertical tanks? Side note I have a 30 gal in my room with sand substrate, but it consistently gets dirtier than I would like. Is there any clean up crew that works with sand? I have like 5 coreys in there but they're not exactly working.

The only thing I can suggest for the sand is carefully go over it with a gravel vac.

 

[skjl47]

30 gal in my room with sand substrate, but it consistently gets dirtier than I would like. Is there any clean up crew that works with sand? I have like 5 coreys in there but they're not exactly working.

Hello; forgive me if I have mistaken your question. Cat fish are often bottom feeders but that does not make them a "clean up crew". Catfish usually eat the same food as any of the other fish, it is that they are evolved to find it at the bottom.

My guess is the stuff that is making the tank "dirtier" is what is often called detritus or mulm. This is stuff which has little or no organic value left. Fish poop is not consider food by nearly all fish including catfish.

There are some exceptions for sure. A common plecostomas (sp) (also known as pleco) which is fed a vegetable diet will produce poop with some organic food value left in it. I had one which made a lot of long stringy lines of poop which were unsightly. However neither the pleco nor other fish would eat it. Ramshorn snails did feed on the pleco poop.
The pleco poop was turned into a lot of snails. However the snails made a lot of their own type of poop, but it was much finer and not so unsightly.

The bottom line being I have to do a siphon clean up with a gravel vac even with the snails. I am the clean up crew. I do the gravel vac as a part of doing a water change.