In my aquarium there is sometimes a large amount of food that collects on the bottom forcing me to siphon most of it out.... so i was wondering what a good bottom feeder would be for my Oscar and Jack Dempsey grow out tank. Also i hope that i can stay away from a pleco because the future tank for my oscar and jack dempsey already has a large plec in it and their grow out tank is only a 32 gal.
Bottom Feeder for aggresive CAs and SAs
- Thread starter ozzyoscar
- Start date
Well Plecos are built like tanks, so maybe you can get an Albino if you want variation. I have a spotted Pleco thats tough too.
Corys and even my Loach got killed...when you have 8"+ Flowerhorns, Breeding Red Tiger Motas, Red Terrors, you need armor.
Corys and even my Loach got killed...when you have 8"+ Flowerhorns, Breeding Red Tiger Motas, Red Terrors, you need armor.
What type of food are you feeding your fish? I know that some foods, like flakes can be a little messy. You may have to monitor how much and how frequently you feed. You should only offer enough for them to eat quickly and easily. I prefer pellets that are small enough for the fish to eat with little chewing involved. Another thing to keep up with is your frequency of water changes. Waiting too long between water changes can cause excess food and other matter to accumulate.
Only offer the food that you want them to eat and eventually they will both take it. It takes patience though. But how often are you performing water changes?
Weekly changes are very good. It sounds like the flakes are just too messy. While your fish are eating you might notice a lot of food expelling from their gills. That will leave a lot of waste. I would try smaller pellets (1mm) twice a day and see how that works for you. Be careful if you add any small catfish to your tank. I know of many Oscars eating smaller cats and dying when the catfish lodges itself in the Oscar's throat with its spines. In a larger tank you could try Silver Dollars. They are fast and usually make quick work of any food floating in the tank during feeding. I keep Clown Loaches without any problems.
+1 on Gruff's suggestion of clown loaches. I have a group in my large tanks with amphilophus, dempseys, cons, and others and they are never bothered unless they are going after fry. They are pretty slow growers so they could last a while in your grow out tank.