Clean up crew for Centrals..

[Skurj]

What are the suggested clean up crew for a tank with large aggressive centrals? (Cuban, RTM etc)

Planning a 6ft tank 180g, I'm a fan of plecos (more than catfish) but no clue what stands a chance in a tank like that.

 

[koltsixx]

Pleco's aren't really a clean up crew. Very few of them are good algae eaters and most need as varied a diet as any other fish so they won't thrive on just scraps. The other thing to consider is their high waste output, essentially they'll create more of a mess not lessen the already present one. Pleco's deserve and need a tank built to consider them as much as it does the other fish in the tank, perhaps even more so. As for a decent clean up crew many people have said they had success with Syno's in cichlid tanks I personally like Geo's as they constantly sift through the sand keeping waste in the water column so it's more likely to be picked up by the filters but I don't think they'd fair well in a tank with a Cuban or RTM.

 

[virgil2090]

I have had success with SD, they are fast and seem to always get pieces of food that break-up as other fish eat.another thing that works for me is smaller, tough cichlids to do the same, get food that breaks up as big fish eat.try cons, HRP

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[joshua752]

Agreed silver dollars do well as far as the bottom goes your best bet really is a catfish. Look into African Feathefins, Striped Raphael Catfish, possibly even Lima Shovelnose cats. I would only get the Shovelnose though if you go for a 220 gallon tank.

 

[cjdesmit]

skurj, as koltsixx said most plecos can't really be considered part of a "clean up crew". I have a single Bristle Nose Pleco in my 135 and she does a great job keeping any algae at bay but contributes more than her fair share when it comes to the bioload. I also have a Spotted Raphael Cat that I rarely ever see. I think your best bet is to go with some sort of armored catfish for the bottom, and then some sort of dither fish as the others suggested to pick up scraps in the water column. I have mollies now that fill that role, but the school of Buenos Aires tetras that I use to have did a much better job.

 

[dougjeffries]

I have had success using a striped and a spotted Raphael catfish. The striped is larger and more inclined to come out during the day. Both have been in my 125 for many years with Centrals.

I had a group of silver dollars, but they were too skittish for my taste. One sudden move and they all went crazy. Running into everything and knocking themselves out on the sides of the tank. I prefer using large giant danios for target fish. Very fast and fun to watch in groups. Just my 2 cents worth of advice.

Good luck.

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[Skurj]

Yeah I'm not interested in silver dollars, and may use smaller cichlids for dithers (Meeki) they may do a respectable job with the food scraps. Maybe I'll just see what happens and keep an algae scraper handy..

 

[fug202]

I've had good luck with gold dust plecos (Baryancistrus xanthellus, L-081) in a mixed Vieja tank. They feed on algae and help keep the rocks, but not glass, clean. Avoid Royal Plecos (Panaque spp) and similar because they feed on wood and produce incredible amounts of waste.

More generally, I think you are better off with an excellent filtration than bottom feeders. Cichlids root around in the gravel for food anyway, so I think the more efficient clean up strategy would be a strong mechanical filtration system and vacuuming the substrate when needed. Not that you shouldn't get any bottom feeders, but I would do so because you like their addition to the tank rather than for their clean-up capacity. Given the appetites of cichlids, you may find yourself adding additional food at night just so your catfish get enough!

 

[Skurj]

taking a different approach... what are the thoughts on a couple Siamese Algae Eaters? Have to admit I like the look of rocks etc once they are green, just not the glass.

 

[viejafish]

I have a dozen Bristle nose plecos coexist in my African and CA/SA mixed cichlid tank as clean up crew. My CA are big 8 to 10" Vieja, and 6 to 8" African peacocks. They don't bother the BN as they grow up together. Also, I have a lot of rock for them to hide and they even laid eggs and have babies but only a tiny fraction make it but it is enough to increase my BN stock slowly. They do a good job to clean up left over food and keep the glass free of algae. One time I bought a couple 2 inch size Siamese Flying Fox, closely related the Siamese Algae Eater, to help clean out the beard algae the BN don't touch. They didn't last lolng and all became cichlid food quickly. BN naturally hide and come out at night, and cichlids can easily get acclimated to their presence. Siamese are day time browser, not natural to hide. and look too palatable to cichlids to have a chance to survive.