Does anyone else keep fish in their sumps?

[jacobfata]

I have freshwater 90 gallon discus setup with built in sump filtration. The sump is about five gallons of open space in the mid compartment with lots of different forms of filter media.. anyways i thought it would be a good idea to add a couple of these small one inch cleaner catfish, i think they called them ottos or pandas, they resemble a Chinese algae eater. Is it cool to place like two in my sump to keep things clean or is this a bad idea?

 

[fishhead0103666]

Is this is?

Siamese algae-eater - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This is a siamese algae eater and gets to big for 5 gallons worth of space as they grow 6 inches.

Perhaps this?

Panda Garra (Garra flavatra) - Aquatic Arts

The Panda Garra is a very beautiful and peaceful biofilm and algae grazer that is very hardy and active!

aquaticarts.com

This is a panda garra and to big for 5 gallons worth of space.

This?

Otocinclus Catfish (Otocinclus macrospilus), TANK-BRED! - Aquatic Arts

Tank-bred specimens of this classic nano fish are difficult to find, but we have them! Compared to wild-caught specimens, tank-bred specimens are typically more durable in the aquarium.

aquaticarts.com

This is an otto which I personally do not recommend for 5 gallons worth of space. If you absolutely must have ottos then I recommend getting the tank bred ones in the link above. Yes, they are more expensive but you're helping out the wild population and you're getting much hardier ones.

 

[Ulu]

I have kept some fish in a sump from time to time but mostly it was because I didn't have another home available for them temporarily.

The smallest one was a betta and the largest one is a Sailfin plecostomus.

 

[epond83]

I have done it to separate a female cichlid from an over bearing male.
Just make just if it's in the return section that the suction isn't two strong.
I have my 1" pump connection split with a tee and two long strainers on each side.

 

[kno4te]

Do it now for one of my catfish. Just temporary.

 

[duanes]

I treat the open areas of many of my sumps much like refugiums to be planted (the sumps are usually 40 to 55 to 75 gallon tanks) so they were a good place to grow out fry, or keep animals like shrimp.


Today, the sumps I use on a 180 are a bit small, but the open area holds the gambusia used to first cycle the tank.

I also encourage hair algae, and floating plant growth the sumps open areas to help use nitrate

 

[MrsE88]

I’ve kept my females in my sump to give my male a break. Kinda funny since it’s the other way around for most people.
Fry get sucked down there and I don’t always try and get them out. I currently have gt fry in it.
Just keep in mind anything put in the sump adds to the bio load of the tank.

 

[celebrist]

Most definitely

 

[celebrist]

I treat the open areas of many of my sumps much like refugiums to be planted (the sumps are usually 40 to 55 to 75 gallon tanks) so they were a good place to grow out fry, or keep animals like shrimp.


Today, the sumps I use on a 180 are a bit small, but the open area holds the gambusia used to first cycle the tank.
View attachment 1375098
I also encourage hair algae, and floating plant growth the sumps open areas to help use nitrate
View attachment 1375099

My khulis, diamond tetras, zebras, and platys all bred in my Sump
when it took a crapper last year and I had to shut it down and watch all of my scuds perish is heartbreaking
Redoing the sump even better is my summer project this year