Jump to content

What would be a good bottom dweller for my 125 gallon?


Gannon
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello! In my 125 I have 5 clouded archer, 6 denison barbs and 4 boesmani rainbowfish. I'm trading in the rainbowfish to get a few more barbs, but dont know what to do for the bottom dweller stocking for the tank. The denison barbs do keep the sand fairly clean as they eat excess food off the bottom, but more could be done to add activity throughout the whole tank.

My current bottom dweller ideas were flagtail porthole catfish, dwarf petricola catfish, blue phantom pleco, green phantom pleco, emerlad cories, zebra loach, pictus catfish, or rapheal catfish. What suggestions might you have or what do you think would or wouldn't work thats on my list? Thanks!

Edit: Additionally is has just occurred to me I probably should get something that is an aggressive eater, considering that the dension barbs never stop eating and can feed off the ground. 

Edited by Gannon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2022 at 12:08 PM, MAC said:

Marbled Hoplo catfish (Megalechis thoratica). One of my favorites. 

Ill look for them! are they aggressive eaters? 

On 1/27/2022 at 12:09 PM, bettta999 said:

a gigantic shcool of corys !!!!

I only worry about the archer fish when they're bigger. I know they usually stay at the top but they have huge mouths and a big appetitie.

On 1/27/2022 at 12:11 PM, Patrick_G said:

Yes, a big school of Corydoras would be fun!

I only worry about attempts at predation from the archers. I know adult cories can be very robust, but it takes forver to get to that point and they arent the most aggressive eaters to compete with the fast denison barbs. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2022 at 10:33 AM, Gannon said:

Ill look for them! are they aggressive eaters? 

The ones I have are very enthusiastic eaters. Mine go crazy at feeding time, they'll take care of anything that makes it to the bottom of the tank and will be right up at the surface holding their own when I feed floating foods. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree on marbled hoplos.

I have three albino marbled hoplos and they are active eaters, digging in the substrate for hidden food. I like the albino form because they are much more visible on my dark substrate.

Brown hoplos (a separate species) are a bit bigger, but are even more active. I have 2 of those.

20211116_212838.jpg.e5f0b55d087b497ad803287b755028b6.jpg

20211221_092409.jpg.5017e43eb4a4866db87518aeba0041f6.jpg

20211116_212313.jpg.8ac021465d744a8e863248eab2cb765e.jpg

Edited by HH Morant
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2022 at 1:57 PM, HH Morant said:

I agree on marbled hoplos.

I have three albino marbled hoplos and they are active eaters, digging in the substrate for hidden food. I like the albino form because they are much more visible on my dark substrate.

Brown hoplos (a separate species) are a bit bigger, but are even more active. I have 2 of those.

20211116_212838.jpg.e5f0b55d087b497ad803287b755028b6.jpg

20211221_092409.jpg.5017e43eb4a4866db87518aeba0041f6.jpg

20211116_212313.jpg.8ac021465d744a8e863248eab2cb765e.jpg

Those look a lot like porthole catfish! Especially the brown ones. Are they related or the same thing? I've also heard some people say porthole catfish get mean when they get older and bigger, is there any truth to this? Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2022 at 10:21 AM, Gannon said:

Those look a lot like porthole catfish! Especially the brown ones. Are they related or the same thing? I've also heard some people say porthole catfish get mean when they get older and bigger, is there any truth to this? Thanks

There is definitely a resemblance to porthole catfish. All are from South America.

My hoplos (both the brown hoplos and the marbled hoplos) pretty much ignore other fish. They are not aggressive, but they are not timid, either. They are covered with boney plates, so they are not afraid of my electric blue acara or my angels.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2022 at 10:40 AM, HH Morant said:

There is definitely a resemblance to porthole catfish. All are from South America.

My hoplos (both the brown hoplos and the marbled hoplos) pretty much ignore other fish. They are not aggressive, but they are not timid, either. They are covered with boney plates, so they are not afraid of my electric blue acara or my angels.

These seem like a winning recommendation, thanks! Hopefully I can find them somewhere haha

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2022 at 10:54 AM, Gannon said:

These seem like a winning recommendation, thanks! Hopefully I can find them somewhere haha

They are hard to find in pet stores, but albino marbled hoplos are available on Aquabid and from several commercial sellers online. They can get 5 inches  long. Mine are just under 4 inches right now.

Brown hoplos are a little harder to find, which is weird because they are an invasive species currently invading Florida. They get bigger - 8 to 10 inches - and may be less popular for that reason. Mine are just over 4 inches right now at about 18 months old, so I am hoping they don't get to 8 inches.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2022 at 11:19 AM, HH Morant said:

They are hard to find in pet stores, but albino marbled hoplos are available on Aquabid and from several commercial sellers online. They can get 5 inches  long. Mine are just under 4 inches right now.

Brown hoplos are a little harder to find, which is weird because they are an invasive species currently invading Florida. They get bigger - 8 to 10 inches - and may be less popular for that reason. Mine are just over 4 inches right now at about 18 months old, so I am hoping they don't get to 8 inches.

Do you think dwarf petricola catfish would work about just as well if i cant find these?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 1/28/2022 at 5:40 PM, HH Morant said:

My hoplos (both the brown hoplos and the marbled hoplos) pretty much ignore other fish. They are not aggressive, but they are not timid, either. They are covered with boney plates, so they are not afraid of my electric blue acara or my angels.

How big is/was your tank ? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...