Reneenay Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 What's a good bottom feeder for a planted tank with soil? It's just a 10 gallon with 6 minnows in it so far, and lots of plants! I keep it at 72° and the pH is 7.0!! Amazing. Would pygmy corydoras be ok on soil? I'm afraid a mystery snail would uproot the plants. Are there any loaches small enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) The best algae eater is a nerite snail! They don’t care about plants. They just clean the glass. Sometimes decor. Loaches tend to burrow and will be more likely to uproot plants. I’ve heard of cories uprooting plants too. Edited July 25, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I've got 4 Ghost Shrimp and a Nerite in my 5.5g Betta tank and they do a phenomenal job of keeping it clean. In the 29g, I have 5 Nerites, 6 Ghost Shrimp and 6 Panda Corydoras... no issues with uprooting the plants, and that tank is immaculate. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anitstuk Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 I think that Nerite Snails are good because they will never uproot your plants and are pretty hardy too. I hear that Cherry Shrimp aren't good at cleaning algae but they are adorable to keep 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B7gwap Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Echoing the other comments and also promoting Amano shrimp. Fastidious little cleaners that can’t breed in fresh water. (Like Nerite snails) Endler’s livebearers are pretty good algaevores too. And stay small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 On 7/25/2022 at 9:32 PM, B7gwap said: Echoing the other comments and also promoting Amano shrimp. Fastidious little cleaners that can’t breed in fresh water. (Like Nerite snails) Endler’s livebearers are pretty good algaevores too. And stay small. Absolutely on the Amano Shrimp, just make sure you have a tight lid as they are the quintessential escape artists 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anitstuk Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 On 7/26/2022 at 11:36 AM, FLFishChik said: Absolutely on the Amano Shrimp, just make sure you have a tight lid as they are the quintessential escape artists Agreed 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) On 7/25/2022 at 9:32 PM, B7gwap said: Echoing the other comments and also promoting Amano shrimp. Fastidious little cleaners that can’t breed in fresh water. (Like Nerite snails) Endler’s livebearers are pretty good algaevores too. And stay small. Nerites are egg layers, not live bearers, and their eggs cannot hatch unless they are in brackish water. Edited July 26, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reneenay Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 On 7/25/2022 at 4:38 PM, FLFishChik said: I've got 4 Ghost Shrimp and a Nerite in my 5.5g Betta tank and they do a phenomenal job of keeping it clean. In the 29g, I have 5 Nerites, 6 Ghost Shrimp and 6 Panda Corydoras... no issues with uprooting the plants, and that tank is immaculate. Can I have shrimp on fine soil? They're pretty 🥰 cute. I like the idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Blue Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Nerites put in some serious work, they will keep your tank spotless. I only have 1 in my 10 gallon and there isn't any algae at all, and I used to struggle with it before I got my little dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 1 nerite was enough to handle algae when I had a 10g as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince C Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 I love my pygmy corys - I think they would be fine in that substrate also. You just don't want anything sharp for their barbs. The only downside with the corys is that they do better in groups of 6 or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Try Otocinclus and Hillstream loaches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Eric_ Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) Nerites are awesome for algae. They won’t eat leftover food so you may want some small Corydoras, Khuli loach, or another scavenger for that. Ghost shrimp have done great scavenging for me and they are cheap- (just check to make sure you dont get whisker shrimp) I’m not sure how good cherry shrimp are for scavenging but they are a lot of fun to keep. edit: Female Nerites can lay eggs - while the eggs won’t survive in freshwater, they can be a pain to scrape off. I love Nerites but it is something to consider. Edited July 26, 2022 by _Eric_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashBandit05 Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 My 9gallon was heavily planted when I purchased my mystery snail. IME the snail never uprooted any of the amazon swords, ozelot swords, or rotalas that I had growing. I do have to supplement it's feeding with algae wafers or it will start to gnaw on the plants.. the only thing that kept me from getting a nerite snail was the potential for all those white eggs everywhere.. either way a snail will definitely help you out! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reneenay Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 On 7/26/2022 at 6:27 AM, Vince C said: I love my pygmy corys - I think they would be fine in that substrate also. You just don't want anything sharp for their barbs. The only downside with the corys is that they do better in groups of 6 or more. I also love pygmy corydoras and I have about 13 in my 20 gallon that's perfect for them with sand and nothing sharp and lots of hiding spots. I want something different this time. Besides the tank has lava rocks which are kind of abrasive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 (edited) If you are a bit picky (as I am) about not having white sesame seed-looking nerite eggs all over your hardscape and want an algae eater that can get in more books and crannies than most, I suggest my favorite algae eater— the horned nerite snail (clithon corona). They are more popular in Europe and 5 years ago could be a bit tricky to find in North America but now lots of fish stores and online sellers carry them. Edited July 28, 2022 by IanB Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reneenay Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 I think I've decided on a nerite snail. I'll look at the horned variety too! I was thinking about shrimp but since they need an established tank and this one isn't even a month old yet...and I didn't know they got as big as they do. Maybe my minnows will eat the eggs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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