Clean up crew for a breeding tank?

[Ben Ellison]

Anyone use a cleaner crew for large breeding tanks? I have a 75 gallon I'm about putting online today for a breeding pair and was wondering if a cleaner crew would be possible.

[nabokovfan87]

Corydoras, Otos, and pick a shrimp.  I would vote amanos, but choose what you wish.  For most breeding setups I would almost always add a clown pleco too (wood = mulm).

[T. Payne]

Depends what you are planning on breeding?

[Ben Ellison]

The severums

[T. Payne]

If if were me, I would do just them. Anything you put in there would eventually be a threat to eggs, some a bigger threat than others when the lights go out.

[Cinnebuns]

Almost all clean up crews will be some sort of a threat to the eggs. There is only 2 I trust around my eggs. One I actually only got for nannying eggs and that's neo shrimp. Idk serverums well enough to know if they would work with neo parameters tho. 

The other I would trust is nerite snails. They almost exclusively eat algae. Occasionally you will find one that will much on veggies or even more rarely sinking pellets but that's mot super common. I throw nerites in my shrimp/Cory egg tank every once in awhile if I want some algae taken care of and have never had an issue. 

[tolstoy21]

On 1/14/2023 at 1:57 PM, Ben Ellison said:

Anyone use a cleaner crew for large breeding tanks? I have a 75 gallon I'm about putting online today for a breeding pair and was wondering if a cleaner crew would be possible.

I use me and my Python gravel vac!  I specifically love leftover, day-old Repashy!

[Jabberjaw]

I have been putting a nerite snail, albino BNP and some type of shrimp (I use a lot of glass shrimp and amano shrimp) in every breeder and grow out tank. I don't gravel vac for the most part, just do water changes and want something to help keep things clean. This team makes it so all I have to do is water changes unless there's something unusual (over fed, didn't like the food, veggies melt/go everywhere)

[ccc24]

I think small shrimp would be the only animal that may be somewhat safe. I know any bigger or Omni snails are a no go. My mystery snails have straight eaten eggs. 

[Lennie]

On 2/22/2023 at 9:25 PM, ccc24 said:

I think small shrimp would be the only animal that may be somewhat safe.

would severums be shrimp safe tho? 😄

[ccc24]

On 2/23/2023 at 3:18 AM, Lennie said:

would severums be shrimp safe tho? 😄

Depends on the shrimp. Fully grown bamboo shrimp, maybe. Cherry shrimp - nope. 

[mynameisnobody]

A tank with neo’s and Severums is a tank with just Severums. They will decimate basically any shrimp in that tank. 

[Guppysnail]

On 1/16/2023 at 3:04 AM, Cinnebuns said:

The other I would trust is nerite snails

This is a great one. 
Mystery snails are another. They will eat eggs but any fish that shows parental care will chase away the mystery snails. Mysteries are not tenacious and frighten easily. 

[Phoenixfishroom]

I keep cleaners and dither fish with almost all of my breeders. I put either a young bristlenose or two that I am growing out or some otos in, as well as some shrimp and assassin snails for cleaners. Then I also put a school of tetras or rasboras that I trust not to eat eggs in the breeding tanks too.

Gives me comfortable breeders, a place to grow out some plecos, and as an added bonus you can breed the dither fish too with a breeder box off that same tank.