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Not many people think of the colorful platy fish as potential clean-up crew members, but many livebearers are known for their insatiable appetites that cause them to constantly pick at the ground, plants, and décor for edible snacks. The strong pink color and nicely rounded abdomen are signs that this albino cory catfish is healthy and well-fed. For more details, check out our full care guide. They can’t survive on only crumbs though, so make sure to specially feed them sinking wafers, frozen bloodworms, and Repashy gel food to keep their bellies nice and full. Like a living robot vacuum, cory catfish happily suck up any food that gets past the surface eaters. As peaceful scavengers, they use their barbels (or whiskers) to search for scraps, worms, and tiny crustaceans hidden in the substrate and between objects. The beloved cory catfish comes in many varieties and sizes, such as the 1-inch dwarf corydoras, 2- to 3-inch normal-sized cories, and 4-inch larger Brochis types. As a type of killifish, they can get a bit rambunctious, so make sure to keep them in a 20-gallon or larger aquarium with other fast tank mates.įlagfish are one of the few clean-up crew members that can live in unheated aquariums. Their mouths are also uniquely shaped for easily pulling off hair algae and black beard algae, although they may end up damaging more delicate plants in the process. The males of this North American native fish have a beautiful pattern that resembles the stars and stripes on the United States flag. (If you don’t have live aquarium plants, you must remove the waste via water changes more frequently to keep your fish healthy.) Consider adding eartheaters as a fun and docile bottom dweller for any community tank that is 55 gallons or larger.īecause of the way eartheaters sift through substrate to find food, they tend to prefer sand over gravel. Any edible leftovers are swallowed, digested in their gut, and broken down further so that plants can more easily absorb the remaining waste byproducts. This group of South American cichlids consists of several genera, such as Geophagus and Satanoperca, that are known for scooping up substrate into their mouths and filtering it through their gills. Redtail sharks are great scavengers for large aquariums with similarly sized tank mates. As a bonus, they come in many variations, such as black, albino, and even Glofish colors. However, they can be a bit territorial, so only put one shark in a 29-gallon or larger aquarium to prevent aggression. Both species are scavengers that clean up any excess food that gets between decor, rocks, and equipment, and rainbow sharks will even eat algae as part of their diet. These freshwater “sharks” might seem like an odd group to start with, but you would be surprised at their janitorial skills. Keep reading to discover our top 10 favorite clean-up crew members that every freshwater aquarium should have. However, many animals do an excellent job of eating leftover food, algae, dying plant leaves, and even pest snails. The black phantom tetra enjoy being in groups of 6 or more and a slightly shaded tank.Looking for a fish or invertebrate that will clean your aquarium so that you never have to do tank maintenance? Sorry, that mythical creature doesn’t exist. It is a dangerouly invasive species and should never be released or thrown out alive. This fish can survive out of the water and " walk" as long as kept wet, for a very long time. The albino form is common in the aquarium trade.
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nigriventris prefers bottom feeding on Tubifex (or similar worms), but its main diet consists of algae. fasciatum.įirewood catfish, (planiceps) shovelnose catfish Spotted pimelodus, pictus, pictus catfish Needs at least a 2,600 US gallons (9,800 L) tank when mature, even though this does not provide them with the space to show their natural behaviour. One of the most popular Hypancistrus species. Other related fish also share this common name. Leopard sailfin pleco, clown sailfin pleco One of the several fish sold under this name. One of the several fish sold under this name there is also an albino variation. Many species of this fish exist, but are not yet officially identified the three common aquarium species are known as L-018, L-081, and L-177.Ĭommon pleco, suckermouth catfish, Amazon sailfin catfish Males and female both have long "bristles" on their nose, the males having distinctly longer ones. The bristlenose genus has at least 59 identified species and many others yet to be named. Threestripe corydoras, leopard catfish, false julii cory Peppered corydoras, salt and pepper catfish Catfish Armored catfish including Aspidoras, Brochis, Callichthys, and Corydoras