is there any fish that could help keep the bottom of the tank clean?

Question

I have a 10 gallon tank with about 7 fish but the bottom of the tank in the rocks is really dirty with leftover food that the fish won't eat. Is there a fish or a system that can clean the floor of my fish tank?

its a fresh water tank

I have some tetras and some see through fish....there all not big at all

Answer 1

no, there is no such fish that keeps your gravel clean
you're the one that has to do it with weekly maintanance, which means doing partial waterchanges of 25% weekly with a gravel siphon





Hope that helps
Good luck



EB

Answer 2

Yes you need to do 25% water changes every 2 weeks, change the filter on the alternate 2 weeks, and not feed too much.
With a 10-gallon tank and 7 fish, my guess is that you are stocked, if not overstocked already. Also, most corys, plecos and such require more than 10 gallons. You could probably get away with a few shrimp though, provided they are small shrimp, like ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp.
Under gravel filters really don't do any better at keeping your tank healthy than any other filter system, and you can't use them if you have live plants in your tank. (Which, do help to keep your tank healthy!)
BTW, what kind of fish do you have in the aquarium?


Even the smallest tetras, like neons, get to be 1 1/2" when full grown. I'm not sure what you are referring to with the "see through fish", but all that I can think of that would fit in that category grow between 1" and 5". Remember, you need to stock your tank based on the full-grown size of the fish. It sounds as if you are way overstocked. Please do not add any fish to your aquarium. Go with a gravel vacuum and you’ll need to do more frequent water changes to compensate for your heavy fish load. Or get a larger aquarium.

Answer 3

Yeah having bare bottoms imo is the easiest way to care for fish. Gravel is uneccesary, it just makes the tank look better. You don't seem to have any plants so gravel, sand or pebbles are almost useless. They are suppose to hold beneficial bacteria, but it's not gonna affect the water much and a filter will keep your water fine. Go ahead and use the bare bottom, it might cause more waste to float around, but if you make sure to clean regularily you'll be fine.

Answer 4

Some fish that help keep the gravel clean are algae-eaters, corydoras catfish, plecostamus, and loaches. If the bottom of your tank is getting really dirty, you are overfeeding your fish or overcrowding your tank. Maybe both.

You should still be using an under-gravel filtration system and making water changes as needed. You should also be testing your water-quality regularly, to make sure the pH is at the proper level.

Answer 5

there are scavenger fish you could buy.
i have 2 large pocosumus (im not sure if the spelling is correct) they are black sucker fish that eat algae and decomposing debris from the bottom and glass sides of the tank.

a really good under gravell filter system is also essential

i have 50 gallon fresh water tank with alot of different types of freshwater fish

i use both the fish and filter system and i have not had to change the water in the last 3 years.

my fish are all healthy, happy and growing well and my tank has become a low maintenance joy to have!

Answer 6

Placausamus are really good at keeping tanks clean on the sides and the bottoms.

Answer 7

I would suggest using a siphon for maintenance of the gravel when you do your scheduled maintenance.

Also, if you have a saltwater aquarium, try getting a cleaner pack - invertebrates and other fish such as gobies to help out on the daily maintenance of the uneaten food and algae.

May I also suggest this website:
http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/maintenance.html

Hopefully you'll find what you're looking for and I hope this answer helps!

Answer 8

Buy a gravel vacuum. They are inexpensive and easy to use. It's basically a tube that you use to suck water out. You use the larger end to suck all the crud out of your gravel while you're removing water for a water change.

Answer 9

The most effective fish in my concern would be either corydoras spp. or shrimps. I would aslo try and put less food so there wouldn't be much food.

Answer 10

i know of a hose system that all you have to do is suck one end of the hose then put that same end into a bucket and with the other end rub it against the rocks. it gets all the food out. ask at the pet store about it.

Answer 11

hi you can get clown loaches corydoras catfish over feeding can case that you must test your fish 7-10 days and do a water change 20=-25% each weak + are your filters working