Topic: best tank cleaners

[cornbread_5]

two questions . first as far as plecos which one cleans the best , i know some clean better then others . my second question is other then plecos what cleans tanks the best as far as waste . plecos provide alot of waste  and i would like an aternate

[Stormbringer]

well theres nothing that actually eats waste mate , so im not sure what your looking for

[Gerry]

It is a misconception that Plec's eat waste and I know of nothing that does (snails maybe ) as for eating algae a bristlenose is quite good and my tank stays clean with an L001

[jones57742]

CB:

Catfish will eat anything that "smells good to them" (whether it be a live alligator gar which will "fit into their mouths" or a dead and decaying fish).

A pleco's body's is "literally covered with taste buds".

The primary olfactory feature of barbeled catfish is their "whiskers".


If you enjoy pleco's

then I can recommend Hypancistrus.
These fish, although omnivores, are principally carnivores.
I have two of these in my tank:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=229

I can also recommend Baryancistrus.
I have two of these in my tank:
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=153


If you enjoy Cories

then I can recommend sterbai as I have 7 of these in my tank
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=316


Another fish which I believe to be "good bottom cleaners" are loaches.

I can recommend Yoyo's as I have 4 of these in my tank
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae/?searchterm=yoyo

TR

[tracey]

What are you looking for in a cleanup crew?  Something to get rid of those bits that your other fish miss?  Or something to deal with algae and keep the tank looking clean?

Tank size is also a consideration, as well as tank mates.  What do you have and how big is your tank?

[Adam]

The closest you are going to come to anything that eats waste are malaysian live bearer snails.  They are also sand sifters so they will crawl under your substrate to get to it. 

That being said plecos create more waste then they clean up.  If you are looking for a low waste system skip the pleco, scrub your algae by hand and do weekly gravel vac with 40% water change.  Your system will be spotless, and you will have pristine water.  If you are looking for a way to cheat and be "lazy"... well there really isnt a good way to go about that.  Think about it like any other pet you might have.  Most people clean out their cats litter box or pick up after the dog at least once a week.  Thats all you are doing when you do your gravel vac, youre cleaning the "fish box"

[cornbread_5]

i am not trying to be lazy and i am not also trying to find something that eats waste , i have a common pleco but the majority of waste in my tank  is from the pleco , i am just looking for an alterative to keep the algae back. i have a 55 galloon aquarium with some jacks and a couple of oathe cichlids and a crayfish , i know i am overstocked but i have a 180 and i am about to change all that , i was asking about other pleco because the common one is so dull so i wanna something more colorful and also i was just curious to know what pleco are the best algae cleaner.  i am just looking for something that will eat the leftover food , u know i have crayfish the have done it for me in the past but this one will not leave his cave , but i can understand why

[jones57742]

... i am just looking for an alterative to keep the algae back. ...

From personal experience "Siamese Algae Eaters".

From reports by other "Ottos" will also work.

TR

[cornbread_5]

ok but i do not  think they will last with jds or a red devil

[altaaffe]

Larger plecs will tend only to eat algae as juve's and need more nutrition as they get bigger.  I have a Starlight Bristlenose along with two flying foxes in with Angels and they do a good job together.

I'd be loath to have either of those with a JD though and would tend to look solely towards the elbow grease method.   

[Adam]

IMO the best way to control algae in large aggressive cichlids tanks is to under stock the tank and to do regular water maintenance.  Algae grows by using phosphates, and nitrates as fuel/fertilizer.  The less nitrates you provide typically the less algae growth you will have.  The problem with plecos are that they really only do a good job of algae eating when they are small, and small plecos dont do well in large cichlid tanks... so its a catch 22.