# Bottom feeder



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Hey, I was looking for something that would get rid of extra food that my endlers don't catch. I have 2 Males and 1 female that I'm hoping will breed, so I'm wondering what might be a good bottom feeder won't won't eat the fry if they ever come. It's a 2 gallon tank that I am currently housing them.


----------



## Six (May 29, 2006)

in a 2 gallon, i wouldnt suggest any more fish. maybe a small species of snail? I personally use plants snails in my small tanks- they are free on aquarium plants. cute too


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Haha, damn, I told them to take it off of my anubias... Maybe my 55 gallon has a bunch, I'm sure I've seen a few. And what are the different type of snails? Don't want any that get too big. Thanks


----------



## KRiley (Jun 30, 2005)

Hey,

Maybe a bristlenose pleco. If your LFS has the small fry...those would work really well. Just get a really small one..and then let him grow in there for a couple of months and switch him out for another small one. 


Riley


----------



## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

DWARF CORIESSSS!!!!

or the snail route actually sounds really good. It sort of sounds like there would be no guarantee that the added fish would be getting a good diet, so just adding snails to clean up any missed food would be ideal

If you post in the For Sale and Trade forum, I'm sure someone could hook you up with a bunch of snails for the price of shipping. Personally I think the mini ramshorns are the coolest =D


----------



## jARDINI (Sep 2, 2007)

Panda cories


----------



## jARDINI (Sep 2, 2007)

malasian trumpet snails are great to


----------



## Left Coast DJ (Nov 16, 2006)

Panda Cories get about 1.5" - so a 2 gallon tank will be too small for them. If you get cories, James is correct - go with Hastatus, Habrosus, or Pygmaeus. It's good idea to keep cories in groups!

DJ


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Thanks for the great feedback every. I think some of the food started to grow fungus on them thats why. I moved the filter over to where the driftwood was to filter out the food and it sort of worked, but I don't think I'm gonna make this permanent.
I'm also gonna stick in one of the malaysian trumpet snails in and see how that thing goes(actually pulled one out of my 55 gal couple days ago and put it in one of my plant trays)
I'll see if I can find some cories at my LFS.


----------



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I usually keep MTS and Nerite snails in my 2 gallon tanks. The nerites do a great job of keeping the glass squeaky clean too. Wilma Duncan always has them for a reasonable price. I'm not on my regular computer so I don't have the link though.

I know it's probably okay, but I personally don't like to keep something like even dwarf Cory's in such a small tank since it just doesn't give them much room to move around.


----------



## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

Yeah, I actually didn't see the tank size listed, but for 2 gallons, even dwarf cories are pushing it. They get about an inch long, and if you try to keep them in groups they'll be way too cramped

SNAILS! weee


----------



## pisces (Apr 6, 2007)

Shrimp are another possibility--small, don't add much to the bioload, and my guys scarf up food as soon as it touches the bottom (or before )


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Yeah, I ws considering a few shrimps, but will they bother the endler fry(hopefully coming soon)? Are they common in LFS(or maybe even come on plants?) I don't really like shipping live animals too much if I don't have to since I live in Hawaii. And will RCS help with spot algae? I already seem to be getting that. 
Thanks for the replies.

Oh, I read that nerite snails need a pH of about 7-8... I think my nano currently has around 6. Is there any way to bring it up? I don't know what its so high too though. Is too much co2 diffusing? I have DIY co2 with a nano diffuser.


----------



## FacePlanted (Aug 13, 2007)

I'll vote for shrimp too. They stay small, and will eat algae and leftover foods. RCS would be great for a small tank b/c they only get up to maybe 1", small impact on bioload, and look cool! I think Amano shrimp are more voracious eaters, but they are bigger and can get up to 2 inches. Either one will be ok in a variety of water conditions, as long as those conditions are stable and the tank is cycled. Juvenille Cherry shrimp ship well (dont know about regulations bringing them INTO Hawii) and are cheap--at like $1 a piece + shipping. The best place to buy them is in the For Sale forum here and on other boards and at aquabid.

I also really doubt that they would bother the endlers' fry. I dont think they would help with spot algae either, but they are always eating the softer algaes like found on driftwood or plants' leaves. I dont think they will clean the glass like a snail either. However, supposedly a little phosphate in the water would help reduce spot algae and help the plants grow better as well.

My cherry shrimp do fine with injected co2 and low ph. kh is fairly low (60ppm?) but gh is maybe double. Just make sure to have a little surface movement to help with o2 exchange and I think they would be fine.
This is just my opinion based on my experiences. Whatever you decide, Good Luck! :thumbsup: 

-Mike B-


----------



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

gotcheaprice said:


> I ws considering a few shrimps, but will they bother the endler fry(hopefully coming soon)?


The shrimp won't bother the fry, but the adult Endlers (especially females) may chow down on the shrimp.


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Haha, alright, I'll just set up another tank for breeding, and throw a few into the nano. I do have surface movement from my HOB filter and co2 with a diffuser. Thanks for the help. I'll just use shrimp for now and maybe get a nerite snail eventually.


----------

