Habitat - Indoor :: Cleaner fish question!

[Brianthedog18]

Anyone know if any fish, or snails, etc that would help keep my tank cleaner for longer?

I understand that everything is a possible meal for my turtle, but I'm willing to take the chance!

[daredevilgirl013]

Yeah they do. I have a pleco, 3 small snails, 1 large snail, 6 ghost shrimp, and a few guppies. They really do help. It was three weeks before I had to clean my tank and I just added the pleco and he is doing an amazing job. So I would suggest getting them.

[jenaero]

rosy reds work quite well as long as they have a place to hide. I have about a dozen in my 125gal and they do a great job.

[jeggy]

bottom feeders such as catfish? would they help?

[jenaero]

probably, but I hear they get quite large. Then, if they get eaten, I'm sure it would be a colossal mess.

[mikedpirone]

i put a dozen rosey reds in my turtles tank yesterday and all 12 were dead in about an hour. the turtles ate a few and just murdered the rest lol

[daredevilgirl013]

My rosey red and my sword tail are both alive! I figured he would have killed them right off the bat! But nooo. Oh well, adds some color!

[sassygirl]

I bought a pleco about 2months after I got my RES. Currently they are living happily together, the pleco has tripled his size since we got him though, lots to eat....

[jeggy]

i was at the indoor mall the other day(they sell a dozen rosies for 80 cents! 120 for $8 ) and saw in the pet store they had brine shrimp. how will these shrimp do in the tank? turtle food? tank cleaners? a big mess? food for cichlids?

and my cichlids are turning into carnivores. they used to eat pelets now they fight my turtle for the rosies.

[Brianthedog18]

Awesome, thanks everyone for the responses! I'm going to the pet store soon, but how do you take care of the fish/snails? I'm thinking of getting some rosy reds, a snail, and POSSIBLY a pleco, though I'm not sure because they get rather large.

How do you feed/take care of these fish? Also, what do you normally do with them when you're cleaning the tank?

[daredevilgirl013]

Ok with a Pleco you can get them in different sizes, mine is a medium Pleco and he will only grow to be about six inches. I know at Meijer you can get itty bitty ones that take a long time to grow as they are only just babies.

As for taking care of fish and snails. The fish, if you get guppies or minnows they should eat the waste at the bottom of the tank but if you are like me and feel sorry for them once in a while get some fish food and toss some in. Now that I have a sword tail I have to feed them everyday so they appreciate it.

As for snails, snails eat alge but they also like plants. I have anacharis in my tank at all times because my snail and turtle love it. If you get a really big apple snail like the big guy in my tank, the anacharis is a must as that is really his main staple. If you get little ones it isn't such a big deal.

When I am cleaning the tank I have a rubbermaid container (like a packer, it's about 10 gallons) and I put everyone in there with water and the anacharis after I wash it good in the tank. That way they have the water and some food to play in. I do put the turtle in that holding tank after a while because it takes me so long to clean his tank that I keep him a dry holding packer for a bit until the water gets up to room temperature. The fun part is just catching everyone and trying to make the snails let go of the side of the tank.

[Brianthedog18]

Well, I just put in a little Pleco, 10 rosy reds, and a small snail. Some of the reds will probably get eaten, but thats OK, I'm hoping they'll be a big enough distraction to keep him away from the Pleco for a while. I also put in a potted plant and he's already eaten some of it, he seems to like it.

I also have a little castle and some plants, real and fake for teh fish to hide in, so maybe that will help them last a little longer, we'll see.

But in general, do you (your oppinion) want the rosy reds to live with your turtle or do you just want them there as food? They look nice, but I think I'd rather have them as food and the pleco/snail as constants because rosy reds are a good part of a turtle diet if I remember correctly. Just wondering for oppinions.

It is a lot of fun to watch them swim around while Leo chases them, and I think I'll try to keep them stocked a lot more to make the tank more interesting, we'll see how it turns out.

[daredevilgirl013]

Well for starters if you have snails in your tank the turtle may eat them. Mine does. So I keep a good stock in there. I currently have four snails, three babies and one big one. That way if he eats one no big.

As for the rosy reds, I have one rosy red and I like that it adds color to the tank. My turtle has not eaten it yet. I also have a sword tail which isn't on the eating menu but I wanted to try something bright to see if he would eat it and I like how it adds color as well plus it and the minnow have bonded and become friends.

I just like having other animals in the tank as it provides you with something ot look at when the turtle goes to hide. I find myself when I go to bed just laying there for about half an hour looking at the tank and watching the fish swim and chase each other the turtle do whatever it is he thinks he is doing.

Sometimes I'll see one of my guppies swimming up and down as fast as he can next to the thermometer as if it was a swimming lane and he had to time himself. I have seen one guppy do this for twenty minutes non-stop.

It just provides you with fun entertainment and colors to add to the tank. So I suggest keeping a stock. I am even considering get some more fish to put in there, just little ones mind you not big ones, to add more color and to have them hang out in the tank.

[Brianthedog18]

well, it's been about a day, and there are two minnows, the pleco (now named "sucky") and the snail (now named "speedy gonzales"). We'll see how long this lasts.

Last time I put 12 guppies in he ate all but 2 of them and those two stayed for a few months, so hopefully it will work the same way. I think he just tries to catch them for a while and if they're fast enough to keep away after a few days he deems them worthy of living with him! lol

[CARISUE71]

I have put some rosies in my turtle tank and he won't eat them, I even tried guppies now they are multiplying, He use to eat them but now nothing he hasn't tried to mess with the snail either. So I guess The pleco would be a good idea for me too, I have alot of algae in my tank, My turtle has been spending alot of time outside in his pool lately So it gives alot of time for my fish to swim about the tank.