General Care Discussion :: Fish that clean the tank?

[VeipaCray]

There are no known fish that eat waste other than maybe tilapia. Fish will scavenge for left over food particles and some will eat algae but none will eat waste. For that we have massive filters.

[slider_keeper]

Yep I agree with Veipa here, I have about 12 guppies (+fry), four minnows, two chinese algea eaters and I now have no clue how many snails (everywhere I look there is a snail attached to something near by)! My point here, none of them eat waste. Left over food seems to get taken care of but thats about it. If anything I have to pay for algea wafers and tropical fish food. Oh and yes there is a larger bio load cause they all have to do their business too, all this and my turtle (thankfully I have a FX5)! The four minnows are strong and smart survivors, as far as the guppies go! I have no clue, lol. They just keep reproducing. Algea eaters are just a tad to fast for my turtle. The snail, well they speak for themselves. Good luck.

[Carley]

So then what seem to be the best fish (or snail) to get for helping with the leftover food pieces? My filter seems to be doing ok for the waste, but the food is making a huge mess. A lady at the pet store said maybe a small cat fish? seems a little too big though for my little 30 gal tank. He's eaten every guppy I ever put in there (although that was the point) but not sure how big of a fish I can get that he wont eat (my RES is only about 3" right now).

[VeipaCray]

Any fish you put in your tank with your turtle can potentially become turtle dinner. Your best bet is a pleco and an inexpensive one at that.

[The Troops]

My Gourami's do pretty well, as mentioned. I give them a pinch of food a day, but they eat off the bottom of the tank the whole time after. I have had only one veggie round that hasn't been eaten on the bottom of the tank, but it's vacuum time anyways

[slider_keeper]

I have found good success keeping fish and a turtle together by having a large swimming area and plenty of hiding places. Having faster fish helps them to evade the turtle too. My turtle will chase the fish in a bid to get a snack. The surviving fish have learned over much time that Toku is not a friend but more like a predator! I say find fast fish and buy more than not and hopefully before he/she can eat them all, some might get wise and learn to steer clear of the turtle. My fish and turtle have cohabited for over two years now, but don't get me wrong I had to restock the fish population more than not to get a established community. Guppies and minnows are faster, chinese algea eaters are faster. It all also depends on the turtles will to catch every last moving creature in the tank. My turtle has figured let them live, the lettuce, carrots, cuttlebone, and pellets are easier to catch, lol. Just remember, just because I have a turtle living in quasi harmony, does not mean anyone else will ever have the same luck. Again it took alot of fish and a bigger setup with hiding getaways, to keep a steady population in my tank with Toku. I do enjoy the fish though, they make the tank more busy and are pleasant to watch, kinda like having a full pond eco system in my bedroom, that you can see from above the water or under the water. If you need a idea of how my setup is to get a idea of how I keep everyone together check out Toku's photo album, in my signature box.

[slider_keeper]

Oh.....! Another key to success is when the lights for the tank are off, don't have any light in the room the tank is located in. Toku had a field day everytime I would have the bedroom lit up from a light in the room or light from out of the room shining in thru the door. I know this sounds like a pain and yes it is! I banged my sheen more times than I care to remember till I learned where everything was located (the tank was put in my room the day I moved into my house). To sum it all up, fish in a turtle tank is more work than one might think, to raise the fish's chance for survival you have to take all this into consideration (notice I said raise the chance for survival). Nothing is a guarentee, this is what helped my fish cohabitat with my turtle (result's will vary from individual to individual).