Habitat - Indoor :: bottom feeders with babies

[dancrchica3]

I recently got a bigger tank for my two baby RES and I am in school so cleaning the tank is going to be harder than ever now that it's bigger. Are my two babies to young to put a bottom feeder in the tank with them? If not, what type should I get?

Also, when should I start feeding them guppies...or should I?

Thanks everyone.

[zoologist]

Plecos work well, they're my favs... personally. However they do poop a lot and because of that don't really clean the tank. They can also be harmful if the turtle eats it (their dorsal fin is very sharp).

And on the contrary, cleaning a larger tank is actually easier than a small one so a sucker fish isn't really needed.

if you wanna feed live fish feed them rosie red minnows or guppies, not goldfish

[dancrchica3]

Okay, thanks so much.

Its just hard in a dorm situation because our wash sink is an awkward shape, and my filter is very noisy now because it is over the top of the tank and makes lots of noise with the water returning to the tank so i figured a pleco or different bottom feeder would clean things up a little better...

[zoologist]

I agree its hard in a dorm (congrats on being able to have turtle, by the way), but trust me when i say a pleco will just add to the mess. My pleco pooped more than my turtle, and he didn't eat it up and most of the time the filter wouldn't even get it. I'd say no to any fish in the tank if you won't want the added waste.

[dancrchica3]

alright. thanks for the advice .

[Rubicon]

What about snails???

[dancrchica3]

hmmmm that might be a good idea actually? is that okay to do?

[untsmurf]

Usually snails are too slow to clean large tanks without risking getting eaten by the turtle.

[dancrchica3]

so what do you recommend I do instead?

[untsmurf]

I've used pleco's before, but they always get eaten, so I just clean the tank.

[dancrchica3]

HAHA okay. :]

[robind]

Unfortunately you don't really have a lot of good options with turtles. I bought a lot of 100 trumpet snails off ebay recently, I'm going to breed them in my sump tank and then periodically dump some into the display tanks. Maybe they'll help keep things cleaner. At the very least they'll keep my sand aerated and provide the turtles with some amusement.

[Linus]

I have a Pleco, just buy one of those "ghost houses", it's like a clear tube where the Pleco sleeps during the day and exits at night and doesn't get eaten. Mine been going strong for over a month!

[Rubicon]

Even one of those larger snails?

Like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10-Live-1-5-Freshwa ... 240%3A1318

1.5" + shell

[robind]

Turtle food! Yum!