Cleaning crew

So far we have gone with a Rafael Cat, 2 Cory's, 6 snails, and are getting a pleco very soon. Do you guys think this will be enough for my 75 gallon tank.

 

Get 2 more Cory's. Wait till there is plenty of Algae growth on the glass befor putting in the Pleco.


\Cheers - my.02

 

I'd skip the pleco unless you like an ugly fish that's gonna get huge. No one mentioned Oto cats (Otocinclus). They're the best algae grazers you can have in my experience.

As far as snails, get a few malaysian trumpet snails within a few months they'll be all over the substrate eating up left over food. If you plan on having live plants avoid ramshorn snails, they might eat the plants a bit. To keep the glass clean get some nerites that have been acclimated to freshwater, they'll lay eggs everywhere if they're healthy but none will hatch.

This is the standard clean up crew I used for my FW tanks before I went saltwater and I never had to clean algae off of the glass or anywhere else for that matter. Oh, and try to avoid pond snails as well (dark football shaped guys) they multiply like rabbits and again if you plan to have live plants they WILL eat them.

 

Oh yeah, I would avoid the Chinese algae eater as well, once they get big they tend to prefer another fishes slime coat for dinner instead of algae. The alternative fish would be a Siamese algae eater, it won't turn aggressive when it gets older but you do need to do a little research so you can identify both fish on your own, a lot of fish stores sell the Chinese under the Siamese name.

 

My Rafael cat ended up dying right after I got him. I was going to get a smaller pleco like the bristelnose.

 

Come on..
Not all Pleco are ugly and big

Here is one I have
Gold Nugget Pleco (Baryancistrus sp.)

 

I dont think any fish is "ugly" but rather different than what we are used to, or adapted to perform tasks that make the survival of other fish possible.......

 

OK OK... a Pleco is... less than attractive to my tastes as far as fish go... Better?

I will admit they can clean with the best of them but they just sit around with a poop rope hangin off their butt ALL the time.

 

I got a clown pleco, they only get 5"

 

It has been in my experience that Chinese Algae eaters get aggressive with other fish... I ended up giving the CAE away and got an Oto (Otocinclus) instead... they look VERY similar but the Oto is not aggressive at all and is good with the algae. They are kinda tiny, so watch out for bigger fish that might eat them.

The trumpet snails... um... you can see some PetSmart tanks infested with these... With my first 5 gallon tank I actually wanted them in my tank so Petsmart gave me these for free... yes, they'll be good with eating up dead plants but to most people they are pests. They are asexual creatures so they multiply... and multiply... and multiply... I decided not to put any more of these when I upgraded tanks. (Note: If you have an infestation, goldfish will usually eat them).

Hope this helps.