# Algae Eaters / bottom feeders with Cichilds??



## Viperi (Mar 22, 2010)

Are there any types of algea eaters or bottom feeders that can do well with a tank of cichlids? Im not sure what type of cichlids i got as it was "Assorted".


----------



## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

"Assorted Cichlids" usually eat off the substrate, you may be able work in a BN pleco if you're having algae problems.


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

"assorted", I'm assuming from PJ's/BA's/Petsmart, is usually mutts. Predominantly you get things like red zebras (which are actually orange) yellow lab mutts, johanni, demasoni, it's always mbuna.

Essentially, no. There's nothing that won't be harassed or made uncomfortable by those fish. You shouldn't need it either. Algae is your friend. Their natural habitat is SMOTHERED in it and they appreciate it. As far as bottom feeding mbuna are such good eaters that unless you are overfeeding a lot no food should be hitting the bottom. Just put a tiny bit in at a time. They should eat everything within 10 seconds. I've seen a single 4" yellow lab get about 20 1mm pellets in its mouth before it started chewing.

You could get synodontis petricola, but they are shy, mostly nocturnal, don't eat algae, and it would be more for the 'I have catfish' factor than anything else they won't really contribute to your tank's cleanliness. Something like a bristlenose pleco would, but I don't agree with keeping them with mbuna as they peck at them and this is not normal for plecos where they come from. They are a live and let live fish and tend not to annoy or be annoyed by other fish.


----------



## Viperi (Mar 22, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> "assorted", I'm assuming from PJ's/BA's/Petsmart, is usually mutts. Predominantly you get things like red zebras (which are actually orange) yellow lab mutts, johanni, demasoni, it's always mbuna.
> 
> Essentially, no. There's nothing that won't be harassed or made uncomfortable by those fish. You shouldn't need it either. Algae is your friend. Their natural habitat is SMOTHERED in it and they appreciate it. As far as bottom feeding mbuna are such good eaters that unless you are overfeeding a lot no food should be hitting the bottom. Just put a tiny bit in at a time. They should eat everything within 10 seconds. I've seen a single 4" yellow lab get about 20 1mm pellets in its mouth before it started chewing.
> 
> You could get synodontis petricola, but they are shy, mostly nocturnal, don't eat algae, and it would be more for the 'I have catfish' factor than anything else they won't really contribute to your tank's cleanliness. Something like a bristlenose pleco would, but I don't agree with keeping them with mbuna as they peck at them and this is not normal for plecos where they come from. They are a live and let live fish and tend not to annoy or be annoyed by other fish.


Yea it was from pj pets . they are orane, kinda blue, and Yellow


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

http://aquariapro.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cobalt-blue-cichlid.jpg

http://www.cichlidfishsecrets.com/images/dominant_red_zebra.jpg

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/images/ElectricYellowCichlidWFCiaf_C1447.jpg

Like that?


----------



## Viperi (Mar 22, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> http://aquariapro.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cobalt-blue-cichlid.jpg
> 
> http://www.cichlidfishsecrets.com/images/dominant_red_zebra.jpg
> 
> ...


yup like those. Cept the orange one. its all orange


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

My food recommendations in that case:

New Life Spectrum 'cichlid formula 1mm' available at most Big Als.

Frozen mysis shrimp three times a week

Dainichi Veggie Deluxe or Veggie FX (mailorder www.dainichi.com)
OR
Fish Head 20% spirulina flake (Finatics, Kennedy south of Eglinton on the East side)
OR
HBH 8 Veggie Flake (any fish store)

^
in that order of preference.

If you're on a tight budget, just the New Life Spectrum will be ok.

Temperature should be about 80 degrees ferenheit. Your pH, ideally, should be about 8, although you can keep them in straight tap water as long as you keep up frequent water changes.

Since it really isn't difficult to do, I'd put a bag of crushed coral or cuttlebone in your filter. That will help achieve a higher pH.


----------



## Zombie (Apr 12, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> "assorted", I'm assuming from PJ's/BA's/Petsmart, is usually mutts. Predominantly you get things like red zebras (which are actually orange) yellow lab mutts, johanni, demasoni, it's always mbuna.
> 
> Essentially, no. There's nothing that won't be harassed or made uncomfortable by those fish. You shouldn't need it either. Algae is your friend. Their natural habitat is SMOTHERED in it and they appreciate it. As far as bottom feeding mbuna are such good eaters that unless you are overfeeding a lot no food should be hitting the bottom. Just put a tiny bit in at a time. They should eat everything within 10 seconds. I've seen a single 4" yellow lab get about 20 1mm pellets in its mouth before it started chewing.
> 
> You could get synodontis petricola, but they are shy, mostly nocturnal, don't eat algae, and it would be more for the 'I have catfish' factor than anything else they won't really contribute to your tank's cleanliness. Something like a bristlenose pleco would, but I don't agree with keeping them with mbuna as they peck at them and this is not normal for plecos where they come from. They are a live and let live fish and tend not to annoy or be annoyed by other fish.


Exactly. I had a Platydoras costatus (Striped Raphael Catfish) who did quite well with my mbuna, but he was not an algae eater and was very shy and nocturnal. They are about the cutest thing alive when you do see them, though!


----------



## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Zombie said:


> Exactly. I had a Platydoras costatus (Striped Raphael Catfish) who did quite well with my mbuna, but he was not an algae eater and was very shy and nocturnal. They are about the cutest thing alive when you do see them, though!


I got 4 1" striped raphaels and now they are 5" to 6" and they only come out when you feed them but they eat all the food that falls to the bottom and they can eat alot.

Btw, the spotted raphaels are even more cuter


----------



## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Viperi said:


> Are there any types of algea eaters or bottom feeders that can do well with a tank of cichlids? Im not sure what type of cichlids i got as it was "Assorted".


Seamless algae eater eats algae from plants very well. I have three of them in a tank with Kribensises and German Blue Rams. Those are dwarf cichlids. I'm not sure, but I think they will do fine with 'assorted chichilds'. Seamless algae eater grow big enough to be safe with chichilds.

If you need to clean glasses on a tank, you'd better go to for some plecos, as guys said. But don't expect them to clean your tank perfectly. Sponge in your hands will do this much better


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Seamless algae eater eats algae from plants very well. I have three of them in a tank with Kribensises and German Blue Rams. Those are dwarf cichlids. I'm not sure, but I think they will do fine with 'assorted chichilds'. Seamless algae eater grow big enough to be safe with chichilds.
> 
> If you need to clean glasses on a tank, you'd better go to for some plecos, as guys said. But don't expect them to clean your tank perfectly. Sponge in your hands will do this much better


Don't keep any pleco or soft bodied cyprinid type algae eater such as flying fox, SAE, CAE, etc with mbuna. Your choices are armored cats from africa and some from central and south america. Your best choice is synodontis. Mbuna recognize them as a cleaner fish and tolerate them to a much higher extent.They do not really eat algae. You will not be able to keep anything in there that eats algae besides buying algae rasping cichlids.. which you should be doing if that's what you're after. Head over to cichlid-forum.com in the malawi section, tell them you have yellow labs cobalt blue zebras and red x red zebras and want an algae eating cichlid. The cobalt and red zebras will eat it to a smaller extent. Not off glass. Use a sponge.


----------



## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

You can take your chance with a BN pleco. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Just don't be heartbroken and be prepared to move it if the pleco winds up shredded.


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Darkside said:


> You can take your chance with a BN pleco. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Just don't be heartbroken and be prepared to move it if the pleco winds up shredded.


Exposing the fish to a situation in which it _may be shredded_ is a foolish thing to do I think.

Well selected herbivorous cichlids will not be shredded, will achieve a similar effect-- and as for the glass, an aquaclear sponge and ten minutes fixes that.


----------

