# Suggestions for a species that can eat up scraps from the bottom.



## MichaelAngelo (Jul 6, 2009)

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've got a question for you guys.

I have a 120 gallon with a giant gourami that I feed simple pond food from walmart (feel free to flame me for this since it's likely not the proper gourami diet). 

The gourami is a messy eater and always leaves some uneaten food which makes a mess over the week. 

Are there any tank companions that like to feed off the bottom? I had a pleco before, but would like to try something different.


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

You could always go for some clown loaches. They eat everything. 
Also, I'm not going to flame you for the pond pellets. Just make sure they are not for goldfish really, only because goldfish pellets generally are plant based. I'm pretty sure the giant gourami is not a plant eater


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

Have you thought about Pictus, Synodinis or Porthole type catfish?


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

Actually they are vegetarians, I would feed them peas an Veggie leaves in addition to the pellets.

I used to feed duckweed, but I could never keep enough growing to sustain him.

Here is a link for care http://labyrinthfishcare.weebly.com/giant-gourami.html

They need massive water changes daily and they do eat and produce large amounts of waste.

Adding a pleco will only really increase the bio load, they can also be nasty during their rebellious teen years.


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

How about Snails!!!


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I'd vote for snails too. Underappreciated clean up crew for sure. Mystery snails are quite good at munching whatever they find, aren't picky eaters. Won't eat live plants unless they are very hungry, in which case you can drop them the odd algae tab or pellet. They don't lay underwater eggs, so no issues with population control either. All my tanks have at least some snails, most have many, as I keep a number of different species.

Even my little 2.5 G Betta tanks have a few MTS in them, though I never let more than few remain because the water volume is so low. They do surprisingly well at keeping the glass clean and eat any algae that may appear too.


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## bluegularis (May 12, 2010)

*no snails*

Once you add snails you have a pest. They will eat debris but also your plants etc.

I would add cory's and catfish. Angels and guppies also continuosly peck at the bottom for food, they also eat debris.

Thanks


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Giant gouramis are omnivores, which would indicate pretty much any food would work for them. Some of the pond foods, such as Martins Profishient, for fall and spring are higher in protein and work really well for cichlids, so, should be fine for these fish as well.
There really shouldn't be left over food if you are feeding pellets. Perhaps a lot of fecal matter from food that is too bulky, but not uneaten.


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

You could get a goldfish. Goldfish are constantly foraging the bottom for food. You are pretty much guaranteed to not have a spec of food left over with a goldfish on duty.


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## jamie (Feb 20, 2013)

bluegularis said:


> Once you add snails you have a pest. They will eat debris but also your plants etc.
> 
> I would add cory's and catfish. Angels and guppies also continuosly peck at the bottom for food, they also eat debris.
> 
> Thanks


+++ re the corys

A 120g just screams out for a big school of corys! There's 10 tri-lines (false jullis) in my 55 and they're always having a party in there. They still need feeding, but between them, trumpet snails, the amano and cherry shrimp there's no such thing as uneaten food.

Amano shrimp are great scavengers, very hardy and don't breed. Nerite snails don't breed either, but I don't think they eat from the bottom, only see them on the glass or large rocks, sometimes on wood.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

True enough, Nerite snails don't scavenge from the substrate much at all, preferring to eat from glass, rocks or wood instead. I often find them on the underside of wood if I lift a piece out to tie moss to it. They do breed and lay eggs but the eggs cannot hatch in fresh water. Some do not care for how their eggs look, though I don't mind them myself.

Mystery snails and Orange Rabbit snails do clean up the substrate though. The Rabbits breed very slowly, don't lay eggs though, they have live young instead. Mystery snails lay eggs above the water line and you can toss those if you don't want babies. Amano shrimp are pretty good clean up crew too, and they are remarkably hardy.


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

bluegularis said:


> Once you add snails you have a pest. They will eat debris but also your plants etc.
> 
> I would add cory's and catfish. Angels and guppies also continuosly peck at the bottom for food, they also eat debris.
> 
> Thanks


Definitely a great suggestion - you can't beat the look and cleaning efficiency of a cory flock. Umm, I mean school


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

We've all got our opinions on snails, positive or negative. 

If I can control the population without much effort, I see them as great clean up crew. Mysteries are easy to control, just don't allow any clutch to hatch if you find one. It will be above water and easy to find.

Nerite eggs can't hatch, so it's a question mainly of whether or not you mind the appearance of the eggs. I have one Devil faunus snail with Nerite eggs laid on its shell.. I don't think the Devil snails cares at all that the eggs are there and it helps me tell the Faunus guys apart.

Nerite snails never eat water plants. I've had dozens and not one has ever touched a live plant. I have seen a Mystery snail nibble on Salvinia minima and a very occasional frogbit leaf, usually those turning yellow, so they were dying anyway. So the odd soft floater, and only a leaf now and then, nothing else was ever touched.

I think cories are awesome and they'll eat a lot of what they find, but I've never really thought of them as being vacuum cleaners.. I kind of DO think of snails as vacuum cleaners. 

But it's always the choice of the tank owner about what they want to work with.


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## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

How about a catfish? Something like a Raffaelle or Spotted? They take a bit to grow and are verocius eaters.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I had a couple upsidedown catfish a while back. They looked cute in the store but many months later they grew to be big ugly suckers in my opinion. They seemed to be pretty good scavengers. I am not sure how big your giant gourami is but I know the size of the normal ones and guessing small cleaners would be a bad idea and be a snack. So look up upsidedown catfish as a possiblility if they interest you. They are a cool fish but I didn't like them.


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