10 Best Fish Tank Cleaners!
- Jun 13, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 24151 0 0
One of the most often asked questions in fish keeping, what can I use to keep my tank clean?
It's inevitable that aquariums are gonna get dirty no matter how diligent you are in your maintenance.
Uneaten food, fish waste, and algae will accumulate throughout your tank and can make things look a little unsightly between routine maintenance. So to let your aquarium look cleaner here is the top 10 list of fish to help keep your tank cleaner.
1. HILLSTREAM LOACHES
Hillstream may not be the most enthusiastic fish to watch but they do a great job in keeping your glass and other flat surfaces algae free. These fishes are constantly scavenging for food, they'll be roaming all over the tank sucking and scraping algae. One of the best things about these fishes is that they just don't eat algae but also uneaten food even frozen food and live foods. One thing people want while looking for cleaner fishes is a small size fish; well you've got that here because these fishes would not grow any more than 3 inches. It makes them great for smaller tanks but they can also accept wide parameters. Keep the pH between 7-8 and temperature 68-78 and they'll be great.
2. OTOCINCLUS
These are great, cute, tiny fishes roaming everywhere in your tanks eating algae and whatever they can find to munch on. These are algae eating fishes that can clean your tank much faster than you think. So even if you have a lot of algae, they come together and gobble it all up very quickly. These fishes would not bother any other fish in your tank. They'll be good at pH between 6-8 and temperature 70-80. Keep them in clean water, feed them well and they'll be little workhorses for your tank.
3. PLECOS
Plecos are an excellent fish, but most commonly thought plecos are Plecostomus. This is a unique fish but they can grow up to 2 feet in length, so most home aquariums won't be a good fit for them. Therefore here the Plecos of the smaller variety, mainly the Bristlenose Pleco. Bristlenose Plecos are another constant scavenger. They won't grow big and would not bother any other fish in the tank. They are the easiest cleaner fish to keep because they'll be good in any water parameter. Keep the pH between 6 to 8 and the temperature of 68-80 and they'll be perfectly fine. But you should feed them with algae wafers, once they have eaten all in the tank.
4. SNAILS
Snails are basically bottomless pits that will constantly be on the prowl. Picking up anything and everything that comes in their way like algae, fish food, wastes, etc. The only problem is that they would not do it fast, they'll do it at a snail's pace. They might not be the best glass keeper but they will definitely help in keeping things tidy. There is a huge variety of snails, some big, some small, some fancy and some not. They are great aquarium cleaners. They will no cause a huge load on the tank and they would never bother your fish. Different variety of snails fits with different water parameters, before buying google those for the snail you've got.
5. SIAMESE ALGAE EATER
Siamese algae eaters are one of the best algae eating fish in the entire hobby. There is a perception about them, that are aggressive in nature, but it is not true. The truth is these fishes are omnivorous. so when a fish die they might eat that fish up which might seem aggressive. In fact, they are algae eating powerhouses that will clean the tank spotless in no time at all, especially when a few are put together. They can be a bit bigger, they can grow up to 4-5 inches in length. Put the at least in a 55-gallon aquarium, especially if a group of these fishes is put in. They can tolerate a huge variety of parameters but they like water a little warmer. Keep the pH between 6.5 to 7.5 and temperature above 75 and let these little workhorses do their work.
6. SHRIMPS
Shrimps are tiny fishes that are constantly moving around and working and they never stop. These tiny fishes do a great job of keeping your tanks clean. One cool thing about them like cherry shrimp is super easy to breed and they breed a lot. But you have to be cautious; if you have a fish in your tanks then shrimps are most likely to eat up the babies. If you are planning to make an army of shrimps its important you make sure there is nothing with them in the tank. There is a huge variety of shrimps available in the market, so when you get the perfect one for you do a quick google search for their water parameter.
7. CORYDORAS
Corydoras are cute and adorable fishes. But they are just not cute but great little workers. They are easy to keep, most of them stay small and they never are aggressive towards other fish. They are not algae eater but they are bottom-dwelling scavengers they'll sift through the substrate with their little barbells and pick up things left all around the bottom of your tank. One thing to be cautious is the little barbells that hang down underneath their mouth can get damaged from a rougher substrate. So make sure you have a smooth substrate. It is super easy fishes to keep as they tolerate most parameters. Keep the pH from 6 to 8 and the temperature anywhere some 72 to 80. Keep the water clean and feed them with good quality tropical flake and other than that they can go around the tank and chunk on leftovers.
8. KUHLI LOACH
Khuli Loach is different from other fishes on the list. They look like worms and snakes in your tanks. This is another fish that is not an algae eater but they spend their time into little nooks and crannies throughout your tanks. You have to put a few of them together because they are very shy fishes. It is a super easy fish to keep that would not hurt any other fish. For them, the water parameter is easy to give, a pH of 6-7, and keep the temperature 75-85 and feed them a good tropical flake.
9. CLOWN LOACH
Clown Loaches are another cool water-dwelling scavenger, whose shape is somewhat similar to Corydoras. They can get a lot bigger than what a lot of people think, they can grow up to 12 inches when fully grown. Clown Loaches will be everywhere in your tank scavenging for food. They'll sift the substrate, sneak behind little decorations, and generally do a great job picking up the messes. These are not very easy to keep and the biggest fish on the list. Clown Loaches are schooling fish so you have to keep a few of them to keep them happy. So before buying them do good research and is you have the right setup then they'll do a great job in seeking to tank clean.
10. THE FISH KEEPER
There is not an aquarium on this earth that you do not have to do any maintenance on. Yes, the fishes on the list will do a great job in keeping your aquarium neat and clean, but that does not change the fact that work needs to be done regularly to keep a healthy environment. Fish waste contaminates the water in your aquarium and there's no fish that's gonna change that. Yes, there are things like live plant and ex bio-media that hill help keeps the water under control but you have to get in there periodically and just do the maintenance. Its the part of the deal don't worry about it. you just clean the aquarium and see how good it looks an how happy the fishes are.
It's one of the awards of this amazing hobby!!
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