"cleaner" tankmates?

[Boyam]

hello everyone,

Im now on a new step in my aquarium. after the plants are planted what "cleaner" fish should i get for a 90 gallon.

after trolling the forums i see choices of:
SAE's (but which type of SAE i have no idea)
Oto's
Loache's
Cory's
Shrimp? don't they need fairly cool water compared to discus?
Pleco's... not a fan of

so recommendations for a 90 gallon anyone?

thanks

[ILLUSN]

The problem with cleaner fish is that some poop more than they eat.

corry are good, i like dwarf/chain loaches, and kullis.

ottos have a habit of dieing in my tanks, bristlenoses are nice when they're small but once they get big (and lazy) the fall into the poop more than they eat catagory.

i like SAE's but alot of people dont, once they grow up they can be hard to get rid of, so think carefully before putting them in.

[pink66]

cory's and koulies get my vote.. they do an excellent job

[TW]

I haven't tried kullis, but I have good luck with sterbai corries & ottos. Sterbai are one of the corries that tolerate higher heat, as well. Some of my sterbais & ottos have been around for years.

[TW]

Illusin, just wondering, if you have loaches in the tank, does that mean you need to be careful when it comes the worming time?

[ILLUSN]

not really, the discus are worth at least a good few thousand, the loaches are worth maybe $80, also they are tougher than people think, prazi and levimenisole do them no harm and neither did metro, just dont PP them.

[Boyam]

i like SAE's but alot of people dont, once they grow up they can be hard to get rid of, so think carefully before putting them in.

Why? what do they do that many do not like 'em?

[ILLUSN]

They swim quick and they swim ALOT, discus like more sedate tankmates, as i said i like them they arelong and slender and can reach food the discus cant, but each to their own.

[Boyam]

Well right now im leaning for a few clown loaches because they seem to like discus water perimeters more than cory's according to Dr foster; and they do about the same thing as far as i know.

still undecided on my algae eaters. i think its between a army of otos or a few SAE's.

still open to thoughts.

[Hollowman]

I do not recommend Clown Loaches. They can grow too big and will upset discus. You also need to have 5 loaches as they do better in groups.

Cory Sterbai are excellent, as well as the smaller Ansistrus.

H

[iro11a]

Clown loaches noticed also like to punch holes though some of my plants :evil:

[Boyam]

Clown loaches noticed also like to punch holes though some of my plants :evil:

oi!

[Boyam]

any suggestions on something to tucker up my hair and or string algae?

[mourt]

Cory are terrible algae eaters. SAE's or Pleco's are decent, but they both create enormous amounts of waste, as do all effective algae eating fish. Really you should be focusing on managing your tank so that you don't get algae in the first place.

Darwin algae eater shrimp are about as effective as Amano shrimp and grow to about the same size.. possibly a little larger. They are native to northern Australia and naturally exist at temperatures at or sometimes even exceeding 30c. Perfect for discus.

[DiscusDave]

Clown loaches noticed also like to punch holes though some of my plants :evil:

Dwarf chain loaches are better with discus and/or plants, they'll destroy snails but don't move as fast, don't destroy plants and don't appear to steal food from the discus.