Suggestions of filter feeder for betta breeding tank

[TanCH]

Hi. My betta tank is filled with ADA africana soil, is there any suggestion of filter feeder/bottom dweller for my tank?

[stormhawk]

What do you mean by filter feeder? By bottom feeder I take it you mean a "scavenger". In this case there are very few suitable fish as bottom feeders in a betta tank, especially with wild bettas. The best I can suggest are coolie loaches, if you want something that can survive in the acidic pH of wild betta tanks. Not many fish are compatible with wild bettas in breeding setups.

[TanCH]

Yup. I mean scavenger. What is coolie loaches? is that the only suitable bottom feeder?

[lucasjiang]

Hi, bro i suggest using the catfish hyalobagrus flavus. Those will sniff for food at the bottom, and they are very peaceful, wont randomly attack fishes. They also require low pH, preferably 6.5 and below, and will die if the pH is higher.

[TanCH]

nice fish. Where can i get those? and how big can they grow?

[stormhawk]

Sometimes available at any LFS, depending on the stocks from the farms that supply the shops. I've seen that catfish for sale at C328 and Polyart before.

Coolie loach is like an eel, long thin body with stripes. As to how they look, Google is your friend.

[900801]

Yup, agree with stormhawk (coolie loach/Kuhli loach) are usually found in the same water as some of the wild bettas. Which would make that a good candidate. They are rather affordable less $5 a piece.

[TanCH]

Thanks for the knowledge. I was wondering if there's any shrimp species that are compatible for my setup.

[bettafantastic]

If you add a small shrimp, the betta might attack or eat it.
Maybe Yamato shrimp good?

[stormhawk]

I would suggest Malayan Shrimp. However, as with any shrimp in a Betta tank, they are more or less viewed as breakfast, lunch and dinner by the bettas. Only "safe" species would probably be the Fan Shrimps, since they are much larger than the Betta's mouth.

[GuppyLover]

Yup, agree with stormhawk (coolie loach/Kuhli loach) are usually found in the same water as some of the wild bettas. Which would make that a good candidate. They are rather affordable less $5 a piece.

Can the coolie loach be kept in a planted tank? Will they uproot the plants?

[lucasjiang]

Yes they can, they may uproot small plants while sniffing around.

[Emokidz]

I recommend the smaller cory species. Like pygmy cories. Though a solution would also be to feed less.

[GuppyLover]

I'm using soil and I'm afraid they might stir the soil too much.

[Emokidz]

I use ADA II Soil and my sterbais do a good job cleaning. It's a low tech tank with java ferns only though. Probably not that good for carpeted plants.

[GuppyLover]

Oh because I have hairgrass growing in the foreground. So means that it's not a good idea to keep scavengers in my tank since they will uproot the hairgrass?

[Emokidz]

Possibly. You could however use pygmy cories who are less likely to do so.

[GuppyLover]

Thanks Bernard

[stormhawk]

If you want more options, use those seed shrimp. They are great at scavenging the bottom of the tank and provide food for your fish too.

[GuppyLover]

Aren't seed shrimps pests?