Clean up crew for dwarf cichlid tanks

[sunnydaze]

Shirmps with apisto? Yummy time for apisto.

Yup, it was formally a shrimp setup, before i reintroduce Apistos. I have thick, very thick moss though. You can find these shrimp when fish are sleeping. I also have a 1 foot thank which i breed Cherry and hybrid as treats for the Apistos. Brings out the hunting instinct, and nice to watch the hunt.

[leeruisheng]

Maybe if there are leftovers, it means you are overfeeding. That's what i think. For myself, every time I feed them with say blood worms or mysis shrimps, the apistos will eat every single pinch of them. With no leftovers, water quality is better, cleaner and not foul smelling.

Or maybe add dither fishes?

[Shadow]

Shirmps with apisto? Yummy time for apisto.

big shrimps like yamato also get eaten?

[valice]

Big shrimps wouldn't be eaten par se.
But the fish will disturb them, check them out, stress them till they die and they will "play" with their dead bodies.

[ranmasatome]

Wooo... sounds like a nice fish.kekeke!!

[Wackytpt]

Hi All.

I think we are missing out the main point here. An apisto tank pH is below 6. It hovers between 4 to 6.(mine is bewteen high 4 and low 5 PH).

What I am looking for is a fish that can live in such condition.

RuiSheng,
I don't overfeed. Just that sometimes, i still see a few bits and pieces in the tank of the leftover food when the apisto 'play' with their food. I don't really like to see leftover in the tank.

[ranmasatome]

How often you feed ah Nicholas?

[leeruisheng]

big shrimps like yamato also get eaten?

I cant really remember whether its apistos or puffer. Used to have yamatos with one of them but were badly injured. Can tell cause most of their limbs and tail are shorten. And always staying near the surface.

[Wackytpt]

How often you feed ah Nicholas?

Justin,

I feed once a day. I just picky that I don't like to see uneaten food sink down to the gravel. (I don't feed them alot)

[ranmasatome]

how about feeding only on alternate days? In the wild..fishes dont eat that oftend anyway.

[valice]

Actually, I think his problem is not that the fish is not finishing the food. It is more that the fish is still not eating the food as they are probably wild and not used taking dried foods readily.

[ranmasatome]

precisely.. if they are wild don't need to feed everyday.. where got wild fish so good life one?
It is a bit of a funny situation if you ask me. Wild fish don't eat or dont finish the food i feed...so i buy "clean up fish" to eat that food. So in actual fact aren't you just feeding more fishes that eat the amount of food you feed?? Are not the apistos, which is the main aim of this tank STILL not eating or at least, eating very little?? if they don't eat or eat very little.. then they won't eat/eat very little whether you put fish or not...
So why not just feed less?? you save money on buying fishes, save food, and save time looking for the fishes.

[valice]

Hmmmm....
Food for thought... Pun intended...

[leeruisheng]

woo.. which wild apisto is that?

[Wackytpt]

Thanks sirs for both of your replies. I got the pun of the message.