The Cleanup Crew In Your Tank Isn't Working Like You Think it. So, What Now? - In Depth Solutions

link to the longer version, which discusses each cleanup crew member, what they are ideally suited for eating, and how to care for them. :
• The Cleanup Crew In Yo...
So you bought Siamese Algae Eaters, Plecos, Shrimp ( Amanos, Cherry Shrimp, or Caridina) Mystery Snails, Nerite Snails, Ramshorn Snails, Malaysian Trumpet Snails, otocinctlus and even some oddball catfish and Cory cats to hopefully clean your Aquarium?
So why do you suddenly have an explosion of Algae, black beard algae, green hair algae, hard algae on the glass and all sorts of poop and plant debris at the bottom of your fish tank.
we try and answer all these questions regarding which species eats what algae or waste in each case, and how to care for and feed these specialist animals. from Beginners needing a bit of a Clean up crew care guide, to those of us keeping planted tanks and water parameters.
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[@comment.highlighted]

Alex, you are so knowledgeable in so many things. What separates you from a lot of others is how in-depth your knowledge is. Thank you for sharing 🙂

[@Fishtory]

Well that is very kind of you to say. Thank you, and I always make sure to keep open minded and keep learning from all you amazing people in this channel's community

[@kendracrippen]

16mins in and this has been one of the most informative video on aquariums in general I have watched in a very long time. Thank you

[@Fishtory]

No problem! So glad it's of some use to you. I try and make most my videos this way, so that we cover other aspects of the hobby while hitting a key subject. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers

[@idealchanful]

I have an aquarium since 2 months now, lets say it new for me, because it's my first planted tank. I took my time, I grow biofilm, hair algae, before adding some rabbit snails ( that already breed intank) , and 2 weeks after, I add 20 shrimp. That was a week ago, now I have also babies shrimp. I feed all them with good food, many brands, but they only accept my algae and biofilm, not a single pellet. I have to remove the commercial food, intact. They are efficient in eating algae, but I hope they get all they need.

[@Fishtory]

That is awesome!

[@Curtis.StMartin]

I had about a 13 minute gap in this video between the 21 and 32 minute mark. Did anyone else have this ???? The screen was locked up during this time.

[@hispanicmechanic7134]

Same

[@MrEzPc]

yep, it frooze like some Constable artwork.

[@nian60]

Yup, I had a gap too.

[@Fishtory]

I'll try and re-upload it tonight.... its very odd. Thanks got letting me know though

[@guitardave3028]

Me too....so there ya have it!! I"ve officially joined the "me too" generation....lol

[@jefferybruce2332]

Re Length of your video: normally I pass on long videos but yours are SO informative they are well worth watching. And man do you have some beautiful tanks!! You are the PHD professor of aquatic life

[@Fishtory]

I appreciate that more than you know. Thank you for your support my friend.

[@DennyMK007]

Ancistrus are overrated for eating algae. I never kept Nerite snails nor Otocinclus catfish till two weeks ago. I made a mistake adding a leftover liquid fertilizer in a fishless planted tank and my tank bloomed with green, hair and brown algae. In a week detritus worms covered the glass of the tank. I tried using four Nerite snails to clean the algae in that same 20 gallon tank. While they are good, they are not as efficient as the Otocinclus I’ve introduced a week later. Bought the last three Otocinclus from my lfs and was very impressed on how effectively they cleaned the algae and detritus worms. In a matter of one week the tank went from disgusting algae overpopulated tank to crystal clean glass, sponge filters, heater and even the air lines. These tiny fish never stopped cleaning and they are not shy like the Ancistrus. Very satisfied with the Otocinclus/Nerite snail combo for algae control. Would like to try true Siamese Algae Eaters next (never kept them as well).

[@giftofthewild6665]

Do ottos eat green spot algae? I have some due to sunlight hitting the tank and I don't have any algae eaters except mts (and they don't really climb the glass much anymore now that the assassins have lowered their population).

[@ajml7768]

Really interesting video. With situations similar to your slight cherry shrimp deficiencies; my tactic is to spend 1 minute with my nose literally on the glass checking the tank up close once a day. I love the clean up crew I have (shrimp, pleco, corys, snails).

[@Fishtory]

Right on! Yeah I change all my tanks by bucket and siphon., and daily feed them by hand too..so I see them all at least 15 to 20 minutes a week minimum...and I STILL miss things like difficiencies until they Manifest in several shrimp. Sounds like you have a really nicely balanced tank with your crew!

[@ajml7768]

@@Fishtory just got a couple of SAE on the way following your recommendation so thanks 🙏

[@davidcooper9432]

Alex, you have very unique channel content. I like the laid back, but passionate, way you impart your knowledge. Keep it up.

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly and please make yourself at home here among awesome community members and 760 videos if you need info on some obscure topic hehe. Cheers

[@MysteriousOutdoors]

Good info, buddy.

[@domesticwoods]

You are awesome! Thanks as always for such an informative video!

[@Fishtory]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@shorelineexpress337]

Thanks for all the knowledge great channel.

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for joining in on the fun!

[@plantlifeproject]

Enjoyed this topic! Thanks for covering the importance of multiple species each playing a different role as part of the cleanup crew.

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@calebwatson3023]

Awesome video!

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly

[@zakashiXninja]

I love your channel so much, one of the vary few fishtubers who go in to such details

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly. 😊 also, thanks for commenting and leaving your thoughts

[@madcat61207]

Immensely enjoyable format! 😾💕🐟 great info

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly! I try and do a full half hour talk on complex subjects, but i also try and put interesting trivia tid bits in the talk, so that even advanced and old time fish keepers enjoy it hopefully.

[@finthefishsep20toma]

Thank you for dedicating your time to helping anyone who is interested learn more about their aquariums :)

[@Fishtory]

Of course! Thanks for tuning in and leaving your thoughts in the comments. Cheers

[@Ceretrea]

Baby plecos are adorable 😍

[@Szu-Ping]

Thank you so much for this great video!!!!!

[@arkansasboy45]

Thanks for the information.

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for tuning in and commenting!

[@HappyOne2017]

Loved this video and I love my tanks ❤ 😁

[@Fishtory]

Aww thanks for stopping by!

[@psychedelichippocampus6226]

Great information! 👍

[@Fishtory]

Thank you!

[@fisharefriends598]

I can’t believe you added king of Diy in the great channels list 😂 your a truly forgiving person

[@Fishtory]

Hey he did shape the hobby, the terms and the culture, I think he needs to get his act together as a human...but uh, yeah I can't deny his influence haha

[@vblackwell3347]

@@Fishtory Yeah you can. I do. It's painless.

[@Fishtory]

@@vblackwell3347 lol

[@dimitrijekrstic7567]

​@@vblackwell3347 cheer up lil buddy, positive stuff is still positive stuff, no matter who does it

[@usmc187]

I unsubscribed from DIY@@Fishtory

[@peacelily64]

Very helpful I’m a newbie 🦐🐌🐠

[@TuanCaCanh]

Hello, this is good video

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. Also, thanks for leaving comments, it helps the channel a lot

[@HeyItsCeeJay]

That was the biggest lag out ever LOL

[@brushitoff503]

Fricken awesome man loved it! I have noticed some of my Fire Red Shrimp aren't the same colour as the Adult one's but they all seem to be happy & are reproducing well, I was wondering if I should add a calcium block to the tank for them. I do add some Aquasonic Carbonate Hardness now & then but am unsure if it's enough for them. Thoughts? Cheers bud.

[@Fishtory]

I like to add Cuttlefish bone (for pet birds) or a small sea shell that's been broke into a few pieces...this way you ph stays similar, but the shrimp can go munch on nearly pure calcium/carbon and get what they need. You can also just buy good ol fashion Plaster of Paris, pour it into an ice tray and pop out the 3 or 4 cm long x 2x2cm tall/wide chunks into any tank 10 gallons or more (smaller tanks may get alkaline and tds rises you don't want). Best of luck mate!

[@brushitoff503]

@@Fishtory Awesome thanks Bro I never thought of that! All good solutions right there! I have a sea shell collection too ha ha!

[@rochelle6006]

Thankyou for your videos I love watching them, I wanted to ask about the deep substrates and the denitrifying bacteria. We see a lot about the first two steps for ammonia and nitrites, but what about the last step of the nitrates? I understand it needs to be in the low oxygen levels of the substrate but wondering why this is not a normal step or a well known step to complete the nitrogen cycle?

[@Fishtory]

Thank you, first of all! And secondly, great question. The main reason for there only being 3 steps to the classic nitrogen cycle, is because Many people don't use substrate, use plastic plants/no plants and prior to about 20 years ago, the undergravel heater and filter were very popular. Meaning that people had to have water touching the heater or filtration unit and both were spread across the tank's bottom, with the thinking at the time being "no plants, and the only way to control nitrogen /nitrate build up was doing water changes and physically removing it. Now plants are more and more common, and they end up trapping a lot of the nitrates/ammonia and carbon/co2, so trimming them and water changes basically tosses out excess nitrates and then the fish food and fish poop builds it back up, until trim and water change time happens again. The deep substrate method takes 6 months to a year, as well as using trace minerals to sequester nitrogen and carbon.. .given a true geological time scale, it would turn to fossils, minerals and even hydrocarbons like oil over millions of years. In nature there is not just one loop or cycle and likewise, there is no way to remove nitrogen from earth....so there are almost endless ways in which it gets cycled... we just are taught the simplest form of the cycle there is, with fishkeeping. However if you look into biology and ecology, you'll start to see dozens of different elemental cycles and they sometimes take a step back before taking 2 steps forward. I hope that helps a bit? Cheers

[@rochelle6006]

@@Fishtory ah ok yes that makes sence 👍🏼

[@rochelle6006]

@@Fishtory so plants are probably the easier way to try to balance out the nitrates and water changes as normal and a bit of a waiting game for the denitrifying process to occur naturally. Thankyou again 🙏🏼

[@FIUPanther305]

The eggs nerites keep me from ever stocking them in my tanks. It’s a shame they are so hard to remove.

[@dootyboot-t]

How are you breeding mono shrimp in a freshwater aquarium?

[@Fishtory]

Iam not, I am breeding a long nose Japanese algae eating shrimp, Caridina Malawas, and Pinocchio shrimp.

[@wakingforbacon6439]

Best dust algae eaters nerite snails. Can’t keep them from eating it all lmao. Love my nerite snails.

[@Fishtory]

Amen

[@CarolynnMc01]

I have a question if you have answer! First, thank you for this video. I happened to buy a plant which obviously had trumpet snails hitchhiking. So that happened. Since the advent of the trumpets, my adorable bladder snails have all disappeared. Do you know why hat would happen? I'm doing my best to get rid of a lot of the trumpets -- bought traps. I bet there are hundreds in the 29 gallon tank. A few of them go a long way... an over population is just annoying. LOL Once i trap them i'm not sure what to do with them since they are invasive, so i'm going ot advertise on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone wants them for loaches or puffers. Meanwhile i pick out at least 15 a day. And more show straggle out of the substrate to replace those!. I didn't think i overfed my tank because I feed @ two or three days but i guess i'm still over-doing it. I hope all's well at the new house!

[@Fishtory]

You may not be over feeding with Malaysian's...once they are born they tend to grow to at least 1/2 an inch just with hardly any food in the tank (biofilm and algae that's not even visible, along with lots of fish poop which they can eat 2 or 3 times before the nutrients are spent...gross! Hahaha. They are definitely nocturnal and it could also be that there is a dead fish or dead plant material somewhere spread amongst the substrate. Since the M.T.S eat under the substrate in the day too. It's best to manually remove them, and you can just remove them by putting some zuccini , cucumber, broccoli or carrots in the tank an hour after dark or an hour before their lights come on...then 15 to 30 minutes later just pick it up in a zip lock bag and let the snails all fall off into the bag while underwater. Squeeze the excess water out of the bag to conserve tank water, and then just toss the snails. Putting them in the freezer for 24 hour and then tossing them in compost or the garden should be more than sufficient to kill them and dispose of them responsibily. They are an amazing little survivor. I would guess you aren't really over feeding, but the substrate my Just be getting to the age where it's full of nutrients for plants and those snails in particular. Good question, and don't worry too much, as they are pretty harmless snails....but they just out compete the other snails since they're willing to eat what the others wont

[@CarolynnMc01]

@@Fishtory thank you again!

[@jupercio]

What are your comments on the hillstream loach? I've hired 2 of them to take care of hair and beard algae?

[@Fishtory]

Good at cleaning up excess food, bio-films and protein skimming off surfaces... also good at soft algae, they won't help for diatomaceous algae, brown, red. Blue/green/cyano species. Or bba/stag horn algae. So helpful but not a huge game changer usually..

[@jupercio]

@@Fishtory thanks to the information. What cleaning species do you recommend for hair algae?

[@Curtis.StMartin]

I also made a Super Chat during the live stream that doesn't show up. The original video's live chat only goes to the 28 minute mark.

[@Fishtory]

Oh so strange! Well thank you do very much buddy. I dont know what yourube's issue js

[@andythomas7714]

Had some great Apple snails. Fascinating to watch but unfortunately love to eat your plants as well 😓

[@Fishtory]

Yes, they are one of the few snails in the hobby that chew up and eat your healthy plants

[@amym.4823]

Try Japanese trapdoor snails. They have a similar shape, but don't eat so many plants.

[@andythomas7714]

@@amym.4823 Thank you for the advice :)

[@vblackwell3347]

I have 8 Mystery Snails in a heavily planted tank. As long as,I feed them, along w/ my fish, they don't bother the plants. If 3 days unfed, they attack them.

[@Fishtory]

@@vblackwell3347 I've found basically the same thing

[@waynetalbot2784]

I wanted to put shrimp in my aquarium but with a shoal of 20+ tiger barbs,it's abit of a no no.Not even sure if I could add an otto.

[@Fishtory]

Nerite Snails for hard algae on the glass and reticulated siamese algae eaters is the combo I'd suggest

[@waynetalbot2784]

@@Fishtory I have the siamese algae eater already. 👍

[@amarabidali5316]

does your massive silver fox not attack the shrimp or the other fish?

[@Fishtory]

Its a reticulatus siamese algae eater rather than the flying fox (which would eat everything in my tank probably lol). But no he eats black beard algae, a little fish food and then nibbles on new leaf buds if he's totally out of all food

[@AmendrisLosseheim]

I have an aquarium with neon tetra, pygmi corys... and some ottos (which are very fat).... and the corys are kinda skinny... I dont know what food to give them... I think maybe they compete too much with the bottom food with my helena snails... do you have any tip that may help me with this situation?

[@reefhugger100]

I feed my corys Repashy gel foods, primarily Community Plus/Soilent Green. They love them both. I often make a layer cake by letting the bottom layer form cool a bit then adding the top layer. Also I get sinking pellets to make sure enough gets to the bottom for them.

[@booperfumprdink859]

Carnivore pellets work well for corydoras.

[@elizabethG633]

Red Racers, if you buy them, make sure they will survive in fresh water tanks, because I went to Big Al's and asked for Red Racers, and was sold one's that only survive in brackish or salt water. Make sure you always ask if they will survive in fresh water.

[@Fishtory]

Yes, good point! Some nerites aren't transitioned from brackish yet

[@suenosdeltanganyika]

is it possible to put neocaridina in a tanganyika aquarium? gh11 kh18?

[@Fishtory]

Probably not, maybe ghost shrimp would work...heck some types of Brine shrimp can survive that hard of water

[@DLMyth2]

My shrimps stock to the driftwood and only cleans that. My clown plecos, well I seen them once in 3 month. My albino pleco just play a staring contest with me and poops away doing no clean up. Same with my hillstream loaches they used to clean and now are stuck in one place most of the time lol. My 3 assassin snails don’t do their main job so I have too many snails now. Lastly, my yo-yo loaches rather sleep than eat snails. Think I went overboard with “cleaning” fish. Lol

[@Fishtory]

Time to fire some lol

[@hormborey8233]

They not just cleaning forever s.t they need some break and also pleco hillstream and yo yo they only clean something that they can clean also fish dont eat poop if fish eat poop so we eat poop too and shrimp they use to clean some of their favorite place sometime they can clean some of other place too when they have an energy

[@hormborey8233]

@@Fishtory also dont put alot of plant sometime it will had alot problem with fish

[@Temperancefp]

I wonder if you’ve ever thought of writing a book?

[@Fishtory]

Im working on one! Slowly lol

[@Thelostgoldhunters]

What happened at 26:10 ? The video just breaks , I thought my computer crashed...

[@spencer4997]

I guess the video files got messed up, I had the same problem

[@Fishtory]

Upload error i think. I think it's fixed now

[@ethicalhackerwhitehat]

Its hard to call it hobby. Its more like he is part of this cycle

[@marc8919]

I'm going to fire my clean up crew.

[@Fishtory]

Haha lazy bums!

[@k2ggers961]

video corrupted around the 25:00 mark

[@Fishtory]

Hmm thanks

[@hormborey8233]

13:44 low your plant dude your neon tetras dont have place to swim

[@Fishtory]

Yes agreed...they have a hollow under everything, but it's too small...time to cut out all those plants!

[@hormborey8233]

No cut out remove all of them just put a favorite plant that he really love it also dont buy any plant without even think it will wast your money by away the most best plant for fish and the great oxygen plant was anacharish plant