Why "cleaner fish" are a BAD idea!

Today I clean the 75g South American nano and discuss why the concept of cleaner fish is totally bogus. Bonus fish footage of the 75g South American at the end!
Fan mail can be sent to: PO box 146 Manchester PA 17345
Buy me a coffee: msjinkzd.com/ab...
Instagram @msjinkzd
Website and stocklist: msjinkzd.com/st...
Facebook: / msjinkzd
#aquariumfish #aquariumhobby #cleanerfish

[@aina3387]

My favorite cleaner fish are plants. People underestimate how much healthier a tank is when it has live plants. But I also have nine or so dwarf cories because they are super cute!

[@espeterson522]

@Aina I agree! I spend more money on plants than fish in my tanks. Happy plants mean happy fish, happy fish mean happy person. Plants do so much, from filtering and oxygenating water, to helping break down solid waste and processing the nitrogen cycle independently from the bacteria in the filter, to doing something as simple as providing a shady spot for a fish to escape stress. Can't recommend them enough.

[@chrisi4536]

Yup that statement is very true. I have a lot of plants and they take care of algae along with other problems. Snails are great too. I have been using the invasive bladder snails in both tanks and just control the numbers using assassin snails along with some nerite snails for algae. Also I found out a little can be good too as far as providing food, additional filtration for the water, and a good indicator that something is not balanced.

[@lydiadones9317]

Plants are not fish but I get it.😁😁😁😁😁🐳👍 just a lil joke....😂😂

[@Vi-olynn]

I have a lot of plants live ones

[@LightLegion]

At least one plant has got to be fast growers. Slow growers like java fern aren't as reliable cleaners and are just good as cover and oxygen suppliers

[@lightwavz]

When I refer to my "crew," I always picture them as tiny backup singers and roadies for my star, the betta. I always pay them well because they work the hardest to keep the handsome dude looking good up front. They have different roles, but I adore them all. Just don't tell my betta I said that.

[@dartist64]

Hiya Rachel, I agree with your philosophy on this. Treat them as equal members of the community and know their needs too. Nice common sense advice.

[@jeffjansen9645]

Just because you add a “cleaner fish “ doesn’t mean you disregard there other needs. I figured this was common knowledge.

[@vinniejudilla3921]

You're such a book of knowledge!! One of the best educators on the tube👍👍👍

[@uniquascaper7052]

Thanks for the 'pause' at the end for a fish close up! The only thing I have ever added because of a problem was SAE's for a nasty black beard algae issue in a 29. That crap came in from a local store. BBA is one of the few algae that you 'catch' from other aquaria. I fought it with 35 years of tank keeping knowledge and just got sick of the daily work on it. So I picked up 6 SAE's.They knocked it down fast. Once they matured I transferred them to a 65g. I keep algae tabs on hand for them as well as organic spirulina tabs.

[@virgiloix]

Wow, great insight. It’s one of the best tips I’ve heard about “cleaner” fish so far. Seems like everyone wants to exploit them and rarely consider their needs. Thank you. Lovely tank by the way!

[@fishingleader]

I work at a pet store and easily one of the most common things I'm asked for is a "cleaner fish" and it drives me crazy. Every time I tell them how nothing is gonna clean their tank except they themselves & try and talk them out of it because often they go straight to the common pleco for their 10 gallons or less tanks (plecos and goldfish are probably the fish I refuse to sell the most because nobody ever has a suitable tank for them) or they see the otos or cories and only want to get one of them. I get especially protective over the otos and cories because I have a whole tank just dedicated to them because I love them so much I wish everytime a customer asked for a cleaner fish I could just show them this video!

[@ecoaquascape7315]

Thats just not true. I've had a 10 gallon running for three months now with lots of fish, 22 white clouds, almost full grown now. one baby pleco, 4 amano shrimp, and a bunch of "pest" snails. I have never once cleaned my tank, I have done 2 water changes. My ammonia is zero, nitrites are zero, and nitrates are low too. the tank got really covered in algae (you almost couldn't see through it) so thats when I put my snails and pleco in. one week later, almost all the algae is gone.

[@daczgegrbt8324]

Have you ever herd of Nerite Snails ? I 've got 2 Horned Nerite Snail and they clean up the most coverd with alge tank within a week. And they buiteful by the way.The only problem is you have to sort out males from females if you dont like eggs all over the tank.They are the best clean up crew you must have in your store.

[@alexisgeorgia]

dacz gegrbt I actually work at a pet store too lol, and I have the same problem as the OP. We sell horned nerites and I love them and have them myself, but most people go for the other nerite snails which tend to explore outside the tank a lil lol. They are excellent though

[@alexisgeorgia]

meghan rn SAME I also work at a pet store and this is a daily thing. It’s also a pain to explain to people that every fish needs a filter, and tbh bettas should be given a MUCH larger tank. I have a community aquarium with a school of cories, and they are precious to me

[@scottgeorge4760]

I recommend male or female Guppies in small schools , and Ottocinclinus fish and maybe a snail .

[@XxLadyxGaladrielxX]

Saw the title and instantly though "THE SHADE". Yesterday I watched the Co-ops vid on cleaner fish. When I worked at a chain pet store, I hater when people would come in to buy a 'sucker fish' for their algae, something to 'eat the poop' or were told by a manager that the mamario ball would act as a secondary filter. Aquariums are a closed system, anything you put in, you have to be accountable for. Adding a fish to clean algae means you added more ammonia for your filters, more nitrates down the road. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with the hobby, I have learned so much from you and use it in my own fish keeping. (Though I do want to know how you do your hair bc I love it. I've already got the shaved sides and everything)

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

I also applaud you for not pushing Monster fish keeping since very,very, few people really have a tank that's as big as they imagine for very large fish. Some people are calling their 100 gallons "a monster tank" and pack it with Arowanas and Gars and god knows what else. People on Tube who do truly have huge tanks- 1-5 thousand or even 10 thou gallon tanks?..at least can make a good home. But they must be like -1% of aquarists! You make it more of a pet home for fish. I like that.

[@dgodfrey9189]

I refer to my 4'x2'x2' 396L as "the monster", but the biggest fish I have in there are weather loaches. It does mean I been able to have a good sized shoal of Rainbow Shiners and Odessa Barbs, which definitely appreciate the space to ruise around in. The idea of putting any kind of gar in it never crossed my mind.

[@TheGoffFiles]

Thank you for addressing this! This is a message people need to hear. Bottom feeders, especially loaches, are my favorite. It breaks my heart so few people who buy them don't understand their needs...and, as you say, their limitations as so-called "cleaner fish." Just the other day a friend saw my new tank and said "are you going to get an algae eater?" Common assumption is one lonely fish is somehow going to play housemaid for the rest of the tank. Also, beautiful tank!!!! Love the outro with closeups of the fish!!!

[@N1RKW]

I guess I'm a bit of a backwards fishkeeper: I prefer keeping loaches and catfish, and then add other fish as dither fish to make them happier. I've always been partial to bottom-dwellers, so I usually build my tanks around their needs, and then look for other fish that will be a good fit for the middle strata of the tank. It always bothers me to hear of loaches and social catfish kept singly. There's nothing cuter than watching a group of corydoras happily dancing around a large tank together! (unless it's a group of loaches)

[@h.s.6269]

The cories "dancing" is the most adorable thing. I keep panda cories and it is especially cute to watch a young juvenile just getting its colors join the group to scavenge.

[@V1kte]

Pretty much how things went with my tank. While researching the possibilities, I fell in love with reticulated hillstream loaches, and then looked for a fish that would love the environment the loaches need. Went with long fin rosy barbs. They're a bit intense around feeding time, but not to the point of it being a problem, and they don't bother the loaches and add a lot of activity to the tank.

[@panik28]

I love having otocinclus. I initially did get them as algae removers, but now they are one of my favorite fish to keep regardless of algae or not.

[@huntermclaren322]

Hi Rachel, I so appreciate your methodical and educational focus in all of your videos. You are such a bright spot in the world of aquarists!

[@quki3]

Thank you for this. I’m new to this hobby and everyone whose seen an aquarium or knows someone who keeps one feels like they know enough to give advise on how to keep One. It’s not that simple. We are trying to keep little tiny beings alive happy and healthy after all.

[@LEE-kq9tq]

Cories. Love cories... although I've never seen them as clean up fish.. just bottom dwellers. They're so innocent and gentle and cute. Only have 2 peppered right now. Just waiting for quarantine tank to finish cycling so I can get more to have a big group :)

[@2friendstoking]

I've got a some peppered corys in a couple of my tanks and they are super funny to watch them snuffle around in the sand looking for tasty bits. Only problem is I have them in heavily planted tanks with black sand and black backgrounds so it usually takes half an hour of staring at a tank to find them unless you're giving them food

[@sanchopancho1918]

Same I bought my pandas for that reason.... plus they are housed with my Betta fish so I wanted a group that can give me something to look at without having to worry if my Betta would get a long with it plus they are funny little fish

[@softstart100]

Best advice I have heard in a long time. Most of all the part where you explain addressing the problem first before addi g the cleaner fish. Love the music pick.

[@GirlTalksFish]

That giant oto at 6:46 is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your insights as usual!

[@tom7484]

hahahaha the music at the end made my day, thanks Rachel. Oh and good work so far with the daily volgging thing :)

[@D2ArkaAra]

Lovely assortment of fish! And the tank looks spectacular! Also I loved the edit at the end, wonderful action shots with the names popping up! I mean I already knew what the fish were but still awesome!

[@peculiarone339]

Four days in a row!! I could totally get used to this!! Someone amazing to watch/listen to while I teardown my humble fish room so we can properly deal with flood waters. ( Not caused by a water change - hhaahhaa!! I live in Manheim ) Thanks for being a bright spot in my day!! ( In all of our day ;) ) 😎

[@pmotta4545]

Wow.. Many thanks for this most important advice Rachel. Thanks for sharing 😀

[@plushdays8267]

I have a 75 gallon tank with 4 silver dollars, 5 black skirt tetras & an albino Bristlenose pleco. I decided to add 3 green corydora catfish to the community. It took them a couple of weeks to settle in. I’m enjoying them a lot!

[@sylviaclark8626]

My favorite 'cleaner' fish are my mystery snails and my ghost shrimp. They add so much personality to the tank like my slightly larger ivory snail is more active were the smaller ivory is shy. And my shrimp are amazing I could watch them all day just zooming around the tank and swimming and getting so excited when they find the snail jello just love it.

[@mrsmjs1550]

Absolutely love your two main points - 1, tend to the social needs of the fish and they'll be much better off and 2, while some species will "clean" our tanks, we still maintain the primary responsibility ourselves. Great video topic!

[@smwell5441]

I have 3 tanks that are interconnected, but with different purposes. The first is the "fish tank" that houses some Tetras and a Pleco. The Pleco does great cleaning this tank. The water and solid waste are sucked from the bottom of the fish tank into a filter tank. This is where I house my snails to break down the solid waste. This is also where I have my aerator since I don't mind not seeing the snails, and having it in the fish tank sometimes hides the fish. The surface water of the filter tank drains into the sump tank, which pumps water back into the fish tank. I monitor all three tanks for performance, and clean them all when necessary. So far, the filter tank is the only one I've had to collect any solids from.

[@sierrah2493]

I bought 3 Yoyo Loaches. I got them to help deal with my bladder snail problem in my newly cycled planted tank about 5 months ago. They cleared them out in one day and the shells were everywhere! They share a 40g with 7 Otocinclus and are very happy. I feed them frozen foods (they LOVE blood worms and shrimp) and blanched Zuchinni or peas for the otos every 3 days to give them a break off the algae. Although my loaches are greedy with the peas. I have a shrimp tank where I threw any bladder, pond or ramshorn snails into to breed and now I have a ton of them! My loaches get a nice live and noodley treat to slurp up twice a week now. My otos are just as cute. They relax on the amazon sword leaves, anxiously waiting for one of them to just start swimming so they can all huddle together like a cloud of darkness moving through my tank. Not to mention watching them clean algae on the glass and plants is always a cute wiggly plus.

[@johncastille8849]

My GF and I got a Beta to sort of test the waters on having fish. Nice sized tank, few live plants, a cool buddha statue with a filter and a light and a heater to go under the gravel. Had to learn the heater part the hard way since our first Beta, George the First died as we didn't know the poor thing had to be heated. Anyways, 2 weeks went by and we noticed some brown/green stuff everywhere... All over the tank glass, the plants, the statue, etc... Someone told us to get a snail so we got 2. A pretty big one and a smaller one. They've done a pretty great job at keeping the tank clean and George the Second is still alive after 3 months lol. We plan on getting another tank with more fish later on but this time we'll go a little bigger with a nice sized community. Thank you for this video as it was very informative.

[@rcb3000]

Everything you said is facts. I love my otocinclus. One or two of your videos actually influenced me on getting them. I now have 6 in my 20 gallon. At first yes I was unfortunately one of those who saw them as “cleaner fish.” They definitely help by eating a lot of the algae, but I actually learned from you to feed them zucchini. At first mine would only live a few week. Now three of them been living almost a year. They definitely produced a lot of waste on the substrate, but they help with other surfaces. I take care of them just as well as my other first. I really love them.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Well said! I like BN plecos in most of my tanks, but I agree water quality must be maintained by the hobbyist first.

[@swimskim5874]

Yeah,Totally agree. Get it primarily because you want it in your tank. Not because you want it to do your work for you.

[@williammartz5013]

I normally love adding amano shrimp to clean up algae. I don't feel they create a lot of waste, they are fun to watch and do such a good job cleaning up plants and even substrate.

[@kiwibird1980]

I'll admit I did get 4 little catfish to help keep the glass clear for my kids to see their fish in our 15g tank. However, we chose a few that would be social enough to be out and about and then the kids chose the ones they liked the look of. As a hang over from our 180gallon marine tank we like to use a backdrop of plants then create movement and interest with top, middle and bottom feeders :)

[@Ballacha]

Algae eaters are well worth it. And I have to disagree with some of the things you said Rachel. Algae eaters decrease the net waste (if you count both algae and fish poop as waste) amount in a planted tank. If a pleco ate 0.2 grams of algae today, it won’t poop 0.2 grams of waste out tomorrow. Because some of the food turned into energy enabling it to swim around all day, some turned into a part of the fish and made it grow a little. As for the poop, most of it dissolves into water as nitrogen compound that plants can use or can be got rid of by water change. What’s left behind is an insoluble aka chemically inert husk lying on top of the substrate that has no further impact on water parametre. You can just vacuum them away later. I’m aware that some algae eaters switch to a more protein focused diet when they mature. Those species do somewhat defeat the purpose if you keep adult ones. For me shrimps and bristlenose plecos have been working wonders. They are just scraping rocks and plants all day with no supplements other than the occasional fallen-through-the-crack fish food that I feed other schooling fish in the tank. Thanks to them, the only algae related maintenance I do now is rubbing of green spots on the glass once a month or so.

[@dgodfrey9189]

Algae isn't waste though. It doesn't contribute to your nitrates rising (if anything it might reduce them if you have lots of the stuff). Its unsightly, and it causes problems for plants, yes, but that's not the same thing. If you have a problem with it then you're better off identifying what the problem is and dealing with it, than throwing livestock at it. If you want to keep shrimp and BNs then that's fine (I deliberately encourage algae in my Hillstream loach tank for example), but you should be keeping them because you want to keep them, not because you want them to do a job that they may not do very well, or will do too well and will therefore need supplementary feeding-n when I had BN plecos I didn't have enough algae to feed them or the shrimp, so they got fed algae wafers and courgette, and again, I kept them because I wanted them, not because I ewxpectd them to "earn their keep".

[@Ballacha]

dgodfrey9189 it’s impossible to achieve precisely 0 excess of lighting or CO2 or ferts. So algae is inevitable. You can control those things to minimise algae but over time algae is still going to accumulate, especially on the surface of slow growing plants. If you view both algae and algae eaters’ poop as something you wanna get rid of, aka waste, it’s just better to have poop than algae most of the time.

[@dgodfrey9189]

But if you're doing the stuff to minimise algae anyway, then you'll need to supplement the algae eater's diet, because there often won't be enough food for them in a well maintained tank. The algae growth I get on my anubiases, for example, isn't going to feed a full grown BN pleco, and it accumulates slowly enough that pruning the most affected leaves is generally an option. Admittedly all my tanks are low-tech, I don't use ferts other than root tabs or a dose of flourish, and never use CO2, so perhaps that makes things easier to keep under control, and I have more time to deal with algae problems if they do crop up as everything develops more slowly. And I'd disagree that its better to have poop than algae- more poop means more ammonia that your filter has to process. BNs are chunky fish that produce a lot of waste compared to, say a similar sized rainbowfish, and this is something you need to be aware of when planning your stock, especially when putting them in small tanks as so many people do, at which point you end up with overstocked tanks where everything can go south so much faster. Algae doesn't do that, and again, is easier to control without livestock than people think.

[@Ballacha]

dgodfrey9189 i have 3 heavily planted setups with a combined volume of around 220L. so 12-15 juvenile plecos is the minimum i need even though im doing my best to calculate and anticipate the balance of light co2 and ferts. like i said, algae eaters tend to require more protein as they grow up. that's why i sell plecos when they reach certain size and buy new young ones to replace them. omnivores or carnivores' (aka most schooling fish) poop are much richer in ammonia than herbivores like juvenile pleco. the meat in omnivores and carnivores' diet is mostly protein, which breaks down to amino acids in their stomach then further breaks down into ammonia and gets pooped out. plant material in herbivore's diet consists of a very small amount of protein and mostly fibre, which can be pooped out with mo impact on water quality as fibre is insoluble. so plecos may very well be pooping more than a similar sized meat eater, but i can guarantee you their poop also contains way less ammonia than a similar sized meat eater. i do admit that shrimps are more of an aesthetic choice than a practical one. i like the way red cherries contrast with my green plants. but it's also convenient that they can process detritus and uneaten food into ammonia, which, i maintain, is much easier to manage in a heavily planted setup as long as you don't greedily overstock. i once bumped a quarter of a bottle of SC Flourish into my 110L. all i did was a 50% water change right after and NH4&NO2 was gone over 2 days and NO3 was back to 5-10ppm in just over a week (i did increase the CO2 to 12 hours, lighting to 14 hours and relocated some sensitive fish during that time). really, if you are worried about ammonia in a cycled tank, you've over stocked. the reason i started doing planted tanks is that i'm fairly lazy and don't want to do maintenance too often. i'd say overall i'm very close to my goal because i'm spending less time maintaining these 3 tanks comparing to my 2 old hardscape only species tank.

[@dgodfrey9189]

I had a 240L tank, whcih wasn't that heavily planted (sand substrate with root tabs, no CO2, weekly dose of Flourish, I was still trying to get the right balance of plants to grow in that tank when i had to give it up), and I had two male BN plecos in there, about 20-odd amanos, orange rabbit snails, and half a dozen nerites. Other than spots on the glass the nerites missed I never had algae- with that lot you wouldn't expect me to- but I also made sure that everyone got fed, because I doubted that would have been able to produce enough algae to feed everyone unless something was seriously wrong. I'm also really not a fan of only keeping fish for a short time and passing them on when they get too big- if you're going to buy a fish you should be prepared to care for it for its entire lifespan. If you can't you shouldn't be buying the fish in the first place. (Obviously you can't predict future circumstances- currently I only have two small tanks, my parents are left holding the 400L monster, and the 240 went to a friend). I agree that an equivalent sized meat eater will produce more ammonia than a BN pleco- but in that case you'dneed to be comparing your BN with something like a Hypancistrus zebra to make a meaningful comparison, rather than most schooling fish which weigh considerably less than pleco of similar length- something that people don't necessarily take into account with things like the 1" per gallon "rule" etc.

[@joydillard2038]

I'm becoming fascinated with nano bottom dwellers. Loving hillstream loaches, pygmy corydoras, and Asian stone catfish!!!

[@Iguana5k]

My kuhly loaches really help to keep my tank clean, not because they eat waste, but they slither through all the corners and gaps and disturb the detritis that builds up there so it gets back into the stream of the filter where it gets sucked up.

[@benshaw3891]

I have no problem with the idea of cleaner fish or plants. Provided those doing so are knowledgeable about their purchases, and do their own research. Using a living thing as an aquarium “hack” is only a problem when those doing so are either lazy or ignorant.

[@perfect12386]

I love my common plec, Sirius Almost Black. I bought him thinking he'd keep my algae in check not knowing that he would grow to be a lean mean pooping machine! He also likes cucumber more than algae. He has a slight cucumber problem and is totally spoilt! 😍

[@lemonlizard1]

I was always planning on adding otos to the tank. Didn't matter how much algae there was. They've always been super cute and fascinating fish, algae cleaning is just a bonus. I think that's how 'cleaner' fish should be treated. Cleaning is a bonus

[@carlheller6648]

My favorite cleaning fish is my hand using magic eraser. I love my 6 yoyo leach.

[@62fastcar]

Carl Heller Is Magic Eraser safe for fish?

[@RachelOLeary]

The original ones are

[@dgodfrey9189]

Mine's the "razorblade onna stick" fish for getting algae off the glass. But I like nerites, so I don't touch the back and leave the rocks alone too.

[@skunkcabbages5040]

Totally agree, just got a used tank that came with their old fish, 2 and only 2 clown loaches, and a foot long plecostomus, and they were feeding a small amount of flake for both, while i plan on rehoming the clown loaches, as 5 foot long loaches won't fit even in a 60 gallon, still the first thing I did was run out and get algae wafers for them

[@jamiebaker6516]

I couldn't agree more. I'm having a really hard time making sure my rubberlip pleco is getting enough to eat because he's so good at hiding. Every time I drop in algae wafers my two SAEs and myriad platies just jump on it. The pleco is timid and doesn't want to fight for its food.

[@SeanOkkotsu]

I recommend an empty aquarium for algae, water changes and cleaning problems... You're welcome!

[@carlapappalardo1901]

It's funny I don't even really think of most of the fish you mentioned as cleaner fish. I think of them as cool fish I want to own for their behavior or visual. But, it's definitely nice to have someone come behind the fish that god forbid the food got too close to the ground...

[@thomaspenoyer9711]

Thanks, good information to keep in mind. It may be best to be happy with a small number of manageable fish, ( for them and for enjoyment of a nice tank).

[@wickytack1032]

I agree, cleaner fish should never be treated as just the clean up crew. They are important animals too. I personally love the plecos.

[@thegamingchannel6526]

Same i got 168 of them

[@Sosueet]

I started a fish tank 15 years ago, I bought a one inch plecostomus as a "cleaner" fish. Here now, fifteen years later, I have only that pleco in my 50gal tank, and that's it. He cleaned it, he even got rid of all those other pesky fish I had in there >.> Owell, I kind of love him even if he was an ugly accident.

[@savannam.7048]

I have nerites that help a little bit with cleanup, but every critter in any of my tanks is there because I love them. I have one tank with a group of ottos, it's a bigger tank with lots of plants and wood. I love anything that could be called or related to catfish. I keep corydoras because I simply love them. I love snails and shrimp, too. But all of these guys are in appropriate environments and I put cleaning duty in my hands. Water changed and gravel vac, with the occasional scrub, keep my tank nice. I don't go "clean crazy," because I want enough grazing food for my Ottos and nerites. A tank is an ecosystem and it's best to keep it balanced. Adding a bunch of stock to fix a problem is unfair to those fish. What happens when there's nothing left or they get too big? If you have an algae problem, snail problem, anything out of control, you need to find the cause and fix it. Many issues that take a long time to happen and spread can take a long while to fix. Patience is so important! I think some people see "cleaner" fishes as a quick fix that will do the work for them, and if that's the case, I really don't think that fishkeeping is the hobby for them. Tanks always require work and patience to be at their best! This is of course just my own opinion.

[@josephlabranch6595]

Have you ever kept woodcats?

[@nengoglongbonk339]

I have a big tank just for my striped Raphael catfish and a young salvin's cichlid. Armored catfish like platydoras and megalodoras are easily my favorite fish to keep. When given plenty of space and there are less active fish during the day they are very active.

[@alexisgeorgia]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 this girl here

[@seandroid23]

The work and constant battle of trying to build, balance, and dial in your tank is the fun part of fishkeeping to me.

[@dsmith6868]

I prefer making my tank into an ecosystem. Rather than stock only one or two species in a tank and then get another tank for another species...I prefer to put several "complimentary" species in the same tank. A planted tank, with nerite snail, shrimp and nano fish of my choice where the bioload is handled by the plants and shrimp and snails (and micros). That type of ecosystem will require little to no involvement from me, just as it would in nature. I merely monitor it and gain the benefits of seeing it in action. If action is needed, then I do it. but if the ecosystem is properly setup, little to no action is usually required. I personally don't use any of the "cleaner fish" mention here though because that's not my preference and their bioload doesn't fit in my parameters, but I do use organisms that "clean". Snails and shrimp increase bioload for sure but the plants that I use not only handle it, they thrive on it. That said, we all choose how we use our tanks and what we prefer to have in them. Just because your choice differs from mine, does not make it a wrong choice and vice-versa. To each their own. So long as the occupants are healthy, who are we to judge?

[@djssquibbs3295]

that's an awesome tank! I can't watch till the end of your videos BECAUSE I get sooo motivated and inspired by you, I will leave your content on but since I found you, you only motivate and inspire me to work on my tanks thank you so much for everything you do. Saludos desde Costa Rica. If I ever have the chance to hear you speak it would be an dream come true. :)

[@Jennifermwb]

I love my ottos. They live in a 45g planted community tank. I can be lazy about algea. But I dont mind doing a gravel vac and water change regularly. So they are perfect for me. They keep the algea at bay and I keep the tank clean otherwise. But I would never have added them if I was not prepared for the added work or their care.....or if I didn't just like them to begin with. I think too many pet stores tell people that a certain fish is going to make their tanks maintenance free and we all know that isnt true.

[@amandawitherspoon3988]

I started out getting my first fish tank to entertain my cat. I had a 20 gallon long tank with 12 peppered catfish. They are fun to watch. I have 8 tanks now. I have peppered, bronze, albino, panda, and one type that I can't identify. They are caramel brown on top, white on the bottom, and a black stripe down each side.

[@jar0ffarts3]

I have 2 tanks and am infatuated with catfish plecos and loaches. I want more tanks but I have 2 children who are on the spectrum and my wife and I think it’s a good idea to wait till they are a little older to put one up. Love your videos and and you are the reason I got back into the hobby after around 15 years without a tank. Thank you for all the great info and inspiration.

[@RachelOLeary]

I am glad you did! Best of luck with the tanks, and the family!

[@LaurenReillyTheFreak]

Such a great video. Great advice for proper and ethical fish keeping that more hobbyist need to know! The ONE time I added something to “clean” my aquarium was when I was having a terrible green water issue with a new nano tank set up. I added 100 Daphnia and they cleared it up in 4 days never to return again. Sad thing is they all died after cleaning the tank :(

[@Thungur1337]

i do have a planted fluval edge and i keep two siamese algea eaters. And when they get to big i take them to the store and give it to them and bring home new smaller ones.

[@bluefrancis14]

Otocinclus. Unfortunately, you are right. They require a specialized diet. It was hard balancing their needs by cranking up the light to hasten algae growth.

[@emmanuelramoncerrer6390]

I have rabbit snails that help in consuming leftover food as well as stir up the my find sand substrate. I feed them twice a week with algae wafers and mulberry leaves.

[@kzookid2051]

The green neons and otos are so fun to watch. A few years ago I got a group of otos to help with algae, knowing they'd need supplemental feeding eventually. And, of course, what goes in will come out. So, my main reason I got them was because they're a blast to watch, wiggling all over the place. Algae or not, they're great to have in a tank. Otos and cories are my two gotta-have fish in any tank. Even when the other fish are feeling shy or snoozing, those two groups will always be poking around somewhere.

[@silverkiss37]

Wow, I could literally watch that aquarium forever!! It is so beautiful and the fish are so happy and healthy and you can tell they are in an environment that is very close to their natural habitat. Thanks for sharing! *HEY RACHEL!* KZbin has channels where you can see videos of like say, an hour long video of someone's fish tank put on a loop with some relaxing music. Exactly like you did at the end! I bet people would really like watching your fish to relax! I'd watch it! Anyhoo, it's just a thought. 😋💞

[@clintparsons3989]

Otos are so comical and adorable! I have like 10 in my 48 gallon. I like them for their own sake.

[@bettyendsley8720]

Very good information and I had to learn the hard way that for me, my best cleaner is not adding a fish , it's me.

[@VyvienneEaux]

I really like the Malaysian trumpet snail+ sandbed combo. All the detritus gets swept into the sand, where it fertilizes the plant roots. The only problem plant I've had that was uprooted by MTS was Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan,' which was planted in my aquascaped fishbowl. This isn't the best place to share this, but it's an amazing algae control tip I recently discovered and you'll get more engagement: 1.5 mL 3% hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water kills the extremely pesky, fast-growing, hard-to-eliminate cladophora algae! I was at my wit's end, thinking I was going to have to tear down one of my tanks that had this algae infesting the lava rock. Then I dripped a dilute solution of H2O2 into my tank (final concentration in tank of 1.5 mL H2O2 per gallon), placing the end of the dripping apparatus submerged in the tank over the problem area. In two days, I returned to find all the cladophora algae in my tank brown and dead! It was the most effective algae treatment I'd ever done, and it didn't hurt the shrimp, fish, or snails at all. The only problem was that it killed the leaves of my two Potamogeton species, but it's no problem as these are extremely fast-growing rhizome plants with a reputation for having delicate leaves. I just cut them all out at the base, and they're already growing back a few days later. The moss in the tank was better than unharmed and started growing at twice the speed, too, which really shows how much it was competing with the algae.

[@jefferymanton3914]

I kept a group of five clown loaches in my old 125 gallon aquarium. They were so much fun to watch in their synchronized swimming routines. My red tail shark used to join in, too!

[@adrianmark613]

I don't how to say this but I don't consider my Corys, bladder snails, & black Molly as a cleaner fish. They are a part of my community tank. The Corys eat the leftover from the guppies, but also I gave them their own sinking pellet. The snails, eat some of the algae, while breeding tons. And I crushed the snails as a snacks for the Cory & guppies, also moly. And the moly do eat some of the algae on the stone and plants. Just haven't got Chery shrimp and otocinclus

[@bot-tp4nb]

I got otocinclus to deal with algae, I soon learnt that the problem could be easily prevented with a decrease in lighting hours and amount of food fed. I still love them and they're really interesting but I agree with you. Most problems could be solved without adding a fish species

[@gilesh1260]

Thanks I was just getting stressed worried about what particular cleaning fish I would add to my 29 gallon I didn't want to pile a lot of fish unnecessarily in there cuz I have other species that I'm interested in so thanks keep up the good work you help me out 👍

[@MrDanAng1]

I like to have "cleaners" to make hard problems into easier problems. Something that eat algea produce poop, but algea are hard to get tid of, while poop is easily siphoned out during water changes, and the filters can take care of the ammonia and nitrite. So yes, cleaner fish or shrimps solve a problem and ass to another, but they solve one problem and leave another I have to deal with anyway. That's a Fair deal. And of course, I agree that any organism in the aquarium require good conditions and nutririons to thrive, so taking care of the "cleaners" is important. My favorite is Amano shrimps, they eat a wide variety of algae and thrive in a wide variaty of water parameters and they eat pretty much any food.

[@irtehdar2446]

I keep a pretty wide array of ''cleaner'' creatures in pretty sizable numbers. I dont keep them to clean my tanks. I keep them because they are IMO more interesting than alot of the freeswimming fish. I just consider it a great bonus that any funk in my tank is continously being pulled up into the watercolumn to be eaten by my filter.

[@jeffersonmoore3768]

Kuli loach is my favorite. Then clown loach. But i haven't either. Like you said i don't have the tank space for a group.

[@bystandard239]

I have a 55g with 30 exodon and as they are a very active and aggressive schooling species it is difficult to home anything else with them to balance the tank. I have had good luck with my picks for tank mate for them with cories (masked) and pit bull plecos (L025) as well as large amano shrimp. I tried a SAE but it was harassed even though it was twice the exodon size. Lots of plants for resting in and adding a new light bloomed the algae hence the helpers( I know its against the videos theme but...)

[@yolo9050]

otocinclus are my favorite, hands down. I can scrub the sides of my tank, no issues, but I have got lots and lots and lots *and lots* of plants, and my smaller more delicate plants are a nightmare to remove algae from. Got a few otocinclus, clean plants and happy otos!

[@ThatBorderlineGuy]

Love my corys and panda garra, but like you say, I would never refer to them as cleaner fish because I adore them and want them for a lot more than what they can provide my tank in terms of algae maintenance.

[@tsarminyabright984]

I read that as Clear fish 😊. I have corydoras because I love them. Same for the pleco and mystery snails (such poopers!) The Amano and cherry shrimp were for clean up and because I like to watch them. I'm the clean up crew, me and my python 😎

[@ladywarrior1775]

I like what you are saying here... I did buy 6 otto's to help with algae but I also got them some wafters and twice a week give them some zucchini supplementing their diet. I have come to adore them and don't think of them solely as cleaner fish.... the betta, ottos, and Dalmatian molly's are my favorite fish. They are the one's I can keep in a 10-20 gallon tank. I have a 20 right now I'm doing everything wrong with but... I'm working on getting it right. I have to say though I love watching the ottos and the betta swim. I'm not getting molly's right now because first it's the betta's territory... and I have 7 fish right now in the tank.... adding 3 molly's or four might over stock it... so... right now I'm water changing twice every week and I might even step that up for now... now that I've seen this video.... Thank you for this video!

[@stephenmellis9423]

I had a HUGE snail problem. I got 3 pygmy puffers and one clown loach. They wiped out the snails in the tank but then I could't get shrimp because the loach would eat the shrimp. I did just start with adding live plants. Even got some moss balls. My problem is water quality and dropping PH. I thought clams would help but they never last more than a couple of days ... probably due to the low PH. I started more often water changes and just started to use prime. Still the PH drops - A constant struggle!

[@michellekieszek409]

Very good advice and is it is true. My favorite cleaner fish are pygmy corydoras. I have them to eat some of bettas food but they are also feed them their own food. I like shrimp and snails too

[@knrgaquatics8032]

I use alot of plecos at least 1 per tank but I also have a small fish room and everything gets cleaned minimally once a week

[@chayos00]

I just came across the Giant Oto (Hypoptopoma gulare) on an online seller's site a few weeks ago and wanted to get some. I'm suddenly stoked seeing them in your tank! Here's to hoping they get them back in stock!

[@BenAfricanCichlids]

I keep oto cats in my guppy tank because they are about the same sizes. They help with algea and I feed them zucchini and cucumbers to make sure they have a ballance diet.

[@hrbacon]

I have a 10 year old chungus pleco I bought as a cleaner fish in my planted tank. There isn't anything wrong with that, he keeps my glass clean so I don't have to constantly scrape it. Some fish are pretty, some are tools to fill a niche.

[@BenAfricanCichlids]

I have a large group of cory cat in my rainbows fish tank. The rainbows barely ever go to the bottom of the tank so the corys give lots of action at the bottom of the tank. I do over feed to make sure the corys always find food.

[@sandyrak-salerno3705]

I am not an aquarium expert, but I like your point of view. The fish’s wellbeing should go first, not a selfish quick fix solution to lower maintenance needs. All fish are equally beautiful and should all be considered on the same level, as God’s lovely creation that we are fortunate to be able to keep and care for.

[@benarro2630]

Fantastic reflections. Really showing a lot of great insight here :)

[@turnipsucks6416]

Great explanation. Targeting a quote unquote snail problem is only taking away balance to algae and waste eaters. And ignoring there needs nutritionally and there waste production only adds to your problem.

[@TheBalanceKeeper9]

I have "cleaner" fish in my tank just because they're fun to watch; black/banded coolies and ghost shrimp. If they happen to clean allege or uneaten flake food awesome (especially in the hard to clean areas whoot!). I find that mystery snails are handy with alleges and the eggs are easy to remove unlike nerite snails.

[@PullingYourStrings]

I love cory schools! And plecos of course, little poopers. Black mollies helped a bit against BBA, but not enough to make it disappear. I need to do my research if I can keep them with my blue acaras, convicts and single male princess cichlid. I recently made the switch to 'mild' cichlids.

[@rebeccamartin7696]

I agree with not using a "cleaner species" just to fix a problem, but I'm planning a tank that I'm really looking forward to adding a few of these types - mainly because I really like them!! I wanted to get otos (love them!), but may have to rethink that after watching one of your videos. Didn't realize they were schoolers. I love the little khuli loaches too, so I'm planning on a group of those. People definitely need to make sure their needs are paid attention to just as much, though. I guess I just didn't think twice about making sure EVERYTHING in my tank is accommodated and happy!

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

I had Nerite snails and loved them for what they were, their taste for algea was just a handy bonus. Unfortunately they started dying and turned into little 'ammonia bombs' very quickly despite me watching them like a hawk and getting them out of the thank ASAP - I'd even separate individuals in a floated plastic container if I thought it looked 'off' in an attempt to stop them polluting the water of they died during the night. I think they were fully grown when I got them so just died of old age, but I don't think I'd get them again until such times as I start keeping hard water species.

[@mechanicalbees7698]

I am so happy you brought up the cleaner's needs as well. Very important for a happy and successful tank. I have goldfish that will eat everything so with my cory cats I will chop their wafers very very fine and feed larger pellets to the goldies win win!

[@ameliaskyye]

I didn’t get my corys as a clean up crew I just loved the fish and they were just fascinating to watch! When I first got into them I didn’t even know till I did research that they were cleaners ! It was a bonus tho😁 I’m getting a 50 gallon and gonna get a bunch of them in there! I can’t waittt!

[@eeehhh982]

I have amanos and tangerine tigers and I love them. They turn most of my algae into fertilizer while also being extremely fun to watch. My favorite is seeing all the shrimp run out to grab the food that hits the sand during feedings.

[@ramming_robbo5396]

I have plecos in all 4 of my tanks to help keep the glass clean but to me its easier for me to do a bigger water change and gravel vac then it is to clean the glass everyday

[@BadHandBand]

You make an excellent point, very thoughtful. I absolutely loved the footage at the end, such a nice community tank, I want that same tank in my house.

[@EmDInside9]

I have a tank with white sand and it's been hard to keep clean. I added 5 otocinclus (I planned on 6 originally but stock was low) and within 2 days the sand is perfect again. Only other fish in the tank is one pretty peaceful Betta, and a couple snails. Oto are adorable and they actually did wonders for me!

[@Nebularon]

My favourite cleaner fish are the siamese algae eaters. Been having them for a year and they've grown huge. Got 4 of them and they are incredibly fun to watch. I love them.

[@vire559]

Never thought about this before. Tks for your help

[@Voeris1]

I just added some cherry shrimp yesterday. I see them more as buddies who help me, slightly, with the cleaning than anything else. (besides obviously enjoying their behavior and appearance)

[@savannahrae9122]

I just love fish that suck on the glass so cute, I once had otto's and an apple snail so cute when the ottos would sit on the snails shell

[@evakoole376]

Love the videos Rachel, thanks!! My number 1 fish to keep (not just as a 'cleaner' fish) are my beautiful corydoras. For a long time I have only kept a nice group op panda corys, a nice group of pygmy corys and some shrimp. Corys are my absolute favourite! They are just the cutest, wiggling around and swimming through the aquarium together and once in a while, produce some adorable fry!

[@markrogers9907]

Thank you for doing this video. I was always wondering how effective "cleaner" fish were. I always thought they would just make my maintenance slightly easier, but still have to do it mostly myself. This video answered that. As for a species I want to try out would be the fiddler crab as a substrate cleaner. They looks so much fun could watch em with that little arm cleaning my substrate all day! Keep up the great work Rachel!

[@JesAbella]

The music in the end is so cute!! 💛💛💛💛