Bottom Feeder fish play a crucial role in freshwater aquariums by eating food and debris that sink to the tank bottom, helping to keep the substrate clean.
They also add diversity and interest to the tank. Choosing the right bottom feeder species for your aquarium depends on factors like tank size, water parameters, and temperament towards other fish. Here are some of the best freshwater bottom feeders.
Top-bottom feeder fish
Bristlenose Pleco
The bristle nose pleco (Ancistrus spp) is one of the most popular bottom-feeder fish for home aquariums. These armored catfish reach 3-5 inches in length, showing off the signature bristles on the males’ noses as they mature.
Bristlenose plecos are hardy, undemanding fish that spend most of their time foraging algae from tank surfaces.
Being efficient algae eaters, they help keep plant leaves and decor clean.
Peaceful by nature, bristle nose plecos get along well with other community tank residents.
They prefer water temperatures between 70 and 82°F and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH, with moderate water flow. Though omnivores, they require vegetable matter in their diet, like zucchini, spinach, and algae wafers.
Provide them with plenty of hiding spots, like caves and driftwood. Due to their small adult size and gentle temperament, bristle nose plecos are perfect for 10–20 gallon planted aquariums.
Clown Pleco
The clown pleco (Panaque maccus) makes an excellent addition for dedicated aquarists looking to add interest to larger planted tanks. These personable Loricariid catfish reach 5-7 inches when fully grown.
Their most striking feature is the prominent suckermouth, surrounded by fleshy, mobile tentacles. Clown plecos constantly use their tentacles to probe crevices for food, providing hours of fascination.
Clown plecos are found in riffle areas of fast-moving rivers with rocky substrates and wood debris. In-home aquariums appreciate moderate currents, oxygenated water, and plenty of hiding places.
Give them driftwood, clay pots, or rock piles to explore and nibble on. Though mostly herbivorous, clown plecos also eat insect larvae, worms, and aufwuchs in the wild. Provide a varied diet, including vegetables, quality pellet/flake foods, and occasional meaty items.
These social bottom dwellers do well in groups, though adults may spar over prime territories. A 30-gallon planted tank or larger is recommended to house them.
Ensure water parameters match their slightly acidic, soft water natural habitat. With the proper habitat, clown plecos can live over 10 years in captivity.
Zebra Nerite Snail
The zebra nerite (Neritina natalensis sp. zebra) is hands down the most effective algae-eating snail available to home aquarists.
Their voracious appetite tackles undesirable “green spot” algae, along with green dust, brown diatoms, and hair types. Zebras reach just over 1/2 inch in size with distinctive black and yellow striped shells.
Unlike some other nerites, they cannot breed in freshwater.
Avoid mixing zebra nerites with plant species valued primarily for their leaves, which they may riddle with holes while grazing.
Instead, keep them with hardy plants like Anubis, java fern, crypts, and mosses. The one drawback is that zebra nerites require calcium-rich water with a pH above 7 to properly build their shells.
They thrive in hard water aquariums with a layer of mineral substrate they can graze on. Provide sinking algae pellets to supplement the algae available.
In the proper setup, zebra nerites are undemanding, interesting scavengers, perfect for nano tanks.
Red Lizard Whiptail Catfish
The red lizard whiptail catfish (Rineloricaria parva) brings a splash of color and activity to the bottom strata of planted aquariums.
In addition to their bright red-orange coloration, they constantly swim over tank surfaces in an upside-down position, searching for food with their suckermouths.
Red lizard whiptails max out at around 2.5 inches in length, making them suitable for 10-gallon or larger planted community setups.
In terms of care, red lizard whiptails need moderately warm water, excellent filtration, frequent water changes, and high oxygenation levels.
They graze constantly on algae, aufwuchs, and microorganisms coating leaves and decor. Offer them plenty of hiding places and cracks to pick around in.
Tank mates like dwarf cichlids, smaller tetras, rasboras, and peaceful bottom feeders make good companions. Avoid mixing red lizard whiptails with large or aggressive species.
Yoyo Loach
The yoyo loach (Botia almorhae) adds excitement and activity to freshwater planted tanks, zipping around the bottom level looking for food.
Their slender bodies reach 4-5 inches in length, patterned with clear vertical bands and yoyo-shaped splotches.
Yoyos use an invertebrate extract called botia toxin to establish a dominance hierarchy and communicate their moods. When stressed or competing for food, they may “flash” darker colors as a warning signal.
Yoyo loaches hail from fast moving streams in India and Pakistan with sandy/gravel substrates. Recreate conditions in home aquariums by providing moderate current and fine gravel they can sift mouthfuls through their gills to extract edible matter.
Offer plenty of hiding places near the bottom using rocks, driftwood, and live plants. Though peaceful most of the time, yoyos spar with tankmates over desirable shelter sites or tasty morsels.
Keep yoyos in small schools of 5–6 to disperse aggression and allow natural shoaling behavior. Suitable tank mates include other loaches, rasboras, tetras, danios, dwarf cichlids, bristle nose plecos, and similar community species. With good conditions, yoyos may live over 10 years.
Zebra Oto
The zebra oto, scientific name Otocinclus cocama, also called zebra otocinclus or zebra pleco, is a stunning addition for planted aquariums 15 gallons or larger.
Growing under 2 inches in length, these dwarf suckermouth catfish constantly graze on algae coatings, keeping tank surfaces spotless.
Most distinctive are their bright white and charcoal stripes running the length of their torpedo-shaped bodies.
In terms of habitat, zebra otos need highly oxygenated water, moderate current, and excellent filtration to mimic their stream origins. Soft, slightly acidic water helps maintain their skeletal structure, as they lack true bone.
Dense planting is a must to replace their wild habitat and infuse them with natural cover and grazing material. Provide supplemental foods like blanched zucchini, algae wafers, and micro pellet formulas. Though diminutive in size, zebra otos thrive when kept in mixed shoals of 6–8.
Suitable tank mates include neon tetras, celestial pearl danios, ember tetras, chili rasboras, pygmy cories, and peaceful community species that occupy other levels of the aquascape. With excellent care, zebra oto lifespans often exceed 5 years.
Gold Laser Cory
The gold laser cory (Corydoras aeneus) makes a stayout-of-the-way clean-up crew member for planted community tanks. Tawny brown in base color with bright white patterning, they reach just over 2 inches in length when mature.
Gold lasers spend hours sifting through the substrate with their sensitive barbels, snacking on uneaten foods and organic debris missed by other tank residents.
In terms of care, provide gold lasers with groups of fine-leaved stem plants and floater types like hornwort to act as cover and diffuse lighting. They prefer water temperatures in the range of 72–79 °F and moderately soft, neutral pH levels.
Though omnivores by nature, gold lasers thrive when offered quality flake foods, supplemented with treats like bloodworms, brine shrimp, and live blackworms.
Keep gold lasers in groups of at least 6 individuals to encourage natural schooling activity and behavior. Suitable tank mates include smaller tetras, danios, rasboras, hatchet fish, angelfish, and peaceful barbs under 4 inches in length at maturity.
When set up properly, gold laser cory lifespans typically exceed 5 years.
Pygmy Cory
Pygmy cories encompass several very similar diminutive cory species from South America that only reach about 1 inch in length when fully grown.
In-home aquariums, frequently hybridize but share comparable care needs and behavioral quirks. All pygmy cories feature translucent bodies patterned with spots and charcoal gray markings.
These tiny bottom foragers use their mouth barbels like metal detectors, constantly probing the substrate and tank surfaces for microscopic foods.
Shy by nature, they appreciate densely planted tanks with leaf litter, fine gravel substrate, cave work, and floating plants that provide cover and infuse surface biofilm to graze on. Keep water parameters on the soft, acidic side.
Though tiny, pygmy cories are extremely active and social. They should be maintained in large schools of 10 or more individuals.
Suitable tank mates include small peaceful tetras, rasbora species, endler’s livebearers, CPDs, fishless shrimp/snail tanks, and betta setups without fin-nipping species. Properly cared for pygmy corydoras live 3+ years.
Dwarf Chain Loach
Dwarf chain loaches (Ambastaia sidthimunki), also called pygmy chain loaches, rank among the most promising freshwater species newly imported to the aquarium hobby.
Like their larger cousins, they inhabit fast moving hill streams with incredibly oxygenated, pristine water conditions.
These little bottom dwellers grow an inch or less fully grown, decorated by subtle variations in patterning between their seven pale and iridescent horizontal stripes.
Tank-raised specimens eagerly accept a wide variety of foods, like larval, live, and freeze-dried offerings, as well as herbivore preparations. They spend hours sifting through fine gravel/sand substrates, ingesting edible particles.
Peaceful by nature, dwarf chains ignore other tank residents outside of their kind, keeping mainly to themselves.
Provide pygmy chain loaches with moderate to heavy water current, smooth river stones, clean water, areas of fine sand, plenty of hiding places, and the best filtration possible.
Dim ambient lighting encourages natural behavior. Groups of 10+ individuals kept in appropriate aquascapes often display fascinating schooling and burrowing behaviors over the long term.
Rosy Loach
The rosy loach (Yunnanilus cruciatus) makes a gorgeous display fish for planted aquarium enthusiasts seeking unique bottom dwellers.
As adults, males reach just 1.5 inches, versus 2 inches for females. Their most striking feature remains the rose pink wash overlying silvery white bodies and unpaired fins.
Beautiful red fins flash like flags when displaying them to potential mates or chasing off rivals.
In terms of habitat preferences, rosy loaches need highly oxygenated water and relatively fast currents to mimic their stream origins.
Fine gravel, a mix of smooth river stones and pea gravel substrates, works well to provide suitable foraging opportunities. Dither fish, like active schooling cyprinids, make ideal tank mates.
Avoid combining rosy loaches with pushy, territorial, or nippy species in smaller tanks.
Rosy loaches feed primarily from the water column but also pick up small organisms from crevices and surfaces.
Habrosus Cory
Sporting leopard spot banding over silver bodies, Habrosus corys stand out in home aquariums thanks to their outgoing, active behaviors.
These little armored catfish grow an inch and a half fully grown, occupying the upper levels of tank water compared to their bottom-hugging cory cousins.
Native to coastal regions of Brazil, they inhabit brackish streams and estuaries decorated with leaf litter and wood.
Tank raised Habrosus corys thrive in standard freshwater aquariums with fine sand substrates and moderate current. Unlike most corys, Habrosus tolerates slightly brackish conditions well.
But avoid keeping them with aggressive tank mates or species known to fin nip or bully smaller fish. They spend hours searching the tank panorama for edible tidbits, providing a foreground level of activity.
In terms of diet, Habrosus corys accept a variety of offerings like micro pellets, blanched veggies, quality flake foods, frozen treats, and live offerings.
Feed them sparingly, just once or twice daily, to prevent leftover decay issues and maintain water quality.
Bandit Cory
The bandit cory catfish (Corydoras metae) is an active, fun-loving tank resident known for playful antics. These little armored catfish reach just over an inch in length when mature.
Steel gray bodies sport distinctive black “Zorro” masks and contrasting white spots peppered down their sides.
Found in shallow creeks and flooded plains of the Amazon basin, bandits appreciate moderate currents and clean, well-oxygenated water.
Shallow fine gravel substrates work well with smooth pea gravel accents, along with ample plant cover, including floater types. Provide plenty of hiding places in the form of aquarium caves and tunnels to explore.
Though diminutive in size, bandits are extremely active swimmers who spend hours patrolling tank levels in search of edible tidbits. They thrive when kept in schools of 8 or more individuals.
Offer a varied omnivore diet, including quality pellet preparations and flake foods supplemented with occasional frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, worm feeds, and blanched veggies.
With excellent care, Bandit Cory’s lifespans exceed 5 years. Suitable tank mates include small rasboras, tetras, CPDs, celestial pearl danios, white cloud mountain minnows, and other nano species.
FAQ
Do bottom feeders clean the tank?
Yes, most bottom-dwelling species clean leftover food and debris from tank surfaces and substrates. Their grazing helps control algae and detritus buildup. But you still need to perform routine tank maintenance.
How many bottom feeders can I put in my aquarium?
This depends on factors like tank size, filtration capacity, types of bottom feeders, tank mates, etc. As a general rule of thumb, allow 1 inch of bottom-feeding fish per 5–10 gallons of aquarium capacity. Avoid overstocking.
Can I keep bottom feeders with betta fish or shrimp?
Yes, many make great betta tank mates, like small cories, bristle nose plecos, and nerite snails. Avoid fin nippers. Shrimp tanks also work well, though you may need supplemental shrimp foods.
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