Reid

Hey fellow JD fish keepers! I searched the JD forum for "bottom feeders" and got no results.

I was wondering if anyone had any luck keeping a bottom feeder with their JDs? As all of you know, they are messy eaters, and I would LOVE if I had a clean up crew for some of that mess so I don't have to concentrate so much on their feeding area when I do my water changes.

Here is my tank set up and info:

75g
Water pH - 7.2
Temperature - 78
2 JD, one male one female, both around 5 months old
I preform a 20% water change weekly, vacuuming out the feeding area, and a different section of the bottom each week. I change one part of my filter media every 4 weeks, (cleaning the media bi-weekly in some of the water from the tank during water change) except the sponge, I just squeeze the crud out of it once a month. I feed the JDs Cichlid Attack sinking pellets and the occasional frozen blood worms.

Has anyone here had any luck with bottom feeders? Thanks for your time!! Cheers!

AlyeskaGirl

2-3 Pictus Catfish would make an excellent addition. They grow to about 6" and are very active.

Reid

I like pictus cats! Have you kept pictus cats with JD before? I would love to have a couple of pictus cats in my tank!

Has anyone else kept any other cleaners in with their JDs?

harpua2002

I keep a group of 5 botia modesta in a 75 gallon tank with a JD, parrot, and severum. They are a bit aggressive and can certainly hold their own with your JDs. They'll appreciate a lot of hiding places, but are quite active once they settle in. A raphael catfish or synodontis would probably work instead if you like those better.

AlyeskaGirl

Yes, I used to have a 9" male JD that I raised with 2 Pictus Cats. They got along great! I even put 2 new ones in with him when I lost the first two and he didn't mind at all. They are good tankmates for JDs.

Reid

I decided to go with the pictus cats!! I went to Big Al's yesterday and inquired when they were going to have them in and they told me they would call me when they had a solid date. I am going to get 2 of them, and I think that will complete the tank. I am also building a cave system that I think they are going to enjoy. Ill post the pictures of the build in the DIY section when its complete, it should be a good one!

Thank you for the suggestions!! I think the pictus cats are going to make a GREAT addition to the JD tank!

capekate

Hi Ried
I think that the Pictus cats are a great addition with the JDs. There are a number of folks and a mod here that keep them with their JDs.
I have a Striped Raphael Catfish, tho not with the JDs, but as nice looking as they are, they pretty much hide away in a cave, so you wont get to see them much unless its feeding time. Good choice with the Pictus, a great active catfish! Best of luck with the order and hope that BigAls gets them soon for you.

AlyeskaGirl

Awesome, you will love them! They do have barbs on their fins and get caught real easy in a net. The best way to catch them is with a plastic cup so you wont hurt them.