Clean Up Crew for Dwarf Puffer Tank

[PNWAquatics]

Hi everyone!

I have a 26 gallon planted pea puffer tank. Are there any detritivores I can add to eat the food the puffers miss? Though the water quality is good, the tank just looks a little bit dirty and I have some algae (some black beard, some green spot). The tank is about two years old. I do about 50% water changes weekly to biweekly.

Thanks!

 

[wishuponafish]

Amano shrimp are a good one, they will eat both algae and scraps. Also, malaysian trumpet snails in my experience have been cunning enough to burrow during the day and only come out at night to eat scraps and poop, and occasionally provide the puffers a snack.

 

[carsonsgjs]

I’ve seen some people keep otocinclus with pea puffers too. I keep my pea puffers on their own though so can’t speak from experience on that.

 

[PNWAquatics]

Amano shrimp are a good one, they will eat both algae and scraps. Also, malaysian trumpet snails in my experience have been cunning enough to burrow during the day and only come out at night to eat scraps and poop, and occasionally provide the puffers a snack.

I'll look into amano shrimp, thank you! My only worry is that my water is super soft (about 22 TDS coming out of the tap and about 2 dKH). I've had ghost shrimp die before because they fail to molt. Is there anything I can add?

I’ve seen some people keep otocinclus with pea puffers too. I keep my pea puffers on their own though so can’t speak from experience on that.

Thanks for the suggestion! I like Otos but I'm worried that I don't have enough algae to sustain them. I'm mostly stuck with the stuff they won't eat (black beard and green spot).