your choice for bottom dwellers

First off, I love cories but we will exclude them from this topic. I'm looking for something different, active, and possibly useful eating leftovers (not for primary food). I listed fish I've never tried yet. Keep in mind this is not for any specific tank size/setup.

For catfish I've always wanted to try:
*haplo (hear nothing but good things)
*pictus (very active)
*raphael (looooove to hide apparently)

loaches: (I like the eel/snake look)
*kuhli
*dojo

plecos:
*gold nugget (pretty...for a pleco)
*clown
*whiptail (unique)

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts/preferences on any of these, or other ideas that are fun and interesting.

 

I personally think kuhlI loaches are super cool.

 

We have a school of 6 black kuhlis in the 44. I love them

 

Id go with a dojo and lingfin ancistrus for the pleco.

 

I recently added some buffalo head cichlids (both species, steatocranus causarius and steatocranus tinanti) to my 75-gallon planted tank. Due to their underdeveloped swim bladder, they are predominantly bottom dwellers and resemble gobies in manner and appearance. They are quite active and have some of the funniest personalities I've seen in fish. They're the first thing visitors are drawn to when checking out my aquarium, and my aquarist friend went right out and bought some of her own after seeing mine. Causarius are perhaps a little more ornate, but tinanti seem to have the funnier personality of the two. They are healthy eaters although I wouldn't really classify as bottom feeders, as they will energetically swim up to grab food at feeding time, but they are happiest on the bottom and love to find a flat rock or other surface to perch on and keep an eye on things. My specimens are around 2" but I believe they can reach 5" or so in captivity. They get along quite well with the community fish in the tank, and they don't bother the other bottom dwellers (a spotted Raphael catfish and a couple of clown loaches). My avatar is one of my tinanti buffalo heads.

 

I've had my 3 kuhlis for 5 years now. They are crazy little things! I absolutely love them. I ended up switching my substrate from a pure gravel to a mixture of sand and gravel.. and as soon as I did that they were in love. They are constantly digging and searching for food. At night, when I cannot sleep, I look at my tank (with the lights off in the room) and they dance for hours up and down the sides of the glass. They are absolutely incredible, and always give my betta a hard time Truly a great choice!!!

 

Don't waste your time on Raphael's. They look awesome. Those 2 or 3 times a year when you actually see them.

I prefer dojos to khuli's. They get much larger and their play is more "organized...." Kuhlis are too hyper sometimes. Both need groups to be happy.

Pictus are really cool too; just make sure your other stock is compatible with it.

 

Well since you said no corys how about otos

Or anyone of the previously mentioned

 

I prefer the antics of Yoyos over Khulis, just can't keep any inverts with them around.
My wife says they are more like a pack of dogs than fish.

 

I saw the title of your post and right away though "cories!!" to myself. So, moving on then...one of my absolute favorite fish is the Burmese Loach. They're super active, they're funny, they're peaceful, and they're a good community fish. Maybe check them out.

 

What about a group of upside down catfish. There very effective at there job

 

A juvenile Burmese next to an adult Celebese. They're eating an algae wafer. It just gives you an idea of size if you are not familiar with the fish. The adult will get to be about 5".

 

I really like rapheal catfish, but they do hide a lot.