| When you are dealing with a smaller tank, the | | | | If the tank is new, and everything was recently |
| choice of a bottom fish depends, to a great | | | | purchased, chances are you don't actually need to |
| extent, on the tank's present and planned | | | | put in a catfish just yet. I prefer to let the tank |
| inhabitants. Not necessarily in fish alone, but in live | | | | begin to add some organic wastes as the tank |
| plants as well. When there are no plants in the | | | | matures for the first six to eight weeks. Only |
| planned aquascape, there is little chance you may | | | | after the Nitrogen Cycle has been started and |
| be bringing in pests such as snails, so that problem | | | | matured would I normally consider adding bottom |
| is not a factor for consideration. For my most | | | | fish of any kind. The tank doesn't need the added |
| recent aquarium set-up, the Fluval Edge, which | | | | fish load, and the filter is so clean it should be able |
| holds only 6 U.S. gallons when filled right to the | | | | to handle the wastes while everything settles and |
| top, I added a juvenile Botia lohachata as the | | | | gets into balance. Since I do not feed bottom fish |
| scavenger. | | | | separately, I feel it is best to let the system get |
| The tank is well planted and bringing snails into the | | | | a little bit of waste in the bottom for a scavenger |
| ecosystem with the live plants, even well rinsed | | | | to find before they are considered as new |
| posed a distinct possibility. As a matter of fact, I | | | | arrivals. |
| found an empty snail shell floating under the top | | | | For most common community aquariums, I use |
| glass very soon after I added the fish! | | | | one of the various Corydoras sp. armoured |
| Although there are a wide selection of bottom | | | | catfish as the bottom feeder of choice. There is a |
| fish available for the small community aquarium, I | | | | huge variety of choices in these dwarf catfish |
| tend to use either Botia striatus or Botia lohachata | | | | that will make one of them the perfect |
| nowadays. They do just fine in my high pH water | | | | complement to a smaller aquarium community. |
| and are not that common looking. The Botia | | | | You can pick between solids, stripes, blotches, |
| striatus I have kept for the longest, and they | | | | albino and a lot of other possibilities. |
| have always been extremely shy. It may be the | | | | These are scaleless catfish. If you should have a |
| tank they are in, which is the largest of my small | | | | problem with Ich or other diseases and need to |
| community aquariums. Or, the fact that they | | | | treat, read the directions on any medication very |
| found a great hiding place right from the start and | | | | carefully. Remember that they are quite |
| rarely exit it to scavenge for their meals. They | | | | vulnerable to many of the medications typically |
| have always preferred to leave it only when they | | | | used to kill many parasites. Generally half doses |
| are hungry. | | | | are the maximum with these fish in a tank - but |
| I have added the Botia lohachata in two different | | | | always follow the written directions to be safe. |
| tanks. One is in the Fluval Edge mentioned above | | | | One of the main problems new aquarists face is |
| where there is a single individual. The other a | | | | the presence of algae. I have kept fish for forty |
| classic ten gallon planted system with two | | | | years or so, and I have grown quite used to |
| individuals as well as a pair of South Amercian | | | | seeing it in the tank and accept it as natural. Many |
| Appistogramma aggasiz Dwarf Cichlids. This is a | | | | people don't. They try to use a bottom fish to |
| heavily planted aquarium. In each instance, the | | | | eliminate it. As mentioned, the various |
| Botia lohachata are much more active than the B. | | | | Plecostomus types are the very best of these. |
| striatus. In the ten gallon tank, the two there | | | | They are so ugly; they are interesting. Personally I |
| even feed from the top! | | | | enjoy them immensely. The problem is that many |
| Whenever the pH is high, I also tend to include a | | | | aquascapes are maintained in an acid range, and |
| Plecostomus. But be careful of the water | | | | this is deadly to alkaline loving Plecostomus. When |
| conditions when adding these fish, they do not do | | | | placed in acid water they often turn white and |
| well in acid water. When kept in high pH, one will | | | | die, so be careful and only use them when the pH |
| help control algae formation in almost any tank, | | | | is 7.2 or above. |
| no matter what its inhabitants may be. Right now | | | | One of the natural ways to remove algae is to |
| one is doing quite well in my Tropiquarium 88 | | | | ask a bottom fish, like the Plecostomus to eat it |
| where it was placed after the biological filter | | | | as part of his diet. This by no means a thorough |
| matured. The tank has quite number of African | | | | way to eliminate the growths, but it can help |
| Cichlids and it is doing quite well in spite of these | | | | keep the growths in check. Chinese Algae Eaters |
| aggressive tank mates. Plecostomus can grow | | | | (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri), the Siamese Flying Fox |
| over time, but still seem quite content to clean | | | | (Crossochelius siamensis) and the more common |
| their areas well. Aggressivity is not a common | | | | Flying Fox (Epalseorhynchos kallopterus) are also |
| trait with these fish, they are not particularly | | | | used to help try to control the algae. I prefer |
| appetizing, so they are suitable for both passive | | | | either of the flying foxes which seem to prefer |
| and moderately aggressive communities. | | | | to eat algae most of the time. |