F/W Question For A Change

jba6511

jba6511

Member
I know this is not a saltwater question, but a few of you out there must know the answer. My girlfriend has some gold fish she is attached to and it is a pain to clean the tank with all of the fake gravel, decorations, etc. I know water changes and siphoning will still need to be done, but is there a F/W snail or something similar that will eat waste and survive in room temp water (The tank does not have a heater)?
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by rebelprettyboy
get some algea eaters
bad advice. most algae eating FW fish are tropical, gold fish are semi-temperate. if the algae eater lives all it will do is create more poop. not eat it.
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by jba6511
I know this is not a saltwater question, but a few of you out there must know the answer. My girlfriend has some gold fish she is attached to and it is a pain to clean the tank with all of the fake gravel, decorations, etc. I know water changes and siphoning will still need to be done, but is there a F/W snail or something similar that will eat waste and survive in room temp water (The tank does not have a heater)?
for freshwater there are worms that can consume fish waste but, chances are you cant get them or you cant keep them alive in your tank, and if you could they would act parasitic towards your fish at one point in their life cycle.
there are plenty of FW snails to consume algae grown off waste but not many specific detritus eaters though there are some. most are illeagle to own buy or sell in some states as they are considered invasive. (and snails in FW carry MANY diseases that they are not susceptible to) so even if you found a snail to eat the waste chances are the GF would die from whatever disease the snail was carrying.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Number one issue with goldfish? DON"T OVERFEED.
They are personable, and people nearly ALWAYS over feed them. So be sure that is not an issue. Keep in mind that they naturally sift through gravel - this is not a sign they are hungry. THeir stomach is roughly the size of their eyes. Depending on the food type and fish size, they probably really only need a couple of flakes/pellets per fish.
But goldfish tanks are very commonly over fed and overstocked.
 
andy51632

andy51632

Member
Yeah cut down your feeding do more water changes. There are to many nutrients in your water column. Goldfish are big waste producers and you should never mix tropical fish with goldfish.
 
A

anmldr

Guest
Originally Posted by jba6511
so snails are pretty much a no go. Any chance of using shrimp?
There are freshwater snails that are about 1-2" big that eat algae - you can't buy them down in the south because if they get outside in the sewer lines and stuff they will clog up. They do sell them up north at lfs: apple snails is the first that comes to mind. Do a search on {EDIT} for fresh water snails. They are really cool and lay bright colored eggs on the lid of the tank.
 
dual45s

dual45s

Member
Awesome, I'm going to have to try and find some of these, my Plec poos like a fish possessed. I tried cutting down feeding to once a day, but the second that algae pellet hits the gravel he's on it like a vampire.
 
A

anmldr

Guest
Do a search on {EDIT} for fresh water snails.
Sorry about the other website....
 
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