# Bottom Feeder for 6 gallon nano tank (Fluval Edge)



## jeffdrafttech

I bought a Fluval Edge 6 gallon tank about six weeks ago. I poured in 10lb of fine white sand, put in a handful of various plants, and let it settle and run for a week. After a week I added three neon tetras. 

My major issue with this tank is food falling to the bottom. 
This tank is filled to the glass top. There is a small (about 6"x6") window for feeding, and for the filter and lights. When I put in a few flakes to feed the neons, the filter discharge quickly stirs up the flakes and they go swirling around the tank in less than 10 seconds. The neons devour the flakes as they fall, but about half of the flakes reach the bottom. The neons have no interest in the food once it hits bottom. No matter how little food I add, food falling to the bottom is unavoidable because of the design of the tank. I love the aesthetics of being able to look into the top of the tank, but I'd like to solve the leftover food issue. 

I have read that there are fish who feed on the bottom of the tank. The problem is that this tank is so small that I don't want to overstock it. 

I added a small 1" albino algae sucking fish (no idea what it is called) that was sold to me by a person at Petco last weekend. I was having problems with algae growing on the sand very quickly. The clerk gave me some good advice too: I put the lights on a timer. From what I have read after putting the algae eater it in there, it will grow too large for the tank eventually. I don't want to overstock the tank or stock it with fish that are too large. The algae eating fish does graze on the bottom, but it doesn't appear to eat the old flakes, it just eats algae from what I can tell. My algae problem has been greatly diminished. Whether it is the algae eating fish or the reduced lighting, I have no idea. I guess I'll deal with the algae eating fish later if it grows too large.

I have read about tiny catfish that sound pretty ideal, but I have no idea where to find them around here. I've looked in chain pet stores with little luck. The clerks at pet stores don't have much in the way of useful advice either. This site lists a "Dwarf Corey" that only grows to 1/2" and I'm guessing would eat the leftover flakes, but they require that you buy 6 of them. Six of anything sounds like a lot in my tank from what I have read. 

I've been considering getting a 5 gallon Fluval Chi for my desk. I guess I could always order the six Dwarf Corys and put three in each tank. It would also allow me to order some plants and other fish from that fish breeder site and make the $35 freight more worthwhile.

What other critters eat flakes from the bottom and won't overcrowd my tank? I've seen info on snails and shrimp in a few posts but they also talk about needing special nutrients and things that I don't know anything about. Finding tiny ones that won't overstock my little tank isn't easy either.

I've been vacuuming the flakes, and the little bit of algae, from the sand with a piece of vinyl tubing by creating a siphon. It works well. I am doubting that my weekend cleaning is enough when half of the food I put in there lands on the bottom. I honestly am not willing to suck 1-2 gallons of water out of the tank 3-4 times per week just to pick up flakes that will otherwise rot on the bottom. I work a lot and don't want this little tank to be a huge time waster. 20 mins every other weekend is kind of what I expected from this thing. Not 20 minutes every other day.

Are there tiny fish that will gladly eat the sunken flakes? I'd like to learn about them, how many to put in there, and how to care for them.


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## xLn

get 12 ghost shrimp. all 12 will cost you about 2 dollars. you don't need anything special, i bought 12 two years ago and they're still kicking. you may just have to buy some sinking wafers to feed them if not enough food is dropping. I'd return the algae eater as they grow wayyyyyyyyyy too big for that tank and get a blue mystery snail (or any color mystery snail). this will clear your problems up completely.


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## susankat

If your talking about AZgardens don't order from there. Their fish will arrive dead. There is other places that carries dwarf cories. Which are probably talking either hasbrosus or pygmie. There is also hastatus but they don't stay on the bottom but in the plants.

The pygmy or hasbrosus would be good in that tank. They stay pretty small. I kept 5 in a 5 gal for a long while. Check aquabid, liveaquaria or fosters and smith.


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## sondre

Hi Jeff,

i got same problem here ! Got 5 neon tetras in 54 litre tank,and the flakes just sink to the bottom of the tank too quickly and fish dont eat them from the bottom . 

I cant add any bottom feeders just yet,because i only put neons in there 2 days ago,just after fishless cycle finished.

Would turning the filter and bubble wall off at feeding times help ?


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## jrman83

I think if you have flakes that are sinking to the bottom before your fish can eat them, then you are overfeeding.


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## sondre

jrman83 said:


> I think if you have flakes that are sinking to the bottom before your fish can eat them, then you are overfeeding.


I have to disagree on this . 
They sink down to the bottom like within seconds,fish dont have enough time to get to them . 

i did turn the filter and bubble wall off for feeding and it worked,flakes didnt sink and fish had a chance to eat all of it 

Not sure if thats a good idea to keep turning it off everyday,even if its only for 10 minutes , but will have to do that to stop flakes sinking to the bottom before fish even get a chance to eat them .

Will buy some shrimp or something similar after couple weeks


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## jeffdrafttech

jrman83 said:


> I think if you have flakes that are sinking to the bottom before your fish can eat them, then you are overfeeding.


Then you are wrong. A Fluval Edge pushes the flakes into the bottom of the tank in seconds. Did you not read it in my post? Do you not believe what I wrote or are you the local troll?


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## Pigeonfish

jeffdrafttech said:


> Then you are wrong. A Fluval Edge pushes the flakes into the bottom of the tank in seconds. Did you not read it in my post? Do you not believe what I wrote or are you the local troll?


Calm down, he must have missed it. Don't bother posting if you're going to reply like that.


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## jeffdrafttech

xLn said:


> get 12 ghost shrimp. all 12 will cost you about 2 dollars. you don't need anything special, i bought 12 two years ago and they're still kicking. you may just have to buy some sinking wafers to feed them if not enough food is dropping.


Is there a common chain store or similar where "ghost shrimp" are easy to get? 

Are you sure 12 is not too many for a 6 gallon tank? Are they just so small it doesn't matter?



xLn said:


> I'd return the algae eater as they grow wayyyyyyyyyy too big for that tank and get a blue mystery snail (or any color mystery snail). this will clear your problems up completely.


Do stores like Petco just flush the returned fish? I honestly don't care about getting my money back, I'd just like to get the fish to a tank where it belongs. If they just kill the fish, I'll just keep it until it grows too large and then flush it myself.


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## susankat

jeffdrafttech said:


> Then you are wrong. A Fluval Edge pushes the flakes into the bottom of the tank in seconds. Did you not read it in my post? Do you not believe what I wrote or are you the local troll?


Please don't be rude in your response. The poster probably didn't read it all. It happens.


Pidgenfish; Please don't make comments like that either.


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## susankat

> Is there a common chain store or similar where "ghost shrimp" are easy to get?
> 
> Are you sure 12 is not too many for a 6 gallon tank? Are they just so small it doesn't matter?


Most stores like petco and petsmart will carry ghost shrimp. They have a very low bioload and won't cause that much of an impact on the tank. Cherry shrimp are better and smaller but might be harder to find locally.



> Do stores like Petco just flush the returned fish? I honestly don't care about getting my money back, I'd just like to get the fish to a tank where it belongs. If they just kill the fish, I'll just keep it until it grows too large and then flush it myself.


No they don't, they put them back into tanks for resale. So please don't flush the fish when it gets to big. You can also give them away on places like here and on craigslist.


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## Pigeonfish

jeffdrafttech said:


> Do stores like Petco just flush the returned fish? I honestly don't care about getting my money back, I'd just like to get the fish to a tank where it belongs. If they just kill the fish, I'll just keep it until it grows too large and then flush it myself.


I don't think Petco would flush them... But I'm not sure if they'll accept fish. Really depends on the specific Petco, all stores are pretty different. Petco has a good reputation though about caring for their fish. You should call and find out. You might have better luck with a local fish store if there is one close to you.



susankat said:


> Pidgenfish; Please don't make comments like that either.


Sorry Susan. Won't happen again.


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## jeffdrafttech

Thanks for the help Joey and Susan.

I went to a bigger Petsmart store on the other side of town today. They had the ghost shrimp. I bought 6 of them (a whopping two bucks). I'll see how they do and buy more later if all goes well. The saleswoman at Petsmart was pretty helpful. She also suggested that I return the sucker-cleaner-fish thing and get one snail to work on the tank walls. I bough one pretty snail and the shrimp.

The new tankmates:
The shrimp seem pretty happy. They went straight to work around the base of my two larger broad-grassy-type plants. One of them kind of just went all over the place exploring. They are great to watch. The snail is pretty interesting to look at too. It was immediately active. It came out of its shell within a minute and began licking the side of the bowl and then went to the bottom to graze in the sand.​
Snail Questions:
What's the story with snails? Will I be able to add another one of those later or is that crowding the other one? I never would have thought that watching a snail would be fun, but it is pretty neat. Do they grow or do they just stay the same size? The one I got is about the diameter of a nickel.​
If this tank stays nice for the next couple weeks, I'm definitely getting a Fluval Chi 5-gallon for another room. These things are pretty fun to watch and the cost is nothing.

What I've spent so far:
$110.00 for Fluval Edge
$10.00 for white sand
About $8 for two plants.
$2 for Shrimp
$2 for a snail
$1.00 for three neons
$4.00 for the algae eating fish thing.
$3 for fish flakes

A grand total of $140.00 and I have enough fish food and chemicals to last an eternity. The Fluval Chi is half the price of the Edge so I can have a second tank for another eighty five bucks. 

Fish food freshness:
What's the story with fish food. There is so much of it, I would guess that the little plastic can will last over a year. Should I throw it out and buy fresh as some interval?​


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## susankat

I wouldn't add another one of those snails. With 2 your likely to get babies and the tank isn't big enough to handle the babies.


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## Sweetgreenleaf1369

I am having the same issue finding bottom feeders for my 10 gallon wjth a Betta in it... My my what to do...Must be something the Betta will not think of it as being food...


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