Clean up Crew for Aquascapes

In the world of aquariums, certain fish and invertebrates play a vital role in maintaining a clean and healthy environment; these creatures are commonly known as the 'clean-up crew.' This diverse group includes species that scavenge for uneaten food, algae, and debris, effectively preventing the buildup of waste in your aquatic ecosystem. Their diligent efforts not only contribute to the overall cleanliness of the tank but also promote a balanced habitat for your plants and other inhabitants. Adding a clean-up crew is one of the most valuable steps you can take for the success of your planted aquarium.

Let's talk about the different species of aquarium cleaners 

Amano Shrimp 'Caridina multidentata'

Amano shrimp at first apperance look quite plain and dull, but when you look closely they have beautiful tiny patterns and range in colour, from clear to hues of greens and blues. The Amano shrimp is native to Japan and Taiwan, they are also known as:

• Yamato shrimp 
• Japanese Shrimp
• Algae shrimp 

Where did the name Amano shrimp come from?

The name 'Amano' Shrimp came from the great Mr. Takashi Amano who used this little shrimp in planted aquariums to help with algae issues, when discovering their huge appetite for algae. 

Size and sexing

They grow a little larger than other dwarf shrimp species, reaching a size of around 1.5-2 inch (4-5cm) You can tell them difference between a male and female amano shrimp by the pattern, males are more slender and have row of dots where female grow larger and rounder with a row of lines as their pattern. 

Breeding Amano shrimp

If you want to keep numbers under control these shrimp are a fantastic choice as Amano shrimp will not reproduce in a freshwater aquarium, they will produce eggs but they will never hatch. This is because they need to migrate to a brackish water to hatch, brackish means the water needs a low salt content. 

How many in your aquarium 

We always recommend keeping amano shrimp in a minimum of 20 litres, but house 1 shrimp per 10 litres. Example; A 60 Litres Aquarium we would house 6 Amano shrimp. 

What types of Algae do Amano shrimp eat?

Amano shrimp are avid feeders when it comes to algae, from experience at Horizon Aquatics, in our gallery aquascapes, we find the algae they graze on best is 'hair algae' & 'Stag horn algae' known as soft filamentous algae. When not much algae is present maintain a healthy diet by feeding algae based foods.

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Dwarf suckermouth 'Otocinclus affinis'

There are many types of Otocinclus, for clean up crew we keep the dwarf species such as the more common Otocinclus affinis. This species is a pale brown colour with a dark stripe. Otocinclus are native to South America, in areas such as Brazil, Valenzuela, Bolivia. 

Size and sexing

Otocinclus affinis grow to be around 4-5cm, it's quite tricky to tell between males and females as it mostly goes by size, which means you need to wait until they are mature adults to tell for sure. Mature females tend to be a larger and plumper it's best to view from above to be more accurate. 

Breeding Otocinclus

Breeding is known to be difficult due to the difficulty to tell between males and females, so  large group would be best to start with, also their specific requirements such as, water parameter changes that occur in the wild. They can also be cannibalistic and eat their own eggs, if fry hatch they need a tiny constant food source.

Another great choice for your planted aquarium if you do not want to be overpopulated. 

How many in your aquarium

We recommend a minimum tank size of 30 litres to house 3-4 otocinclus, however they would be even more comfortable in a group of 6 and above, but would need a minimum of 60 litres for this.

What types of alage do otocinclus eat?

We find otocinclus tend to graze best on algae that occurs on the glass and hardscape such as green dust algae, and also on harder leaved plants like anubias as they can balance a little better to properly graze. They are also great at preventing algae as they will graze on biofilm, so fantastic for keeping wood and rocks free of algae. Otocinclus rely on a diet of algae so please ensure to supplement when needed.

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Siamese Algae Eater, SAE

The Siamese Algae Eater (SAE) is a much larger fish than any mention above. Colour tends to be a pale brown/beige with a dark stripe down the side of the body, There is also the Reticulated Siamese algae eater which is a full silver fish, we really love this type at Horizon aquatics. They are native to South East Asia. 

Size, sexing and breeding

In captivity they grown to be around 10 cm quite quickly, similar sexing to otocinclus once mature at around 2-3 years of age, females are the larger rounder bodied ones. Also a difficult one to breed, current captive breeding involve farms using hormones. 

How many in your aquarium 

With the Siamese algae eater being a large species, we recommend only one per 180 litres. 

What types of algae do Siamese algae eaters eat?

These guys are amazing algae eaters, in store we find them eating, hair algae, stag horn algae and even black beard algae! Their slender face means they can get in small crevices it would be tricky to get in with cleaning equipment. 

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