{"id":1594,"date":"2020-03-13T19:58:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T19:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aquarium-fish-plants.com\/?p=1594"},"modified":"2020-03-16T12:04:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T12:04:00","slug":"cleaning-fish-for-the-aquarium-which-fish-clean-the-aquarium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aquarium-fish-plants.com\/cleaning-fish-for-the-aquarium-which-fish-clean-the-aquarium","title":{"rendered":"Cleaning fish for the aquarium: which fish clean the aquarium?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Most aquarists know them, many also love them: the typical aquarium cleaner fish, which are advertised in pet shops as a beginner in aquaristics. Mostly we understand cleaner fish as the classic L-catfish, which suck on the aquarium glass and free it from dirt and grime.<\/p>\n

In the following\u00a0aquarium Guide<\/u><\/a> article we will generally talk about whether there is such a thing as aquarium cleaner fish at all (spoiler: not really), which catfish species are particularly suitable for cleaning the aquarium and which other species you can use to get rid of <\/u>algae in the aquarium<\/a>. for example<\/u>\u00a0– Have fun.<\/p>\n

Are there Aquarium cleaner fish at all?<\/h2>\n

Most aquarists are certainly familiar with the term cleaner fish for the aquarium. Already at the first consultation in the pet shop the animals are usually introduced and often established as an important component for a clean aquarium. This may make sense even for an inexperienced aquarist, as the catfish literally suck on the aquarium glass and “free” it from algae and other edible microorganisms.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it is often not mentioned in pet shops that a cleaner fish, a typical representative of the catfish genus, often produces significantly more dirt than it removes. Because if cleaner fish live in the aquarium, there will usually not be enough food in the\u00a0form of green algae<\/u><\/a>\u00a0or thread algae in the aquarium<\/u><\/a>, which is why the animals must also be fed with aquarium fish food.<\/p>\n

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By using additional aquarium fish food, the fish naturally produce additional dirt, as they have to digest and eventually excrete this food. Although it may happen for a short while that the animals actually remove more dirt\/algae than they produce, but only as long as there are enough edible organisms in the aquarium. For example, this would be the case in an aquarium heavily infested with algae: initially there would be enough food. After a few weeks\/months, however, this surplus will be reduced and the animals must be fed with additional food.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, an aquarist must understand that no cleaner fish in this world would eat excrement, dead plant remains or mulm (nor would any shrimp or snail). Only algae, carcasses or skin remains from a moult are eaten by cleanerfish.<\/p>\n

\"cleaning<\/p>\n

What are the typical cleaner fish<\/h2>\n

The typical cleaner fish, which are wrongly sold as such in pet shops, are mostly representatives of the catfish. Mostly they are the following species:<\/p>\n