# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Anabantoids >  Suggestions of filter feeder for betta breeding tank

## TanCH

Hi. My betta tank is filled with ADA africana soil, is there any suggestion of filter feeder/bottom dweller for my tank?

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## stormhawk

What do you mean by filter feeder? By bottom feeder I take it you mean a "scavenger". In this case there are very few suitable fish as bottom feeders in a betta tank, especially with wild bettas. The best I can suggest are coolie loaches, if you want something that can survive in the acidic pH of wild betta tanks. Not many fish are compatible with wild bettas in breeding setups.

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## TanCH

Yup. I mean scavenger. What is coolie loaches? is that the only suitable bottom feeder?

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## lucasjiang

Hi, bro i suggest using the catfish hyalobagrus flavus. Those will sniff for food at the bottom, and they are very peaceful, wont randomly attack fishes. They also require low pH, preferably 6.5 and below, and will die if the pH is higher.

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## TanCH

nice fish. Where can i get those? and how big can they grow?

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## stormhawk

Sometimes available at any LFS, depending on the stocks from the farms that supply the shops. I've seen that catfish for sale at C328 and Polyart before.

Coolie loach is like an eel, long thin body with stripes. As to how they look, Google is your friend.  :Smile:

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## 900801

Yup, agree with stormhawk (coolie loach/Kuhli loach) are usually found in the same water as some of the wild bettas. Which would make that a good candidate. They are rather affordable less $5 a piece.

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## TanCH

Thanks for the knowledge. I was wondering if there's any shrimp species that are compatible for my setup.

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## bettafantastic

If you add a small shrimp, the betta might attack or eat it.
Maybe Yamato shrimp good?

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## stormhawk

I would suggest Malayan Shrimp. However, as with any shrimp in a Betta tank, they are more or less viewed as breakfast, lunch and dinner by the bettas. Only "safe" species would probably be the Fan Shrimps, since they are much larger than the Betta's mouth.

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## GuppyLover

> Yup, agree with stormhawk (coolie loach/Kuhli loach) are usually found in the same water as some of the wild bettas. Which would make that a good candidate. They are rather affordable less $5 a piece.


Can the coolie loach be kept in a planted tank? Will they uproot the plants?

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## lucasjiang

Yes they can, they may uproot small plants while sniffing around.

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## Emokidz

I recommend the smaller cory species. Like pygmy cories. Though a solution would also be to feed less.

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## GuppyLover

I'm using soil and I'm afraid they might stir the soil too much.

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## Emokidz

I use ADA II Soil and my sterbais do a good job cleaning. It's a low tech tank with java ferns only though. Probably not that good for carpeted plants.

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## GuppyLover

Oh because I have hairgrass growing in the foreground. So means that it's not a good idea to keep scavengers in my tank since they will uproot the hairgrass?

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## Emokidz

Possibly. You could however use pygmy cories who are less likely to do so.

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## GuppyLover

Thanks Bernard  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

If you want more options, use those seed shrimp. They are great at scavenging the bottom of the tank and provide food for your fish too.  :Grin:

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## GuppyLover

Aren't seed shrimps pests?  :Surprised:

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## stormhawk

Not if you intend for them to be fish food.  :Grin:  In the wild, bettas feed on them anyway, so no difference.

They are only pests if they compete with your shrimplets for food and look disgusting to you. They do keep the tank bottom clean though.

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## GuppyLover

Uhh , I guess bettas can keep their population in check if I do add them. But they look rather disgusting from this video though http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuF_pEYvKMQ .
If I do decide to get them , where to find them? Lol.

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## Emokidz

Seed shrimp are really cute actually! They look like small drunken bubble bees flying around. Haha!

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## stormhawk

The shrimp hobbyists should have these seed shrimp in some tanks. Since they view them as pests, would be best to ask them for their unwanted pests.

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## johannes

If you need scavengers for uneaten processed food e.g. pellets, flakes, etc. you can use snails too, such as apple snails or ramshorn snails.
They are quite harmless and less likely to be eaten by the Bettas

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## GuppyLover

I think snails may not be a good idea. My dad doesn't like the idea of snails on the glass tanks and booming of their population.

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## Emokidz

Apple snails dont reproduce that readily in my tanks. And they work great for me since I have no substrate in all my betta tanks. Personally, I keep 1 apple snail per 1 ft tank.

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## GuppyLover

Do apple snails have specific genders or they can reproduce from one snail itself? How much do they cost in LFS?

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## stormhawk

They are not hermaphroditic snails so they will need both sexes to reproduce. A single apple snail will not reproduce in your tank, unless it has mated before. Ramshorn snails, especially the darker ones, will reproduce quickly in some tanks.

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## GuppyLover

Thanks stormhawk. Is this how an apple snail looks like? http://www.google.com.sg/imgres?q=ap...:0&tx=71&ty=13

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## GuppyLover

> Apple snails dont reproduce that readily in my tanks. And they work great for me since I have no substrate in all my betta tanks. Personally, I keep 1 apple snail per 1 ft tank.


Do they eat plants? I'm putting my bettas in a planted tank.

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## Emokidz

Yup that's an apple snail. They eat plants when they get hungry. Some of mine eat everything including my windelov ferns. Others leave them alone totally or eat dying matter only. They are good cleaners for tanks with no substrate though. Like grow out tanks. Their droppings encourage infusoria growth. just be careful when they die. Not funny... : /

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## GuppyLover

Oh oh. I just got myself an apple snail. It started eating some of my plants instead of the left over food.  :Opps:

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## GuppyLover

Have no idea to edit but

Edit: It started eating my plants because there were no leftover food even though there are some decaying plants.

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## Emokidz

Maybe it's eating the decaying matter then. That's a good thing actually. Just continue to watch over it to see if it consumes the other parts of the plant.

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## Emokidz

Oh, I just realised that you were selling the snail. Haha! You can try pygmy cories.

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## GuppyLover

Yeah I am. My dad doesn't like snails. Even if it is so nice. I don't think I would want any other fishes in the tank. Sakura shrimps perhaps? I don't mind some of the shrimplets getting snacked on.

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## Emokidz

It really depends on the type of betta you're keeping with them. The bigger betta will make short work of adult shrimp too.

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## GuppyLover

Was planning to keep channoides.

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## Emokidz

ohhh.. get those wood shrimp then. They work fine imo.

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## GuppyLover

Are those called mountain shrimps too? I saw them at an LFS but hesitated to get it. They need water circulation to feed but my tank doesn't have any.  :Grin:

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## stormhawk

Yes those fan shrimps need some circulation and particulate food to feed on. I would not keep any shrimp with bettas either.

Depending on the aggression level of the Betta species you are keeping, pygmy Corydoras may not be suitable. With channoides I guess you can keep a few C. pygmaeus with them.

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## GuppyLover

I don't fancy cories actually  :Opps: 

Yamato shrimp perhaps? Since their quite big.

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## stormhawk

Problem is, whether the Yamato will thrive in the acid conditions that most wild Bettas love. They're tough shrimps but may not take well to such setups.

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