8 Bottom Feeder Fish Species for Your Tank Their swim bladders also help them hear better underwater. Bottom feeders tend to have reduced swim bladders since they do not need the buoyancy. Swim bladder:Īlso known as a gas bladder, this appendage helps fish regulate their buoyancy so they can stay at the bottom of the tank or swim to the top. Mouth:īottom feeding fish have what's called "inferior" or "sucker" mouths located closer to the end of the nose and usually point down to help the pet gather food from the aquarium floor or latch onto the walls of the aquarium. Some have heavy armor, or thickened areas of scales.
This allows them to hover easily and glide over the bottom surface of the tank. Most species of bottom-feeder fish have a flat belly or ventral region. These hair-like, slender appendages look like cat whiskers or spines and help the fish locate food through touch and taste, almost like long, skinny tongues. What Does a Bottom Feeder Fish Look Like?Įven though there are several types of bottom feeder fish, this class of fish tend to have some unique adaptations you might begin to notice as you shop and keep them as pets. Common ones you'll see when browsing the aquatics department at your favorite pet store include some varieties of african catfish, corydoras, eels, freshwater shrimp, loaches, otocinclus and plecostomus.
There are many species of fish that spend the majority of their time on the bottom of the fish tank. How Many Types of Bottom Feeder Fish Are There? Let's learn more about these desirable tankmates. Bottom feeder fish not only scurry along the tank's substrate and occasionally pop to the top of the tank for air, but they also tend to be docile. To build a visually intriguing and balanced community in your freshwater aquarium, select fish that hangout out at various water depths.