Shrimple minded Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I just can't win the fight against the green "fruit-looking" flies.........after skimming the surface yesterday, I covered any gaps around my airlines & water-return with a towel, to try and determine how said flies were getting into my tank. It's pretty clear to me now that they are reproducing on top of the water and on the surface of my glass top, and at a rate faster than I can battle. Trapping them with apple cider vinegar isn't working at all, to date this method hasn't yielded even a single fly. It appears to me the issue is that the larvae are already in the water, and until I can fully rid them from the tank, they will continue to re-emerge. My only thought now is to look to the assistance of fish to eradicate them from my system. The tank's only inhabitants are ~26 juvenile shrimp (TBs and mischlings), and there shouldn't be any babies to worry about for some time. I'm hoping someone here can offer up some good candidates that will help rid me of this problem. This is a 40 gallon breeder, with 16 inch height, meaning most shrimp are in the bottom half of the tank the majority of the time. Lighting is a finnex stingray. I realize shrimp-safe fish have been discussed several times, but I'm not really looking to find long-term inhabitants. I'd like to know if there are any small-mouth or surface-feeding fish that would be suitable for this role, once under control I plan to move them to another tank and only use as necessary. -Hatchetfish? -Hockey stick pencilfish? -Guppies? -Tetras? (I already own 3 pristellas) -Other suggestions? Crazyfishlady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Give me 2 minutes and ill have a answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Could try tetras( I saw white skirts will eat but would try the ones you have first, archerfish but are semi expensive and pretty sure they are all brackish, and pygmy puffer fish should eat they, but not sure, I will keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 African butterflyfish too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmac15 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 How about a gourami? aquariumlover10 and Shrimple minded 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 A dwarf gourami ir a few sparkling gouramis could work +1^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Your best option is a Chili Rasbora they are tiny with tiny mouths and are voracious eaters of those pesky larvae. I have used them for the same purpose, took about 3 days and they ate all the larvae. Amyers22, Jadenlea, sewoeno and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Baby guppy. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Ryeguy, I know you battled these guys before you sent them my way to sabotage things Do you consider them to be juvie-shrimp safe? Still interested in opinions on hatchetfish and pencilfish, as from what I gather they spend all their time in the top of the water column. Love the ideas guys, keep them coming, want to hear everyone opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I would consider Chili Rasbora safe for all shrimp over a few weeks old. Their mouths are very tiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 I'm only finding harlequin rasbora so far in my initial LFS search.....are these bigger or smaller than chilis? Are chilis the best rasbora for this purpose or are there other varieties that would work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenityfate Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I use to have a bunch in my room. And somehow later they disappeared. What i did was clean up all my tanks lights wires etc. Anything that the fish water might have touched and slowly kill the bugs manually.and soon they all were gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenityfate Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Oh and when you do wc, clean the "water line" wipe it down with a cloth or something. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serenityfate Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Like how we have patience for our shrimps. We also need patience to eradicate these pest Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Awesome stuff Serenityfate, this makes sense. I'm believe they are hatching from surfaces like you mentioned....really starting to think condensation on the underside of my glass top is a big contributor. My tank is in my basement, which is a pretty constant 68 degrees. I've been keeping the tank at 73F, and the water temp and slight warmth from my light (just a finnex stingray) creates enough of a temperature difference there is considerable moisture buildup. Yesterday I added a small fan directed at the light fixture to see if reducing light heat would lower condensation. I also added three baby/small guppies, and saw them eat flies/larvae from the surface, as well as nematodes, which I also wanted to control. They are about the same size as my juvie shrimp and haven't so much as looked at one......I'm prepared to yank them if they ever look like they are even thinking about it. There are considerably less flies today, I'm continuing down this pathway until I'm sure these guys are finished. Thanks everyone for the ideas, I still want to hear anyone's thoughts as I'm not out of the woods yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Do you consider them to be juvie-shrimp safe? Still interested in opinions on hatchetfish and pencilfish, as from what I gather they spend all their time in the top of the water column. Chili rasboras do have tiny mouths and won't bother the shrimp after they are too large to swallow but they are always actively hunting (in my tanks) so they can do some damage one newborns. I have some hockey stick pencils and their mouths are about the same size as the rasboras. They spend most of their time floating absolutely still about 2/3 up in the aquarium staring at the surface waiting for food to catch their eye. They have bursts of energy when going after food and can be faster than the rasboras, they do a good job at getting rid of mosuito larva/daphnia/white worms anything really but take longer because they don't go to the substrate as often. I've tried endler fry but they seem pretty stupid compared to most fish and their hunting style is just random chance. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewoeno Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 i had celestial pearl danios and chili rasbora's in my tank with neo's and never lost any shrimp. i'm sure short term they won't hurt anything but the flies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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