Fish in your sump?

[ScorpiosWife]

I was talking to someone yesterday who shared a thought he'd been having with me & I want to know if any of you have tried it. He had heard of people keeping guppies/mollies in their sumps to keep them cleaned out. This was news to me!

How many of you keep fish in your sump? What was/is your experience with it? I didn't find much on the topic, so is this something undesireable or inhumane?

I read on another forum of a guy who keeps a starfish in his, others keep various types of algae eaters, etc.

[R_sustaita]

i have heard and seen them. one of them is EK and John does it.

[mistahoo]

Those lyretail creamsicles I bought are in my sump to clean it and they do a good job of it. I have 3f/1m and it looks like all 3 are now preggo!

[MURRAY]

I have o-cat that decieded they like the sump better than the tank. I can't get them ou with out tearing it dowm. (Not)

[wesleydnunder]

I've known folks that keep fish, shrimp or snails in the sumps for cleaning.

Mark

[johnnytrinh]

I got snails and unwanted damsel in my sump

[ScorpiosWife]

I like the idea, personally, but I'm not sure the pH in the tank wouldn't be too much for the mollies? They thrive around 7.6 and the Os' tank is 8.2.

[ScorpiosWife]

So it seems this is a fairly common practice from what yall are saying. Only thing is I don't know that I have anything that would stay healthy in a pH of 8.2. I don't wanna hurt them or make them sick. I'd just like to have something to help keep the sump clean.

[wesleydnunder]

Mollies can handle a higher ph. Around here they're found in FW and estuaries.

Mark

[ScorpiosWife]

Good info. Yall are always so helpful. Thank you!

[mnemenoi]

Shrimp are great as well (Neocardinia that is) and if a few get into the main tank then its inhabitants get a treat...

[SunnyHouTX]

Roy, do you need to have a light on over the sump with shrimp?

[ScorpiosWife]

Same question as Sunny, but with the Mollies. Do they need a little light in there? I've been thinking about getting a couple of those push lights to stick inside there anyway.

[SunnyHouTX]

I know that fish are usually OK without light as I've retrieved a few Troph fry from my wet/dry on a couple of occasions after being in there a couple of weeks and they were fine afterwards in a fry cage in the main tank. Shrimp I'm not sure about.

[allysangels]

i agree mollies would work well and be just fine with a higher ph. i once discovered a silver molly that had been living inside my canister filter on the 75g. i hadnt serviced the filter in at least 3 or 4 months (bad, i know) and she must have been in there almost the whole time as i put mollies in the tank as feeders sometimes, but mine are gold dust. the silvers were given to me by a lady with an overpopulation issue... i dont have a sump setup at home but at the store i have 5, and there are almost always fish in them. i dont put them in on purpose, they get into the intake somehow. ive had a red wag platy in one for over a year because she goes under the biowheel and i cant get her out. she seems happy.