Ten Lower or Bottom Level Fish for Your Home Aquarium

When stocking your home aquarium, it is a good idea to include fish that swim at all water levels. Low level fish are often bottom feeders who help to clean up fallen food or algae. The following ten aquarium fish are recommended for populating the lower or bottom levels in your fish tank.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Bristlenose Catfish

The bristlenose catfish is a popular bottom level aquarium fish. It is a peaceful fish with grey spots and a strange bristly nose. It is often kept to eat algae in the tank.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Banjo Catfish

Like all catfish, this one is a bottom dweller. The banjo catfish is roughly banjo-shaped with a broad body and a very long tail section. It has long barbels next to its mouth.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Plecostomus

Most often kept to eat algae, the common plecostomus can grow very large. While it will attach itself to ornaments, rocks, and the glass aquarium with its sucker mouth, this fish lives mostly on the bottom of the tank.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Aquarium Sharks

These bottom dwelling fish come in several varieties. There is the red-tailed black shark, the ruby shark, and the black shark. They are all large-growing aquarium fish that are rather aggressive.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Headstander

The headstander is an unusual fish that lives in the lower or bottom levels of your aquarium. The most popular are the marbled and the spotted headstander. These fish are so named because they rest with their head down and their tail up. They are best for species tanks.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Dwarf Cichlid

These cichlids enjoy the lower level of the aquarium. The Congo Dwarf Cichlid is a relatively small cichlid with yellow and brown stripes and blue shading. The Golden-Eyed Dwarf Cichlid is a broader fish with bright yellow scales.

Lower or Bottom Level Aquarium Fish - Corydoras