House and Grounds Keepers

Catfish are much beloved by everyone and are often found in planted tanks. They are great at cleaning up uneaten food and really entertain the common housecat (ours, at least). Snails are also very useful in a planted tank. Some people go into convulsions when they find a snail cruising their precious plants. IMHO, snails are a necessary part of the planted ecosystem and are to be cherished (within reason). Note: snails and most loaches are not compatible. If you really don't like snails, a Clown Loach or two in the tank will keep the population almost invisible.

	Corydoras julii, our personal favorite. Cute as a button and they even spawn in our tanks.
	Malaysian Trumet Snails (MTS) are invaluable in a planted tank. They burrow in the substrate during the day, keeping it from compacting. They rise out of the aubstrate at night like little zombies to go forth and devour what ever is devourable, most notably not plants. I suspect that they also eat red algae.
	Ramshorns are industrious little buggers.
	I used to think pond snails were "bad" snails and would eat my plants. I now have no reason to believe that.