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I have a pair of Gymnogeophagus meridionaliseartheaters frim Uraguay. They tend to like the cooler temps, but I really am not planning on going under 72F. They are in a 20 long. I'd like to stock it with some type of catfish in addition to the 6 bloodfin tetras I'd like to add. I'm thinking I'd like a small pleco or oto-type fish for cleaning algae and maybe a smaller type catfish for eating the leftover food off the bottom. I'd like everything to stay small. Any suggestions?

I'd suggest to provide them with what they need

Depending on where in Uruguay, the water will in summer perhaps reach 70 F, and fall down to under 50 in winter in the south, or - generally speaking, be 10 F higher in the north

Well, even if they are from the north, they require 60 F or less in winter, not 72 F

So you are suggesting I add a chiller to get my water that cold?

Personlly I keep them in a room with the window open

I live 53 degrees North, some 150 km from sea - we have a sea climate, warmed up a bit by the Gulfstream

In winter my room falls below 10 C quite regularly, but the tanks follow a bit more slowly. therefore I don't think water temperatures below 10 C happen significantly. In Montevideo the air is quite often cooler. Normally a winter has 40 days with a day average of less than 10 C

as for catfishes, you're in luck:

both small scavengers and loricariids for unheated tanks are for sale.

the scavenger is Corydoras paleatus. this is a very hardy and peaceful catfish tht can cope easily with temperatures uitable for Gymnogeophagus

the pleco you can choose; both Ancistrus cf cirrhosus (Common Brown Bristlenose) and Ancistrus sp L144 can be kept in unheated tanks year round.
these are both very good algae cleaners.

In my experience, survives, but doesn't appear to be HAPPY in quite cool water. I had a small tank on a windowsill with goldfish (yes, I know, wrong in many ways - imagine what you can learn in a couple of years - most of it from here, really), and got Gus (female!):


When we first got the tank, she'd lay upside down on the floor of the tank in the mornings. After installing a heater to keep temps at 22'C, this didn't occur.

--
Mats

maybe the fact that we breed this lil beastie in our hobby for generations in heated tanks, it tends to be a domesticated tropical fish....

i currently have 3 L144's in an unheated tank as company for my Axolotls.
I used to keep cf cirrhosus in there too, but those always started to feed on Axolotl skin once they found out that the amphibians are slow movers and kept at bay with opercular spines.

the L144's haven't done this, so far.
they keep the tank spotless and show their bright orange color, even at 15-16'C


btw another nice catfish, but hard to find is Rineloricaria latirostris.
it''s a large whiptail and males are very hairy.
i once had a trio and unlike the BN they didn't like normal tropical tanktemperatures at all.....

they did at lot better once i sold em to someone keeping Gymnogeophagus......