A bottom feeder is a fish or other marine animal that feeds on the bottom of a lake or ocean. Some species of catfish, such as the common Brodie, are bottom feeders. A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Marine is an umbrella term for things relating to the ocean, as with marine biology, marine geology, and as a term for a navy, etc. ... Animalia redirects here. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size surrounded by land. ... The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Ocean, before the definition of the Southern Ocean in 2000 For other uses, see Ocean (disambiguation). ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Hypophthalmidae Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Parakysidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a diverse group of fish. ...

The term is also a pejorative political or colloquial term used to describe an allegedly predatory (or simply desperate) person or entity. The implication in this usage is that the accused bottom feeder intentionally targets the easiest or weakest people to achieve personally profitable ends.

Organismic Bottom Feeders

Biological trends

Bottom feeders are not necessarily detrivores, although there are many that are. Some bottom feeders graze along the bottom, feeding on plant material. Other bottom feeders may feed on other bottom feeders, and thus are carnivores. Detritivores (also detrivores or detritus feeders) are animals that recycle detritus (decomposing organic material), returning it into the food chain. ... This article deals with meat-eating animals. ...

Many bottom feeders are also capable of burying themselves. A variety of invertebrates are able to bury themselves, such as bristleworms, sea cucumbers, and snails. Many vertebrates bottom feeders may bury themselves, such as flatfish or stingray. Orders Amphinomida Capitellida Chaetopterida Cirratulida Cossurida Ctenodrillidae Eunicida Flabelligerida Magelonida Myzostomida Nerillida Opheliida Orbiniida Orweniida Phyllodocida Pisionidae Polygordiida Protodrilida Psammodrilidae Sabellida Spionida Spintheridae Sternaspida Terebellida The Polychaeta or Polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine, with a pair of fleshy protrusions on each body segment called parapodia that... Orders Subclass Apodacea  Apodida  Molpadiida Subclass Aspidochirotacea  Aspidochirotida  Elasipodida Subclass Dendrochirotacea  Dactylochirotida  Dendrochirotida The sea cucumber is an echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated body and leathery skin, which is found on the sea floor worldwide. ... The name snail applies to most members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells. ... Families Suborder Psettodoidei     Psettodidae Suborder Pleuronectoidei     Citharidae     Scophthalmidae (turbots)     Bothidae (lefteye flounders)     Pleuronectidae (righteye flounders)     Paralichthyidae (large-tooth flounders)     Achiropsettidae (southern flounders)     Samaridae Suborder Soleoidei     Soleidae (soles)     Achiridae (American soles)     Cynoglossidae (tonguefishes) The flatfish are an order (Pleuronectiformes) of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a... Genera Dasyatis Himantura Pastinachus Pteroplatytrygon Taeniura Urogymnus See text for species. ...

In many bottom feeders, a mechanism to deal with substrate is often necessary. In the case of some organisms such as sea cucumbers, the sand is usually passed through the body. In fish, sand will be pumped out of the mouth through the gill slit. Orders Subclass Apodacea  Apodida  Molpadiida Subclass Aspidochirotacea  Aspidochirotida  Elasipodida Subclass Dendrochirotacea  Dactylochirotida  Dendrochirotida The sea cucumber is an echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated body and leathery skin. ...

In fish, most bottom feeders exhibit a flat ventral region so as to more easily rest their body on the substrate. The exception may be the flatfish, which are laterally depressed but lie on their sides. Also, many exhibit what is termed an "inferior" mouth, which means that the mouth is pointed downwards; this is beneficial as their food is often going to be below them in the substrate.

Aquarium care

In the aquarium, bottom feeders are popular as it is perceived that they will "clean up" the tank. This is hardly true, as the added biomass of additional organisms means that the aquarium will likely be more dirty. However, if extra food is being put in the tank, bottom feeders may aid in its consumption.

The term bottom feeders for aquariums also tends to envelop algivores, which are also popular members of a "clean up crew".