View Full Version : Royal Plecos BM problem
unknownuza13
06-01-2005, 11:43 AM
My royal pleco is taking between 30-50 craps a day. They look pretty similar to mealworms. My question is: he has been all over this driftwood in the tank and the **** is all around the base of the driftwood. It looks like he is eating the driftwood maybe to get algae or whatever else he extracts from the wood but he isnt digesting the wood and just crapping it out immediately. Hes in the tank with a jardini a few bichirs and a pbass I wanted to see if this poop will not affect my water parameters as it is mostly just wood or if im gonna have to clean up every day.
Vitaliy
06-01-2005, 12:29 PM
My royal pleco is taking between 30-50 craps a day. They look pretty similar to mealworms. My question is: he has been all over this driftwood in the tank and the **** is all around the base of the driftwood. It looks like he is eating the driftwood maybe to get algae or whatever else he extracts from the wood but he isnt digesting the wood and just crapping it out immediately. Hes in the tank with a jardini a few bichirs and a pbass I wanted to see if this poop will not affect my water parameters as it is mostly just wood or if im gonna have to clean up every day.
Driftwood is part of Plecos diet, the fish are known to be non-stopping crap machines. This fish does not stop eating = does not stop ****ting.
Oddball
06-01-2005, 1:06 PM
I keep a half dozen red-claw crayfish with my 15-16" royal. the crays don't eat anything digested but, make quick work of undigested wood fibers the royal drops. And the crays do a great job of stirring the bottom so the filter can take up all the waste.
unknownuza13
06-01-2005, 1:39 PM
so am I correct to assume it is probably mostly wood fibers and since this is not technically Sh*t it will not overload my tank with amonia. I dont think I'd have much success keeping crayfish with the pike and pbass. I could have sworn I saw one of the bichirs eating some of it though.
Oddball
06-01-2005, 1:52 PM
It's wood fibers. The pleco is actually not as interested in the wood as he is in the bacteria that live in and are breaking down the wood. The pleco is going for the bacteria's byproduct which is mostly simple sugars.
unknownuza13
06-01-2005, 2:13 PM
thanks a lot oddball....