Do Certain Plecos Poop More Than Others?

[Blakewater]

Hey ladies and gents. So, first off, let me just lead with the fact that I am a newb when it comes to plecos. I know the basic care and requirements, but thats about it. That being said, I do enjoy how some look and so recently I purchased an Adonis and Royal for my tank as a bottom region swimmer.

After about 2-3 weeks, two things have become very apparent:

1. I enjoy plecos and would ideally like to add more such as an L014, etc.

2. The amount of waste my Royal Pleco produces should be defined as a crime against nature because the poop load produced is IMMENSE.

What spurs my question is that comparatively, my Adonis (who is of equal size) seems to produce a much more manageable amount of waste. So I was curious if certain plecos naturally produce larger amounts of poop than others and, if so, what species tend to produce less that still attain sizes of 12"+.

It is not so much that the waste is an issue for water quality as much as I would just prefer to not have to worry about it if I am adding more plecos as they get bigger.

Thanks!

 

[fishhead0103666]

I’ve always heard that panaques produce a lot more waste than other plecos, royals are a panaque.

 

[BIG-G]

I agree with fishhead0103666 panaque plecos have a fairly fast moving digestive tract.
I’ve read studies that have determined that some panaque species can pass food from ingestion completely through their digestive track In as little as 4 hours.
I believe that they get most of their nutrients not from the wood itself but from the biofilm that forms on the wood.
I would say that because the amount of nutrition from this is relatively low compared to actual volume that is ingested paired with a fast digestive track means that they as a side effect produce a lot of waste.

In short they crap a lot! Lol

 

[BIG-G]

What spurs my question is that comparatively, my Adonis (who is of equal size) seems to produce a much more manageable amount of waste. So I was curious if certain plecos naturally produce larger amounts of poop than others and, if so, what species tend to produce less that still attain sizes of 12"+

In my experience the more carnivorous or should I say omnivorous plecos like L014, L024, and L096 all of which I currently have, produce less waste then the panaques.

 

[Blakewater]

In my experience the more carnivorous or should I say omnivorous plecos like L014, L024, and L096 all of which I currently have, produce less waste then the panaques.

Awesome! Thanks much for the info glad youve had good "poop success" specifically with the L014

 

[BIG-G]

Awesome! Thanks much for the info glad youve had good "poop success" specifically with the L014

I got it very small it’s about 6 inches now.

 

[neutrino]

Agree with everyone else. I love royals, and have had a few, but won't deal with the waste anymore. "Common plecos" and some others also produce prodigious waste. The waste producing types give plecos a bad rap not all deserve-- feeding cheap "pleco" foods might also make a difference.

I've had several species that are typical for any fish their size, in other words not bad at all, including smaller species, like L260, and medium species like L200, L128, etc. The wild L128 I have even eats some wood, still doesn't produce noticeable waste.

 

[pga7602]

I have a soft spot for royals and have 3 giant ones in my 180, and changing filter socks is the norm every 3 days just to keep up with all the poop. Like everyone said, meat eaters like l14 and l25 pale in comparison. 1 large royal would equal 3 equally sized l25 in waste.

 

[Aquanoobious]

I love Plecos but in my limited experience, I find that they all poop ropes.