Large Waste Producer?

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Fishman0

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 3, 2009
342
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New York
I have reacently bought a "Hi-Fin" Pleco from the LFS. I am not positive which species or variation it is but it does have a leapord pattern and a larger dorcel fin. It is only 4.5inches right now.

my question is this... does anyone elses produce a large amount of waste? it seems that all he does is attatch to my driftwood and eat and eat and eat. i have not tried vegatables or anything other than pellets. he produces as much waste as my other P.Bass. Any advice to better manage the waste other than siphoning it out of the media?
 
plecs crap more than most other fish.... you could get a powerhead to keep the water moving so the poop doesnt settle on the bottom, or you could get another filter to suck up the extra poop, or you could do both.
 
Your pleco is most likely a Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps. I would suggest cutting back on feeding him. If he is a juvenile, stick to 2-3 small meals a day. It does not have to be a large meal at once. Adults can do well with once a day feeding along with one day per week fasting.
 
plecos = pooper scoopers! I have 5-8 baby BN's & they are constantly pooping!! my baby royal not so much or at least I haven't caught it in the act!! with my discus I am vac-ing daily!!
 
Yep. Plecs invented poo, did you know that? Sure enough.
To have Plecs you've got to have a certain kind of love for them. Someone who gets them 'just because' is going to quickly get tired of the mess. You can try a powerhead to put it all to one end but I've never found them to work that well. What's worked real well for me is Plec-Poo colored sand mixed together and syphoning several times a week.
 
Thanks haha... well i have semi large media (its called Mexican beach pebbles) they are about one inch round river stones... would an UGF work? some of the poo does seem to slip into all of the cracks. and btw i havnt been feeding him daily. he has mostly been eating some algae and lightening my driftwood
 
Gravel, stones or pebbles is one of the worst things to use with Plecs (& messy fish) because all the gunk gets caught down in there and before long your nitrates are sky high because of all the rotting food & yuck under there. Sand is best best because everything sits on top of the sand in the same few places. The poo-piles in my Plec tank always gather in the same 2 spots. Makes it easier to clean.
 
i got a hi fin also for 7 bucks at petsmart, i just leave the poop and i clean it prolly once per month or once every 2 months if im lazy or not
 
TwistedPenguin;3377767; said:
Gravel, stones or pebbles is one of the worst things to use with Plecs (& messy fish) because all the gunk gets caught down in there and before long your nitrates are sky high because of all the rotting food & yuck under there. Sand is best best because everything sits on top of the sand in the same few places. The poo-piles in my Plec tank always gather in the same 2 spots. Makes it easier to clean.
Click to expand...

All the plec crap in my tank gathers up on the outside of the main cave, where both plecs are constantly fidgeting and making poop blow out of the entrance...
youre right when you say that, to have plecs youve really gotta love em.

Fishman0, wait till your sailfin plec gets big, youve seen nothing yet when it comes to the amount that plecs poop lol.
 
Yeah cant wait for him to poop more haha... so the under gravel system wont help with the media? or should i do a reverse undergravel system?
 
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