sailfin pleco vs royal pleco

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fishman61

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2009
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Which pleco has the largest bio-load? I am wanting to get rid of the sailfin 14" and replace him with a royal pleco. I have him in a 150g tank
 
I can't really compare but I had a royal for 2 weeks (lost to ich I was very sad) I had him qt in a 10g he was 2" and he littered the base in 2 days most poop I've ever seen in my llife. Had to do water changes every 2 days or there would be more poop then sand. So I think it will be just as bad

My fish life is sparked up with Polys :)
 
Sailfin will be actual poop. Royal will be a mix of poop and sawdust if you have driftwood. Sailfin will be easier to clean up after IMO. I currently have both and the royal is my favorite by far.
 
I have a 15" Sailfin and a 10" Royal in my 180. The Royal hands down is my favorite fish...and hands down the most "dirty". I can't believe the sawdust everywhere...like a green and black chainsaw! Anyway, still my favorite.
I have found with Plecos in general, they don't make any more mess than any other fish I have had...my Oscar made the most mess by far. The stringy poo is just diet. I feed my Plecos a vary diverse diet, and I have rarely had to clean the stringy poo out. But, when I feed them algae wafers, then its a mess...like they are decorating the place. The key I have found, with all my fish, is moderation. I used to feed twice a day. My fish all got fat. I have reduced their feeding to once every other day, even every third day, and my fish have all gotten much healthier. I have seen normal growth, no disease to speak of and best of all...no messed up tank from poo everywhere.
The Royal is a royal sawdust factory. But I don't mind. I know its just wood and its easy to vac out of the tank. It doesn't affect the bioload as far as I am concerned.
 
One way to deal with saw dust is Asolene Spixi snails. They eat it and turn it into feces makes it easier on your filters.
IME saw dust kills filters especially the shafts of impellers.
I strip my filters once a months.

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