How Much Waste Does A 9inch Plec Produce A Day?

[js06j2g]

not sure if this is even measurable lol

but since getting the plec my water keeps getting really dirty really quick. even though with 6 axolotls the same size, the water has never really got dirty.

 

[ITHURTZ]

One guy said a goldfish produces 33% of its body weight in waste a day, so I would assume the same for a pleco.

I dont know how much a 9" would weight, 1 lb maybe? So in a week thats 2.31lbs of pure crap or 1/4 gallon

 

[js06j2g]

oh my gosh thats a lot. especially considering ive jsut realised my plec is actually 12" not 9.

 

[ITHURTZ]

They are messy little guys

 

[paul_219]

YAk i have goldfish exactly they are the most dirty fish. I clean the filter every 15 days and do water change errkly.

 

[LisaLQ]

Goldfish are miles messier than plecs especially when kept in warmer temps, as their metabolism increases.

Perhaps you're over feeding? I've got a 180g with two commons - one 10" and one 6", one 8" royal, 2 bristlenoses and a rusty plec in it - along with other fish, and we still only have to water change and gravel vac twice a week - hardly a huge undertaking?

 

[ITHURTZ]

180g is a far cry from your average aquarium. Bigger area = usually means less cleaning

 

[LisaLQ]

How can it mean less cleaning when a. it's a bigger tank and b. there's more plecs in there so therefore more waste? I dont see how a plec in a small tank will poo more than a few plecs in a big tank

 

[js06j2g]

my tank is only 36inches though.

by the next day of a full water change the water is smelly and murky.

selling my plec in buy and sell if anyone is interested! (pick up from leeds - £10)

 

[LisaLQ]

Well a 12" plec in a 3ft tank is going to make a huge amount of waste, purely because the tank's far too small for him. You're doing the right thing - hope he finds a good home soon.

 

[ITHURTZ]

Because its easier to pollute 30gallons of water than 180 gallons with the same amount of fish. You would need 6 times the amount of fish in a 30 to pollute the same amount. That was what I was getting at

 

[LisaLQ]

I've probably got that, but that's beside the point.

A plec in a 3ft tank will still produce the same amount of poo it would produce in a 6ft tank. Water changes take twice as long (if not more). Yes, you could go longer between water changes with a bigger tank because of the increased volume, but water changes aren't the only thing you have to do to clean up after big plecs. You still have to gravel vac up the same amount of actual poo - and in a 6ft tank that takes longer than it would in a 3ft, believe me, as it's spread out more

Anyway we've got the answer now - a 12" plec in a 3ft tank is going to need much more maintenance because (like you said) there's not enough water volume to cope with a fish that size in there - so nitrate levels will shoot up.