Plec Waste

[Nick4881]

Hi guys...

Ive had my plec for about three years and is now around 8-10 inches long...
Now for the past few months he has been creating alot of waste, and leaving strings of the stuff across the tank...
any handy hints would be greatly recieved....

thanks

Nick

 

[clunkster]

not alot you can do to stop this as plecs produuce a lot of mess they can be regular s**t machiens

 

[smithrc]

what do you want to do??
stop him pooping?


He's a plec - thats what they do!

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

constant gravel vacuumings will help get rid of the poop but other then that your just going to have to keep it out of there, they do poop alot dont they

 

[Nick4881]

Thanks guys....

do shrimps help to keep waste down?? ive heard that a small herd of say 10 Blue Shrimps can help to clean the tank over time.....
Any truth in this?
+ ive just set up a sand base in my new tank, having trouble vacuming the tank floor without scooping up a load of sand... any help??

 

[Ami]

Sorry for laughing but it's always good when someone else discovers this problem! The plec I had was a foot long when I finally rehomed him - the mess he made was unbelievable!

re: sand - i think you're supposed to hold the vacuum further above it than you would with gravel, then stir it up. Perhaps it's the other way around? In any case, the sand will settle in your bucket and you can just put it back once you've disposed of the waste water.

I don't think shrimps eat waste, at least not enough to cope with that from a near full grown plec!

 

[SirMinion]

No, shrimps don't eat poo. The only thing that eats poo is bacteria.

You can reduce his poo quantity by cutting down on his food, also if the poo makes unbroken strings, then he's getting too much protein in his diet and needs more corgette/zuchini or other veggies.

 

[clunkster]

when vacuming hold sligly heigher & swirl above muck mess or whatever ya wanna call it if any sand gets sucked up save it in your bucket then returnit after. dont think shrimps eat poo would you

 

[Teelie]

re: sand - i think you're supposed to hold the vacuum further above it than you would with gravel, then stir it up. Perhaps it's the other way around? In any case, the sand will settle in your bucket and you can just put it back once you've disposed of the waste water.

[snapback]855440[/snapback]​

That's how you do it. Hold it just above the sand where the waste gets sucked up but not the sand. It takes some practice to find the right distance but even if you lose some, it goes in the bucket. I use a heavier grain sand and occasionally just dip the siphon stright into the sand. Most of it stays in the tank, falling back down but what does go into the bucket usually doesn't fall out when I empty it. I just scoop it up and drop it back in the tank. One thing though when doing that, make sure the bucket you use has only been used to change aquarium water or other non-harmful functions. I wouldn't use the mop bucket for instance.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

If you add a small filter at the bottom of the tank at the oposite end of the tank to the main tank filter, that will help suck up alot of the plecs poo and its what i do to help keep my tanks clean with my large plecs, that and weekly sand cleaning sessions. If the poos are big enough you can also just net them out too.

 

[illusion54]

I heard they're making a plec pooperscooper jk, but gl with your plec.

 

[Nick4881]

Thanks Gang, tried the vacuum techniques you al suggested they work great, + the sand is easy to put back in after the waste has been thrown away.. Thanks again..
Nick

 

[rixy]

my royal makes more mess than all the other fishes put together.nightmare when your fussy about keeping the tank immaculate