Pleco Poo?!

[anaerobe]

Hi guys!! I have a common pleco in my 10 gallon, he's only like 4 inches big now... but of course... he's a POO MACHINE!! I'd vacuum the gravel one day and within the next 2 days he already covers the tank with lots and lots of poo... ugh.

Anyhoo... I noticed that my frogs and crab seem to be eating his poo!! I guess the crab is supposed to do that, but the frogs??? Frogs are carnivores, and I am not sure why they find the pleco poo enticing w/ real food sitting just around the corner. My friend is trying to convince me that the pleco poo is "nutritious"... anyone knows if it's actually nutritious??? I'm wondering this on the guess that he poos soo fast and soo much that he probably left quite a bit of nutrients in there, but of course, I dont relli know.

Another thing is that... I'm wondering if the pleco poo is any good for the tank? The same friend of mine (no expert on fish thouhg ) is trying to convince me that the poo is in fact, good for the tank. I regard it as "waste" and it's no good adding waste into water.. maybe it would explain why my water has a slight yellow tinge all the time?? I'm just asking this coz I'm trying to determine what to do with the poo. if it actually isnt good for the water & frogs, i could vacuum more often.

TIA!

 

[mommyof2bettas]

your water is yellow in tinge because plecs grow up too a foot long even more and need a 55 gellon They are massive waste producers though, and no, the poo isn't good for the tank

 

[NightStalker]

Abit of poo is, i mean gotta produce some nitrates and what not. Not to much

I dont know how you maintain your tank so i cant say why its yellow, mine is never, its always in tip top ready to rock shape

And i saw my neighbors dog eating his poo....so i dont think its that nutritious, just animals being, well animals.

 

[ghent_3rd]

Not 100% sure on the poo issue I'm afraid but the yellowing in your water maybe down to any bogwood you have in the tank. Wood continues to release tannins that stain the water for a long time after being put into the tank. Carbon in your filter will help eliminate this, however, the fish will probably actually enjoy the yellowing of the water as it is more like their natural habitat.

 

[dwarfgourami]

"good for the tank" seems rather a vague concept. A little bit of nitrates can be helpful to the plants in a heavily planted tank, but a little goes a long way. High levels will damage the fish's health. To find out how much nitrates are being produced, test for nitrates in tap and tank water, and compare the two. But it really doesn't take a test kit to work out that that plec is going to have to move from there- he needs room to grow if he is to stay healthy, I doubt even a 55 gallon will do him in the long run.

 

[LisaLQ]

Yeah he needs to be out of there very soon I'm afraid. In the long run he'll need a minimum of 4ft x 18" x 18" (with big plecs it's not so much gallonage - is that a word? - that's important, but dimensions) as common plecs can reach 12-18". Of course, if he reaches 18", that tank's going to have to be 4ft x 2ft x 2ft.

The yellowing of your water will be a mix between the tannins from the wood and the waste from a 4" plec in a 10g tank. The sooner he has an upgrade the better

The poo itself is only any good for plants, and even then your tank would have to be extremely heavily planted to need the amount of poo a common plec makes