Pleco poop-alooza

[Olive]

I gotta pleco in my catfish tank.........just a regular sailfin............he is pooping like mad. It is all over the tank, and I haven't fed in several days............

I guess I have been blessed over the years, 'cause I haven't had many probs except with ICK, so I am not sure if I should be concerned. My worry is that this could be a parasitic infection of some sort..........will someone either calm my "overly-mommy protective let's jump to conclusions" fears............( I have no kids.....so they get it ALL) or tell me to run to the nearest petstore for the state of the art anti-everything med?!?

 

[wuvmybetta]

He's probably fine, they all poop like mad. Why haven't ya fed in days?

 

[Olive]

He's probably fine, they all poop like mad. Why haven't ya fed in days?

Well, having plecos for so long, I do know that they do poop a lot......but I mean this is ALL OVER THE TANK .......I haven't fed in a about 6 days 'cause I have been trying to get an overly aggessive botia out (finally got him!) and the tank was all messed up. I was unable to do water changes like I usually do, and I didn't want to cloud up or overly pollute the tank...also, I have heard when they are stressed they wont eat as much anyway and I didn't want the food just sitting on the floor rotting.
I guess that is why I was concerned, since I haven't fed, should he have such poo?

 

[wuvmybetta]

hmmm, well this is gross...I'm sitting here trying to imagine how much is too much poo for a pleco

is he acting sickly, or just foraging around? Perhaps he's just eating all the excess food that turned up during the rearranging.

 

[cation]

It's funny, when I "rearrange " the tank and find all the nasty bits that were trapped under things, all the stuff that looks borderline mouldy, thst's exactly the stuff that looks the best to my pleco. We usually race to see who can get it the fastest, him or me with the siphon!

 

[Olive]

hmmm, well this is gross...I'm sitting here trying to imagine how much is too much poo for a pleco

is he acting sickly, or just foraging around? Perhaps he's just eating all the excess food that turned up during the rearranging.

he may be acting a little under the weather ...........he has always been a little strange to me.........but what do I know, I am not a pleco

 

[Olive]

It's funny, when I "rearrange " the tank and find all the nasty bits that were trapped under things, all the stuff that looks borderline mouldy, thst's exactly the stuff that looks the best to my pleco. We usually race to see who can get it the fastest, him or me with the siphon!

 

[ryan]

Believe me they never poo to much, my 7 inch Gibbiceps seems to go crazy at night because when I wake up he has poos hanging off plants, wood, filters, rock and all over the sand. Often the stuff is at the top of the tank hanging of a plant leaf, I would like to know how he does this.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I would like to know how he does this.

 

[fozzy_wozzy_woo]

I never fed my pleco and he is growing massive..
they just live off of the algae in the tank so dont worry about it. these things are know for massive pooing sessions.
It may not be nice. just be glad you dont see the guppies eating the pleco poo as when they poo it out the guppy poo is black.

 

[Woody]

Yikes. I didn't know plecos could get the fish equivalent of "the squirts." I'm baffled, though, by all the comments here, and in other threads, about pleco poop output. I make sure mine are well fed, supplementing my tanks' natural algae with algae wafers and cucumber, but I have never noticed a problem with waste.

On the other hand, my largest pleco is only six or seven inches long. Maybe it's the bigger fish that really foul tanks? Sort of makes me wish I had the graphics skills to design a new avatar: How about a pleco with a magazine under his front fin, saying, "Sorry guys, but that side of the tanks is OFF LIMITS for at least an hour!"

 

[Olive]

Believe me they never poo to much, my 7 inch Gibbiceps seems to go crazy at night because when I wake up he has poos hanging off plants, wood, filters, rock and all over the sand. Often the stuff is at the top of the tank hanging of a plant leaf, I would like to know how he does this.

It's like pleco-poo-art or something.........

 

[Olive]

guppies eating the pleco poo as when they poo it out the guppy poo is black.

oh holy moly am I glad I haven't seen that.......

 

[Olive]

Yikes. I didn't know plecos could get the fish equivalent of "the squirts." I'm baffled, though, by all the comments here, and in other threads, about pleco poop output. I make sure mine are well fed, supplementing my tanks' natural algae with algae wafers and cucumber, but I have never noticed a problem with waste.

On the other hand, my largest pleco is only six or seven inches long. Maybe it's the bigger fish that really foul tanks? Sort of makes me wish I had the graphics skills to design a new avatar: How about a pleco with a magazine under his front fin, saying, "Sorry guys, but that side of the tanks is OFF LIMITS for at least an hour!"

LMAO!!!!!!!!

Or ....................."Whew!!!! Do NOT go in there!" famous words, from Jim Carey!

Yikes. I didn't know plecos could get the fish equivalent of "the squirts

heee-hawwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fozzy_wozzy_woo]

may be it is to rich food in the water