i need fish to clean up fish waste. suggestions?

[o snap its eric]

what kind of fishs clean up fish waste?

[MMX]

I'm afraid there's none. You have to do regular (partial) water changes. ;)

[Kit Walker]

True. There is no fish that will eat fish waste or fish s%#t. However, if you want a fish to scavenge and clean up leftover food particles, then clown loaches and Corydoras are great depending on tank size. You may have to feed slightly more, as these fish shouldn't have to rely on scraps alone.

[o snap its eric]

aww i knew this was too good to be true lol.

[Slappy*McFish]

live plants and water changes

[waterspirit]

I've read that banjo cats will eat almost anything, including fish s@#t but they can't really be expected to eat only that. I've found that my banjos enjoy tubifex worms as well as flake food that falls into the substrate.

[lotsoffish]

Even if there was a fish that ate fish poop it would only poop it all out again! If only you could find a fish that ate poop and pooped bloodworms!

[o snap its eric]

tht would be a good thing if it ate poop and eats its own poop again. no need to feed him

[pinballqueen]

ew...

[wetmanNY]

The metabolism of one teleost fish is enough like another's that you couldn't expect there to be enough oxidizable energy left over in fish feces to support a second fish. Second law of thermodynamics is having its effect. Check this out! www.secondlaw.com

Aren't you'all imagining a kind of organic pepetual motion machine? Like an economic system based on each of us taking in the others' laundry for a living.

An organism such as a snail, a detritus feeder that's much smaller in mass than a fish, and with both a lower level of kinetic energy and a higher efficiency in converting food to energy, can make part of its living converting unused carbohydrates in fish feces...

...but you knew that already...

[o snap its eric]

huh :confused: explaine one more time

[tyler]

nice physics, wetman.

is there anything that could just keep the bottom stirred up so the fish waste wasn't quite so visible? my friend just put in a sand bottom on his oscar tank, and the waste is very noticable contrasting against the light colored sand.

or would vacuuming be the only/best method?

thank you

[Kit Walker]

Wouldn't its conversion of food to energy be Potential energy rather than Kinetic energy?

[OrionGirl]

Potential energy becomes kinetic when it's processed.

I have kuhli's in a sand tank-they keep it stirred up fairly well. Of course, an oscar's waste may be bigger than the kuhli...

Putting a small powerhead so it blows over the surface of the sand will help---the solid waste will be kept up in the water column and pulled into your mechanical filtration quicker.

[wetmanNY]

...plus, when you do partial water changes-- glug glug glug --blow it up into the water column and let the filtration take it up!

[GER1023]

Yeah that suck there is no fish that eat feces of other fish but then if he eat his own he would always be stuck to his @$$ oh and if you guys are going to do sybols for badwords at least do it write do snails eat $#!%???

[vfrex]

Good news, I got a 90 on my thermodynamics test in AP Physics...woo!

Um, 1 thing to note: there have been times when my fish pass out feces that seem like unprocessed food. I know a krill when I see one, and I saw one wrapped up in oscar poo. My pleco readily tore the poo apart to get to the krill. Although disguisting, perhaps overfeeding fish will cause undigested food to be passed out with the feces, providing enough nourishment for bottom feeders?

Its easier just to feed the **** thing directly tho.:D

[lotsoffish]

I think this thread is a bunch of crap!

[wetmanNY]

Ah does anyone remembertwo years ago the endless pleco poop thread endlessly going on about threads of poop from the pleco and how endless the poop threads were?

[RumpThumper33]

I like to eat poop, especially my south american *** catfish's poop. It tastes as good as it smells, Delicious!!!