IS ALL POOP CREATED EQUAL?

opcorn: okay, got my poopcorn - let the discussion commence! :grinyes:

Everything in this post has a 94% chance of being completely incorrect:

I'm willing to believe that any organic material will, over time, decompose.

However, shrimp feces does probably have a high content of fiber, which if I recall correctly, does not decompose as readily as fish feces.

Doesn't it also depend on what you are feeding your shrimp?

happypoet said:

Fishycat: If you're gonna watch the fight, you gotta put your money on one of the horses.

Click to expand...

Wait, there's horse fighting?! :laugh: I got the idea...

So your argument is that if left as is, shrimp poop will never really impact the bioload of a tank, due to it's composition?

I think I'm leaning towards Fishorama on this one, only because nothing can last forever... And shrimp (for their size) can really poop! Fiber still breaks down same as other stuffs...

Okay there's my $0.02 rambling during my lunch break. I could probably cone up with something better when I'm not typing with one finger on an iPhone. :

OK, I am a biologist by training. So fiber decomposition would affect the pH of the water, making the water more basic, but would not add any nitrogenous waste (ammonia etc.). Protein decomposition would affect the nitrogenous waste. Also, shrimp being scavengers, would probably be more efficient at digesting their food, so proportionately more of their waste would be fiber.
Monika

"Facts" about fish poop?

Seems to me like the only things you're going to find are:

1) Long, boring aquaculture sites like these:
http://aquanic.org/publications/state/il-in/ces/garling.pdf

2) Short, pithy commercial sites like these:
http://nlsfishfood.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=9

Think about the "messy" fish you commonly see. Plecos, cichlids, goldfish, etc. Some, but not all of these, are primarily herbivores. Certain kinds of plecos eat wood, hence lots of fiber. It makes a lot of visible poop. Goldfish have been said to have essentially no stomach - not sure how to explain it really, but they produce a lot more ammonia for their size than other fish. Even though they are primarily herbivorous they put a huge strain on water quality.

I can think of two very messy fish, though - stingrays and discus. They are both carnivores and produce tons of ammonia.

Try Googling wardley perfect protein...

It's a clever marketing scheme, whereas they market their low protein, high filler content food as clouding the water less.

Anyway, it seems to me like there is nothing to argue, here. Of course if you feed fish koi wheat germ pellets vs. sinking carnivore pellets, the poop that's fed the wheat germ is going to pollute the tank less.

Think of it like this: horses and cows. They poop A LOT....they are mostly grass grazers. Wood eating plecos like Panaques leave tons of fiber based poop in the tank...but I doubt it has much effect on water quality in terms of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. It certainly has an aesthetic impact

So to me it's obvious - bioload, in terms of water quality - is not all created equal, no. The poop from carnivores is more polluting than the poop from vegetarians...