Bioload of catfish?

[Genhawk]

Just curious, when it comes to stocking a community tank do catfish create the same bioload as regular fish, or more, or less? I was just thinking that because they eat crud off the bottom, they would perhaps lighten the load a little?

Or to put it differently, would 4 more corys have the same impact on stocking as 4 more tetras of the same size?

 

[Aislinn]

Well, corys don't eat fish waste, they eat fish food. They just eat it off the bottom of the tank. And even if they DID eat fish waste, any fish that eats is a fish that poops, and therefore a fish that adds to the bioload.

More specifically, what kind of corys vs. what kind of tetras? Some corys are a lot bigger than others, and some tetras are a lot bigger than others. Either way, though, any living creature you add to your tank will add to its bioload, because everything alive creates waste. There's no animal you can add to your tank that "lightens" the bioload.

 

[WeeNe858]

i dont know where you got the cories from... but they produce a pretty average amount

however.. the actual "catfishes" like pictus,syntodontis or the massive red tail produce a pretty heavy load... they are like 16 wheelers of waste but are awsome to boot..


it is never safe to assume any type of fish eat waste (let alone fish poop)

think of it as tho they are human.. do humans eat poop?.. it makes no sense because it is food with all the benificial stuff taken out...however we do tend to eat leftovers or some day old food...

fish do the same thing.. they eat leftover food and scraps...

but catfishes are a big dedication when put into a community tank.. they can thrw th system off if your not ready

 

[Rbishop]

It would be nice to know the size of the tank you are referring to and the current stocking.

 

[Genhawk]

I wasn't necessarily implying that I think they eat fish poop, obviously they don't. But they do eat fish food that might rot otherwise. I was just thinking about the x inch of fish per gallon "rules" and how they are different for goldfish (because of heavy bioload), and wondering if the opposite was ever true.

 

[Aislinn]

Well, if you want a bottom dweller that's one thing, but if you have a problem with leftover food on the bottom of the tank, then this is an indication of overfeeding. Feed less, vacuum more, problem solved. If, however, you are genuinely interested in a bottom dweller, then I would say shrimp would be good, as they are generally not heavy waste producers.