Pleco poop question :)

A

ArkyLady

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Nov 27, 2002
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Another thread I was reading reminded me that I wanted to ask about my pleco's poop :)

Of course, he poops a LOT. Once in awhile I'll notice he has a long trail of poop hanging off of him. I don't see it often and the poop in the gravel doesn't look like this. I was just curious what is causing that to happen? I'm assuming it's something I feed him that does it occassionally, but haven't tracked it long enough to know exactly what yet. Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
Algae wafers, greenbeans, spinach, zuccini, cucumbers, lettuce, etc plus whatever leftovers he gets from the other fish. I've been feeding him a wider variety of foods lately since I discovered that I likely wasn't feeding him enough. He mainly gets algae wafers and zuccini/cucumbers, but I feed him other things I read about or think of that I have on hand sometimes too. I have noticed the long string of poop even when he's eaten a regular meal (nothing new or special), so maybe it's if he eats too much? No idea, hoping to figure out what it is so I can put a stop to it, it's not a pretty sight lol
 
hehehe, he sure is eating healthy now Arky! ;) My assumption though would just be that if it's a pleco, it's gonna poop... and poooop... and poooooop :D With mine, the bigger he got, the bigger and longer his waste got..... Sorry I dont have an answer that you're looking for, other than, welcome to the world of Plecos ;)
 
Pleco poop

If I remember correctly, were you the one who said you had an old aquarium book...or was that MrsDorothy? Anyway, it made me remember my old aquarium book and so I opened it up to the Ailments section and read about Constipation. Here's what it says:

Due to wrong feeding (too much dried food, or starchy food for instance), this manifests itself by a swollen look about the abdomen, loss of balance, gasping at the surface and loss of appetite (so far, this doesn't sound like your Pleco, but continuing on....)

The first sign of it, however, is given by the excrement, which remains hanging in a long string from the vent; if diet is changed at this stage, trouble will usually be averted.

It goes on to explain how to treat advanced cases with a salt bath.

Now... how to change the diet... maybe just feed a bit less to start and make the diet a bit more bland, working in variety over time. Maybe things like the green beans could be a treat. You'd think with all that fresh stuff, constipation would be the least of ol' plec's worries.
 
i own a 9 inch pleco and there are poop trail,loooong ones, all the time.mine eats algea wafers,shrimp pallets and zucchini and a few other veggies.i think it's a normal thing with plecos....and you know he is eating good.if it was a sign of constapation,then why is my pleco pooping long strings ALL the time,every day. :)
 
..just as a side note, I checked another source and it sounds like you're feeding plec all the right stuff... volume could be the issue. :) Meanwhile, the recommendation is to back off for a day or so and then work back to the variety. You're already doing that important part. Water quality was mentioned also, but the most interesting comment was regarding the use of frozen foods.... like don't forget to thaw them. d'oh.
 
pl*co, musta been MrsDorothy, wasn't me :)

Thanks all for the info. I did post about my pleco not long ago wondering why he wasn't as big as I felt he should be (2 yr old common pleco only at around 4.5" in a 55gal). Best explanation for it came down to malnutrition, so I've been feeding him more algae wafers daily (2-3) along with veggie treats 2-3 times a week, figuring out what he likes best, etc. So far it looks to me as if he's grown a bit in just the past few weeks with the added feedings. I was really worried about him being stunted too small and having problems later since I know they live for a long time.

Anyhow, I guess it's just from feeding him more and maybe too many veggies and mostly just because they are poop machines! :D
 
also some veggies seem to make the plecos poop even more.i give mine a brussel sprout every now and then and the tank looks like a poop warzone the next day.as long as he is healthy i am ok with cleaning it :)
 
I would never part with my brussels for my pleco, hehehe.....

pl*co, you mentioned salt as a a cure for something.... plecos are pretty sensitive to salt, so I'd be wary of using it. While I suppose short term might be ok as maybe a dip in some opinions, I wouldn't use it with my plecos.
 
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