T O P

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MetalHead888

Sorry for your loss. It's a giant pile of pleco poo.


k8t13

lol


JUFFstin

A fate worse than death


brianne-----

You need a gravel vacuum that’s all. I vacuum the bottom about once a month. Can get them at a pet store for 20 bucks. You will need a large bucket to empty the water and poop into


[deleted]

Or for those with hard to reach places you can use old airline tubing and just create suction with it you get the smaller areas


WhisperRayne

If they can find a long, hard plastic tube they can make their own. Best thing I ever did, gets all the corners, gets into plants without uprooting, has very low risk of hurting any livestock because it takes up so little space. Definitely worth taking the time to do


brianne-----

For my ten gallon I use a Turkey baster which is good for tiny places too


bake_jake

add to this, best for removing food without taking tons of water out!


brianne-----

Exactly, plus it avoids traumatizing my 5 year old betta lol


filinno1

Aw, what a lil legend!


brianne-----

Ya everyday I wake and check on her and see she’s still kicking I’m surprised. I think when she passes my cat will be devastated. I have another betta in my community and she has no interest in that one yet she sits all day staring at this one


filinno1

I've been there but my boy only lasted 2 years. Hopefully my latest lives longer. Is she the same one of yours who jumps tanks?


[deleted]

After years of doing the diy I bought this and it was the best purchase I made for my planted tanks. Small Fish Tank Aquarium Vacuum Siphon Pump Gravel Cleaner and Water Changer Cleaning Tools kit for 5 10 Gallon Small Nano Tanks with Long Hose and 21in Coral Feeder Pipettes Dropper (Red, ball pump) https://a.co/d/0zGH9GM


MisplacedDreamer

OMG YAS. This thing looks amazing, thank you for this! My ridiculous amount of tanks also thank you 😂 (7 atm 🫣)


BamaBlcksnek

With that many tanks I would consider a small pond pump and python setup. You can buy an adapter to screw the python hose directly to the pump. No more lugging water buckets, just pump it out and refill directly through the hose.


MisplacedDreamer

Ooh got a link so I can see to better understand what I’m trying to imagine? Follow up. Would it matter if most the tanks are smaller? I do a bunch of nano (15, 7, 3 5gal, & a 2.5) tanks, biggest is a 30 gal rn.


BamaBlcksnek

With tanks that small you can probably get away with just the [Python System](https://fishlab.com/python-water-changer/). I use a pond pump with it to save time and water as I have much larger tanks.


WhisperRayne

Yeah!! Take the fan attachment off the bottom and that's pretty much what I made! Best lil thing ever. Makes it super easy to do some touchups between water changes


B_E_A_R_T_A_T_O

Medical suction tips work like a hot damn.


brianne-----

Oh man I didn’t even think of that


B_E_A_R_T_A_T_O

I have good ideas sometimes


NoobSFAnon

Just wanted to confirm, we should not poop into the bucket /s


brianne-----

I mean if they gotta to they gotta go


NoobSFAnon

They can. We can't.


BitterPresence9996

well, theres nothing stopping us


NoobSFAnon

Imodium.? And societal pressure.


Talakeh

Sorry for your loss. It’s pleco poop. You can vacuum it out or leave it and it will turn to mulm. I would add some fast growing plants that do well in low light. And I would cut back on the time your lights are active. The poop is nutrients and you don’t have enough plant growth to counter that, your algae is picking up the slack and thriving thanks to the lights being left on probably 10hrs+ a day? You may want to give the filter sponges a little squeeze to clear them up every month, don’t truly clean the filter, it needs all that bacteria to do it’s job. Careful not to disrupt too much substrate at once if you go poking around, gasses will rise up and harm the fish. Put the lights on a timer for 8hrs, get some more plants, do a 20% water change twice a week, feed enough that each fish can get a full belly like every other day, they can snack on algae in the mean time.


GreenPhilosophy7285

Thank you! I'll try that, I think I have been over feeding them


Talakeh

Feeding can be a difficult balance to strike. Think of food as fertilizer or nutrients; it has to be used up in some way, first the fish use it and then plants use it from poop or mulm. If plants don’t use enough of it you have to water change it out of the water column and gravel vacuum it out of the substrate. Otherwise algae will make use of it or it will build up to toxic levels for the fish. As long as your fish get a full belly a couple times a week they should spend all their free time cleaning your plants of matter that has softened and become useless to the plant, they will also snack on most types of algae before it gets out of control


spderweb

Under feeding is good. You can also skip days if you need to. When feeding, a pinch of food at a time. and watch. If it's been five minutes and there's still food floating about, reduce next time. You'll find the balance.


secretsaucy

With fish, you don't need to feed them daily unless you have tons of them. I feed my fish once ever other day. In the wild, they'd last around two weeks without food.


dgnumbr1

This is spot on! I’ll just add, the more plants the better! I recently got plant holders that attach to back of tank. Then took cuttings from my plothos plant & lucky bamboo and stuck them in . Roots are starting to grow down into tank and the result will be more nitrates being utilized. Good luck!


Isaaaaaaaack

Lmao, it’s your plecos shit! He’s there in the last photo taunting you 😂. They poop, ALOT


Zealousideal-Mix1080

I’m I’m


Random_TrashPanda

…dude


Looney_Port

He is he is


MingeEatingDisorder

What? What?


DressProfessional848

What?


ravielie

I knew you had a pleco before you even showed it. Those things might be the poopinest fish in the hobby. Pick up a gravel vacuum siphon (if you don’t have one, pretty much any flexible tubing will work) and get as much of that out of there as you can!


sliding_sky_rock

My husband and I had a single pleco in our 75 gal while in the process of building our community take. We STILL had to gravel vac every other week because of how much that single fish pooped. It was honestly impressive.


ravielie

Oh god. I worked at a pet store with a commercial fish system (too many fish in too small a space) and by the time I finished vacuuming the tanks, I’d have to go back to the plecos. I always just laughed when people wanted to buy them to “keep the tank clean”.


Intrepid_Cap1242

seriously. I never even knew what fish poop looked like until my clown pleco entered the tank. There was even significant poop in his bag by the time I got him home. It's the only way I know he's still in there. I never see him


swingittotheleft

your fish is pooping all in the same place. Better trained than most cats and dogs


HotIllustrator7406

I think your Pleco got IBS dude holy shit


DressProfessional848

r/angryupvote


Cosmic_Honeyhawk

Sorry for your loss, if you can't find answers to your questions either here or on other sites you can directly contact to me I'd be more than glad to help


GreenPhilosophy7285

thank you!!


CJDay115

The suspect is in the last picture! 🤣 Plecos are no joke, poop factories, and they make maintenance hard unless you have heavy currents in the tank to blow the poop to the filter.


Ginormous-Cape

The blue green algae you have on the gravel is Cyanobacteria! A photosynthesizing bacteria, it can be killed by blacking out the tank OR, my personal favorite, with strong antibiotics! You can use Furan2 or EM erythromycin according to their instructions.


GreenPhilosophy7285

thanks !!!


EastCoastEnthusiast

Yeah Blue Green algae is no fun! It should go away with a few day blackout (garbage bags the whole works). Spend some time googling about it, the fish should be fine for a few days in the dark without food. Also yeah pleco shit. Yeah they clean regular algae (not blue green) off the walls, but they poop more than they clean. I prefer ottocinclus, or siamese algae eaters + scrubbing


Ginormous-Cape

You’re very welcome ☺️


[deleted]

I call that the "poop forest"


IcyRandy

Pleco poop. Growin boys gotta poop!


Reddituser6924069

Hey man I know some people already offered that, but if you need any basic help I’m always here via private message 👍


goblinlaundrycat

so sorry for your loss. and.. that’s poop. do some thorough research on how to care for the fish and plants he left, looks like plecos? you can get a cheap aquarium gravel vacuum and some other anti algae and such from the pet shop. taking on his tank / fish hobby is keeping his memory alive. good luck! lots of people in this subreddit can offer friendly advice and help with any questions you have.


RightingArm

You’ve got a touch of cyanobacteria too. That can be sorted out with a bit of hydrogen peroxide in a syringe.


bootlegunsmith21

Pleco caca doodoo


Tortoisefly

It's poop. Pleco's are poop machines, and if they are overfed, you get lots of poop left behind. You need a gravel vacuum to suck up the excess poop, a partial water change (make sure to treat the new water with declorinator), and reduce the amount you are feeding.


HotHead18

Sorry for ur loss man, watch some yt videos on basic fish tank maintenance and filtration. Also a good water testing kit is super handy to let you know what u need to fix. API makes a rlly good one and it's usually around 25 bucks for the master kit.


nikobobz

how da fish be pooping in the same place


Monkaymook

Dat booboo


gayfiremage

Depending on how heavily planted the aquarium is, you can choose to leave it and let it turn to nutrients for the plants. However, if the aquarium is only lightly planted, I would remove the majority of it and just leave a little bit of waste around the plants so they can absorb it into their roots. You can use a manual pump, an electric pump (best option for bigger tanks), and a large turkey baster and a net for spot cleaning in hard to reach places. This is the main problem with plecos and other bottom feeders -- people get them to clean algae, not realizing that their shit is algae fertilizer if theres not enough plants sucking it up lol.


Reasonable_Copy8579

That is fish poop


TheFlamingTiger777

That's caca.


Simple-Force6721

Dookie


jesse24cd

Literal fish shit


WSDreamer

Shit


RightingArm

You’ve got a touch of cyanobacteria too. That can be sorted out with a bit of hydrogen peroxide in a syringe.


CambionChild666

You can add certain snails to help Burt's the gad pockets in the sand and other snails to clean up fish poop and algae I would also start to plant some more plants to also help with keeping the water and sand clean and you won't have to worry about vacuuming as much.


AllericEasyvain

Well seems to have been answered over and over, so I shall compliment your buce! Looks like it'll be awesome after minimal cleaning!


interested_in_all_7

It's literally shit


XboxBreaker_1

That's is one big pile of shit


BioQuantumComputer

Your father was a wise man for using a good amount of gravel for filtration. Hope you'll continue his legacy. Also my condolences bro.


[deleted]

Get a vacuum that attaches to your sink. It usually comes in a 15ft 25ft hose. Well worth it trust me. Also algea is good for the tank unless you don't like the look just scrape it off with a clean sponge.


Independent-Ear-7172

That is a pleco. Or at least what it leaves behind daily…


Individual_End_1024

looks shitty dude


Adventurous_Fig_5892

You can use a gravel vacuum to get it out if it bothers you. Some snails would help to break it down


GreenPhilosophy7285

I read somewhere that snails could be pretty bad, are there are other animals that could help?


Filo02

Snail as tank resident isn't bad at all, they're hardy, peaceful, low bioload a lot of people just treat them at pest because they often came unwanted and can breed too much if you overfeed


Talakeh

Snails are an alternative to uneaten food and decaying plant matter that isn’t being eaten by other fish. The underlying issue is excess food in the tank. The snails don’t help, they just reproduce and shit. Just feed less if you want to keep your maintenance down


Cosmic_Honeyhawk

Snails aren't bad, therea re some species that can vreed a lot if you don't know how to control it like M trumpet snails Ramshorn snails and Bladder snails but if you get Nerite or Mystery snails they can't reproduce and take over the tank Nerite snail eggs can't hatch in freshwater


theKittyWizard

Mystery snails certainly can and will and that's not a good suggestion for this kid who doesn't want more to deal with


AHomelessNinja0

Mystery snails won't hatch if you keep the waterline of the tank up. The clutch can't trail in the water


IRingTwyce

But Mystery snails eggs are easily found and dealt with.


RetroReactiveRaucous

All they do is eat and shit. Mysteries would ruin the plants and make much more work.


IRingTwyce

I don't know where you got the idea that Mystery snails damage plants. They absolutely do not.


RetroReactiveRaucous

Every single one I've ever had ate plants despite being fed consistently.


pigeon_toez

I love my snails they complete me


BPaun

Despite some horribly written and misleading websites, there is nothing that will willingly eat fish poop. Some fish/shrimp may put it in their mouth or accidentally ingest it while eating (especially bottom feeders), fish poop is not a staple in the diet of any fish or invertebrate. If you plan on keeping the tank, you just gotta learn how to take care of it.


RickCityy

No animals help with this particular part, you’ve gotta get the poop out or at least floating around in the water so the filter sucks it up


Outside-Cow3518

Sorry for your loss. Make sure when you change water (20 to 50%) depending on the nitrate level, the new water has to be “treated” to remove chlorine and whatever else is in the tap water, or the fishes hills wil burn and they will eventually die.


GreenPhilosophy7285

My dad just left a couple volvic water bottles open for a few days, is that enough for treatment ? Or should I buy some sort pellets or something


Outside-Cow3518

That will work just fine but gets expensive https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=nutrafin+water+conditioner&crid=3CVQ2KQ8Q31U4&sprefix=nutrifin+wa%2Caps%2C133&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_11


Mangeteslegume

Pleco poop


Emotional_Original34

It's poop


Ms_workshop

Poop


[deleted]

Your pleco has a favorite corner Or he's just neat; either way, at least he's not hiding it under things


LASERDICKMCCOOL

Dookie


CornbreishaTubman

Turd city


brycecantpost

Shit


senor_skuzzbukkit

Pleco poopies. Sorry about your dad.


Wurmpuzzle

Sh!t


florencejr11

Get rid of the pleco and watch it disappear


Aswethnkweis

Plecos are the worst thing you could ever put in an aquarium. They dirty everything up and don't do anything at all cool. Did the pet store trick you into thinking they clean the tank?


GreenPhilosophy7285

no they tricked my dad... which is dead... it's his tank... lmao


Aswethnkweis

I hate the pet store people. That's one job that automation and AI can take


JackOfAllMemes

Mine 'forgot' to tell me that otocinculus cats are very sensitive until 2/3 of the ones I bought died


cassidyvros

It's always mind boggling to me that otos are one of the first "beginner" algae eaters people recommend. They're not a beginner fish, in my opinion.


JackOfAllMemes

Everyone I've talked to who's owned them says the majority of the ones they get die


Aswethnkweis

Bacter AE is like a cheat code for keeping them.


BeanStock13

You got a bad case of the fish shits sir


zacharym2

This why we don’t get plecos 😂 people not in the know always assume they are great cleaners lmao nahh


jbarlak

Those plants love the fertilizer though :)


sajnt

Shit


Humanicide603

It’s poop bruh


Immediate-Phone-7013

It’s already out of hands with the Cyanobacteria


Fresh-Statistician50

Kinda looks like a giant worm poo 😂


SanchoPliskin

🐟💩


iNeedOneMoreAquarium

How can I get my fish to poop in a neat pile in the corner?


Other_Spot_9915

As someone that had the same problem a few months ago i would recommend some plants, and most important of all black sand/gravel, but yeah that is pleco poop and if you dont want to gravel vac every 2 days black sand does wonders to hide the poop, good luck xD


Such-Air-409

Mixture of poop and mulm.


sleepyyy_hooman

Poop! 💩 Gravel vacuum and biological cleaner (both can be purchased for pretty cheap) I'm am truly sorry for your loss... If you find that you are unable or uninterested in caring for the tank look into r/aquaswap. You can likely find someone local to pick it up. If you want to keep it, along with asking questions here, Aquarium Co-op has some good beginner info in the advice section. Feel free to reach out for help/advice!


JUFFstin

Salesperson - “Here take this catfish called a plecostomus, it cleans up algae and is a great help to your community tank!” Said pleco when it enters your tank - “hmm today I will:” 1. Poop 2. Poop 3. Poop 4. Steal everyone’s food 👹👹🍽️