Pleco defies laws of conservation??

[secure1347]

Ok last night after finally stacking all the slate and adding crushed coral to the floor in my 55gallon I was ready to transfer my Bristlenose Pleco from his temporary 2.5gallon enclosure back to the 55g. So I went to bed around 1am and looked into the tank around 10:30 the this morning and I notice what seems like poop all over the slate, my big piece of limestone, and the wood in the tank. I'm thinking to myself there is no way that one pleco could do this in one night. A lot of the poop is white or gray like he had been sucking up some of the coral dust still suspended in the tank. I still find it hard to believe that the pleco could do that in one night. It was a lot of poop!!!!! Any ideas or similar experiences?

[grimlock3000]

Pleco can produce a lot of waste in a short ammount of time. On the way home from the pet store, my Pleco pooped a string longer than the fish itself, and that was just in 30 minutes

[lmw80]

Plecos don't actually have stomachs....so the food goes right through them, while their bodies absorb as much nutrients as it can. That is why they need to be fed a lot, to ensure they are getting enough nutrients, which in turn, is why they poop a lot.

White poop can be a sign of sickness, but also the fact that you had moved him, it could be stress...or if he did ingest a lot of white dust, that might be it as well. Just keep a close eye on him for any signs of internal sickness.

[secure1347]

Still seems like he is pooping white so I am a little concerned. There is still a cloud of coral dust which I can't seem to remove, but I will wait and see what happens. Been doing water changes so I hope that clears up. Put a piece of lettuce in there last night and I can see he did much on it so that's a good sign at least.

On a side note what would be the best to remove this coral dust? I was thinking about getting a cannister filter. It might be overkill because I already have 2 Emperor 280's but I figure you can never have too much filtration.

[Menagerie]

A canister will not remove the dust, IMHO. I have Texas Holey rocks in my tank and my pleco snacks on them and poops white *YUCK*! You can try feeding zucchini also.

[secure1347]

O well that's good since I have THR too. I thought you could get some special pads for a cannister filter to polish the water and make it clear but maybe I am wrong.

[krap101]

once again i have no personal experience but ive heard a diatom thingy clears up the water but still dun know wut it is