RackinRocky
Aquarium Advice Addict
I learned a lesson yesterday--NO MORE PLECOS! Although I have BN, and not commons, they are still the most disgusting creatures when it comes to poop! I'd heard they had a high bioload, but no one said just HOW BAD it really is! I have two plecos--one in my 20 gallon and one in my 55. Only 17 days after last cleaning all the sludge in my filter in the 20, I had to clean it again yesterday. And OMG, I've never in my life seen such a mess! How is it possible for a fish to poop so much, I'd like to know? I used a toothbrush in the intake tube and I kept getting out these looooong strings of poop! Same thing with Q-tips. Then, on one side of the filter (the side with holes, not the pad), well, that was the worst. It was a miracle the bio-wheel was turning at all, with all the gunk that was in the impeller and housing. Altogether I got between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup of poop. In 17 days! From one 3" BN pleco! I was really disgusted. I'd hate to see what a common could do! Never, ever will I have any more plecos. I'm taking the one in the 20 to the LFS and they can have him for free! I'll still keep the one in the 55 because at least the tank is bigger, and so is the filter, making it easier to clean. From now on, it's cories!