Litter Box Help

[BettaGal]

All of my fish used to poop along the far left side of my tank all along that wall and maybe an inch or two out from it. After bringing the whole thing home for Christmas Break from college (tank was still getting high ammonia spikes so figured if I left it, I would com back to dead fish), I moved the airstone from close to the filter on the right side to the center of the left wall. I still have to put large rocks around the edges, since my cory cats like to unbury things, but it's just been moved so there's water movement on both sides now. Nobody seemed to care, I just knew they would move their litter box now that the airstone was in the middle of the old one. My dad was helping me do a water change since I don't have my wheeled computer chair and carrying 50 pounds of water down the hall is a little hard, even for a former weightlifter. By trying to get a live plant out of my way, we discovered that they have moved their litter box to inside the anacharis plant. Is there any suggestions for a good way to clean that one up, other than beating it until the water turns to grossness? I did that this time, since I was sucking all over trying to find it, but then I get floating fish poop that I have a hard time chasing all over the place and I never seem to be able to get a good percentage of it. Any suggestions?

 

[Zimmanski]

Your fish actually don't poop in one spot, it's all about the water current and where it pushes the crud so you were on the right track moving your air stone. I think you just have to mess with things and see what works best for your tank. I added another filter on the other side of my tank to get rid of a dead spot in my water circulation and that worked for me.

 

[CoryFan]

I recently saw a post about using a turkey baster to reach in & suck up poop. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[BettaGal]

I recently saw a post about using a turkey baster to reach in & suck up poop. Haven't tried it yet.

It doesn't work. I've tried it many times. I moved the airstone because I thought it needed water movement on the other side of the tank also. I've watched them go over there to poop. They do poop in one spot. Maybe not everyone's fish, but mine do.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I have never, ever heard of fish defecating in one point in an aquarium, and I do not believe that it is entirely true. While there may be a certain area that is coincidentally a spot that they favor in the aquarium, they do defecate all over the aquarium.

I was at a loss to understand the original post, would you please specify what you need? How to get rid of the feces?

Thank you!

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Wish I could train my fish to poop in one spot.
That'd be awesome!

 

[BettaGal]

I have never, ever heard of fish defecating in one point in an aquarium, and I do not believe that it is entirely true. While there may be a certain area that is coincidentally a spot that they favor in the aquarium, they do defecate all over the aquarium.

I was at a loss to understand the original post, would you please specify what you need? How to get rid of the feces?

Thank you!

How to get it sucked up when they now choose the anacharis for their litter box.

 

[BettaGal]

Wish I could train my fish to poop in one spot.
That'd be awesome!

I didn't. They just do. It sounds weird, but I've watched them go over there to poop. They really do poop in the same spot.

 

[MacDracor]

Since fish lack a sphincter muscle to control defecation (much like birds) they can not control when and where they do their business. I am forced to wonder though, if perhaps they are aware that its coming. IF that is the case, it is possible that they may choose a favorite spot in a confined environment.
It would be very interesting to set up a time lapse camera. Record the tank activity at say... 1/4 speed and then play back at 2x normal speed. It would still be a very long video and everything would be very fast, but it could either disprove the hypothesis or provide something for icthiologists to study!

 

[BettaGal]

To make it more interesting, in the rare instant they don't make it over there, they will move it over to that side. Call me crazy, but I've seen all of them do it. I'm gonna say that anything is possible with fish. An "expert" might say they do this, but not all might. Gotta go by your pet, not necessarily an expert when it comes to interactions and behavior. Diseases, yes, trust an expert.