Plucking Pleco Poop Primer

[Jacky12]

I recently rescued 3 unloved Common Plecos: 11,12,& 13 inches long. Poop machines such as my tanks have never known. I attempted vacuuming first and it worked ok, but removed 20 gallons of water that had to be bucket carried to the backyard since I couldn't toss sand into the toilet. I posted in a pleco group and the solutions offered were complex. Most involved using power heads to send waste to the filter. A novel idea used Marimo Balls propelled by water jets that gathered poops, unlike rolling stones & moss. And the moss grew on the rolling balls, says this guy.



I then plucked them out all bold & barehanded or used a net. Not bad.


Then along came this Poop Pundit, Excrement Expert, Waste Warrior, all around fish genius type of dude named Andy who suggested a simple highly effective technique that saved the day. Suck them up with tubing. Masterfully, I used the 1/2" inner diameter tube at hand and Voila! Up they ascended like whole wheat spaghetti and into the waiting bucket. Occasional sand clogs were quickly dispensed with by the air compressor hanging a mere five feet from the tank in the garage.


I truly find these large plecos elegant animals when they swim with those long undulating tails. They're in a 125 G with a Fluval 4X4 filter and several angel fish to liven up the tank. Mostly the plecos are inactive day times and I expect to see even less of them when the new hides I am making are done. The angels look quite serene and beautiful gracefully floating above the Big Boys.


Thanks again, Andy, for telling me how to keep the tank bottom clean.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Jacky12

I recently rescued 3 unloved Common Plecos: 11,12,& 13 inches long. Poop machines such as my tanks have never known. I attempted vacuuming first and it worked ok, but removed 20 gallons of water that had to be bucket carried to the backyard since I couldn't toss sand into the toilet. I posted in a pleco group and the solutions offered were complex. Most involved using power heads to send waste to the filter. A novel idea used Marimo Balls propelled by water jets that gathered poops, unlike rolling stones & moss. And the moss grew on the rolling balls, says this guy.



I then plucked them out all bold & barehanded or used a net. Not bad.


Then along came this Poop Pundit, Excrement Expert, Waste Warrior, all around fish genius type of dude named Andy who suggested a simple highly effective technique that saved the day. Suck them up with tubing. Masterfully, I used the 1/2" inner diameter tube at hand and Voila! Up they ascended like whole wheat spaghetti and into the waiting bucket. Occasional sand clogs were quickly dispensed with by the air compressor hanging a mere five feet from the tank in the garage.


I truly find these large plecos elegant animals when they swim with those long undulating tails. They're in a 125 G with a Fluval 4X4 filter and several angel fish to liven up the tank. Mostly the plecos are inactive day times and I expect to see even less of them when the new hides I am making are done. The angels look quite serene and beautiful gracefully floating above the Big Boys.


Thanks again, Andy, for telling me how to keep the tank bottom clean.

What can I say, I know my stuff.

Glad it all worked out.

On a side note, I believe there are some places that still have a ban on the Marimo balls. That said, I find it hard to believe that a marimo ball could do as effective a job as just getting that stuff out of the tank.

[Jacky12]

When I taught at a special high school for at risk kids, I told them they all had a learning disability: DDS. (Don’t Do Stuff). You shoulda been a teacher there. You know & Do.

I took that Marimo story with a kilo of salt. The guy said the pleco poops fertilize the moss and his balls are huge. I kept imagining them going from ping pong to tennis to softball.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Jacky12

When I taught at a special high school for at risk kids, I told them they all had a learning disability: DDS. (Don’t Do Stuff). You shoulda been a teacher there. You know & Do.

I took that Marimo story with a kilo of salt. The guy said the pleco poops fertilize the moss and his balls are huge. I kept imagining them going from ping pong to tennis to softball.

He's right that they will eventually fertilize the balls but it won't happen quickly and it will be unsightly for quite some time. ����

[Jacky12]

He’s a really nice guy and he’s bringing me one of his biggest. I’ll let you know how it works out.

[Colin_T]

Be careful about guys offering to show you their big balls

[Jacky12]

Advice under consideration.