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.
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.
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