# Keeping Pleco growout tank clean...



## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I have a 40gal long (48" ) bare-bottomed tank that I am growing out pleco fry in. They are the only fish in the tank. I have 2 large sponges (one powered by airline and one by a small powerhead to circulate water as well)

Since these fish metabolize food so quickly, the water is stinky and a bit murky. I do waterchanges often. I tried using a hob but the fry quickly got all thru the thing and clogged it up. If I cover the intake with screening, the fish collect all over it and stop it up as well.

Does anyone have any creative way to better filter this tank without a cannister or HOB? 
Thanks!!

(Please hurry cuz my fishroom REEKS!!)


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

What you are using is the best setup. You just need to vacuum more and change more water. How much and how often do you change water? Clearly it isn't enough, for the number of fry in the tank. As well, as they grow the negative effect on water quality will increase.
What are you feeding them? Some foods will make the water murky.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I'm changing 50% every 3 days. I'm using Kensfish premium algae sticks daily and and about 6 slices of cucumber each week. I would guess theres over 100 plecos at under an inch. I cant afford a bigger growout tank... there is nothing in the tank except those sponge filters and several driftwood sticks attached to slate.

What about some kind of homemade filter you make with a 2L bottle or something?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

You might be overfeeding.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The filter is just going to capture particles...you will still have to remove the smelly stuff from either the tank or the filter. What happens if you do daily 50% PWC?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

For starters, skip the cucumber. It has virtually no food value and if you are blanching it, it will cloud the water. Zuchini is a better choice but don't blanch it, weigh it down. At this point, I would do several large water changes to get back to a cleaner point to start. Vacuum as much debris out of the tank as possible each time you do a water change. It does sound like you will need to do more frequent water changes, perhaps daily as already mentioned. How warm is the water?


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

FMeuller: yeah, I may be... but they go nuts when feed them, and I want them to grow as fast as possible but I guess I should feed less :wink:

DRansom: I have a lot of tanks, kids and a job so I cant do daily waterchanges right now - i wish I could!! I wish I had a helper!! but my kids are SO not into fish!!

BillD: All we have at the stores here is Zuccini-squash, and I used that at first but they are really small and very expensive so I switched to cucumbers because of $$. So totally skip that? They really seem to like it... I just slice it and spear it onto a fork and drop it in the tank. The rind stays hooked around the fork til I remove it. The water is 80.1. I am able to vac all the debris out of the tank since theres nothing else really in it...


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

There are other veggies you can use such as mashed peas, or cooked green beans. If you check, perhaps on a pickle jar, the nutrient value of cucumber is very low. Plecos eat a lot. It is almost impossible to overfeed them, as they consume so much. Growing plecos especially need lots of food. The downside to feeding lots is that you have to change a lot more water. that is true of any fry. Clean water is as important, in my opinion, as quality food. When I was growing out angel fry, I changed 60 to 75% daily. Another thing you could do is lower the temp a few degrees. They don't need the water that warm, and the higher the temp, the lower the oxygen content and the higher the amount of bacteria.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks!! I just turned down the temp a few degrees... so can I use just regular canned green beens?


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

I wouldn't discount cucumber so readily. I have been raising thousands of bristlenose, and quite a few Peckoltia and Panaque on cucumber, flakes, and algae wafers. Cucumber is high in vitamins and minerals as well as sugars. It is low in fat, which is actually a negative for growing fry and why it is important to supplement with prepared foods that contain animal protein sources as they also contain fats. Here is more information on the nutritional makeup of cucumber.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2440/2

Cucumber is most importantly, an excellent source of cellulose which although it does not have any nutritional value it does help to fill up the digestive tract of herbivores which helps retain the nutrition they get with the algae wafers. Without cellulose in the diet, food passes too quickly through the digestive tract and nutrients do not get absorbed. This is particularly important in wood eaters like Panaque. I never blanch my cucumber, just slice it and drop it in on a clip or weight. Blanching makes the cucumber more easily consumable to humans but humans do not have the rasping mouth and digestive system of a pleco and there is no need.

What works best for me is to have structure in the tank and on the bottom for the plecos to adhere to other than the bare glass. I use pebbles, driftwood, and round rocks. The detritus collects between the pebbles and I can easily vacuum it out during water changes (every 1-2 weeks I do at least a 50%, but often as much as 75%). I use power filters on the larger tanks and sponge filters on the smaller ones.

Andy


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