# too much mess at the bottom of my tank (poo)



## ilcichlids

*** had my cichlid tank setup for about 10 months now
and im really happy.
in it i have 4 mbuna, 3 convicts 1 peacock and some fish that looks american but is the largest and most dominant even though american cichlids are meant to be weaker than african.
also i have 2 plecs (ordinary) but one is albino and i have 2 paroon sharks/pangasius catfish and a 4'' ruby shark.
they all do great together apart from the larger paroon which is 11'' big and goes crazy sometimes wen i startle him by accident or try clean the filters.
however he calms down and gets on with the rest of the fish.
anyway to my point every week i have to clean out the sand because theres so much poo at the bottom and it just doesnt look nice.
am i the only person with this problem or do you suffer with this aswell?.
NOTE:i have sand for the bottom.
if you do and have found a solution round this please tell me wot i could do to help fix this problem 
its really ANNOYING!
thanks for all the help :thumb:


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## ilcichlids

also is there any filters you would recomend buyin cause my 2 are really small so i do need a new large one but any suggestions on what one 2 buy?.
:wink:


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## Imaconvict

What size tank is this??


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## ilcichlids

its about 55 gal maybe 65 gal not hundred percent sure but its big enough 
and please dont give me a lecture about paroon sharks getin 2 big because i no!
cheers and please do give me some advise


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## Imaconvict

No lectures here, you keep what you please in whatever you please to keep it in.

Peace


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## ilcichlids

ok m8 fanx and do u by any chance no what filter i should get.


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## Imaconvict

Lets start with what filter you have now, is your water clear? **** on the bottom isn't really a result of filtration but more likely needs to be vacuumed on a scheduled basis, with sand there is a technique so that you pick up the **** and leave the sand behind, are you familiar with vacuuming sand?


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## CichMomma

ilcichlids said:


> I've had my cichlid tank setup for about 10 months now
> and im really happy.
> in it i have 4 mbuna, 3 convicts 1 peacock and some fish that looks american but is the largest and most dominant even though american cichlids are meant to be weaker than african.
> also i have 2 plecs (ordinary) but one is albino and i have 2 paroon sharks/pangasius catfish and a 4'' ruby shark.
> they all do great together apart from the larger paroon which is 11'' big and goes crazy sometimes wen i startle him by accident or try clean the filters.
> however he calms down and gets on with the rest of the fish.
> anyway to my point every week i have to clean out the sand because theres so much poo at the bottom and it just doesnt look nice.
> am i the only person with this problem or do you suffer with this aswell?.
> NOTE:i have sand for the bottom.
> if you do and have found a solution round this please tell me wot i could do to help fix this problem
> its really ANNOYING!
> thanks for all the help :thumb:


I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we can't expect to keep a clean fish tank and not clean up poo on a regular basis......I hope this situation gets easier for you.


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## bossfish

Your common pleco's are probably the biggest poop producers in the tank so I would get rid of them. They can reach lengths of 3 feet and have no place in all but the largest aquariums. There are many algae eaters that do a much better job and don't get so large. Bushynose, frogmouth and rubberlipped plecos are great algae eaters and will stay at a managable size. One would do a great job on your tank as long as the lighting isn't too intense.

With the number of fish in your tank you should be doing water changes once a week to remove accumulated waste prouducts disolved in the water. Removing the poop that rests on the surface of the sand is a good excuse to change water. Even if your filter picks it up it will still be in your tank.

For filtration I would recomend an Aquaclear hang on back filter. They are more expensive at first than some brands but you don't have to use disposable cartrages so they are cheaper to maintain in the long run. To kick the poop up off of the bottom so your powerfilter can pick it up I would recomend a circulation pump. These are the same ones used in reef tanks to provide water movement for corrals. There are many different kinds, some have magnets so you can move them around from the outside of the tank and keep your hands dry. I hope this helps. Good luck.


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## ASTYLIN

What is the easy way to vacuum sand......We have a new tank and also have 2 powerheads but poop is still on bottom......What is the circulation thing you were talking about?????


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## Robtheheretic

go to the libary on the site look under videos on how clean the sand the look under aquairum setup about water movement


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## scrubjay

Here are the circulation pumps: http://www.hydorkoralia.com/
What you can try to do is direct the flow so that the mulm (fancy name for fish poo) settles in one spot to be easily vacuumed up, or sucked up by your filter intake, or just kept in suspension until a pump with a high turnover rate (like a larger Aquaclear) removes it.

I agree that the Aquaclear would be good for this situation. Don't go with a small one--get a good size one to increase your turnover. They are easily cleaned, which makes them ideal for something like this.

I don't even know what a paroon shark is, but I would have to agree about the plecs. I think we all used to believe that every tank needed one, but now they just take up space, create lots of poop and metabolic waste, and stop doing their cleaning jobs once they find out they are being fed. They should make rubber ones that just stick on the side of tanks. :lol:


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## ilcichlids

soz for a l8 reply but to awnser ur question no im not really used to vacuuming sand and i was just wondering whether the filter will clean the wate because it has a slight yellow tint to it and i havent even put any bogwood inside it so i really duno wots wrong.
also sometimes there a little bits of food floating around. :thumb:


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## ASTYLIN

My comp wouldnt pull up the video on how to clean poo off sand........We have a python and have done a 50% water change so far.........Its time to clean the sand though.......Any suggestions?


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## Cognition

If your useing a python then the flow control will be your best freind. But with my sand I prefer not to use the end peice(the larger part that attaches to your vinal(sp) hose).

Hold the tubing around an inch above your sand. It takes practice with using the valve to control the suction, and holding the hose at the right height, but it gets easier with practice. Pool filter sand tends to be heavier then other types of sand so that never hurts.

To the OP, UGJ are always an option, theres an article on that in the DIY section(actually 2). Although I cannot speak personally on them(Im still working out details on the system I am planning) But the "propeller" style pumps sounds very promising.


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## cjacob316

i agree with *Cognition*, i tend to remove the large gravel vac when cleaning sand because you get better suction and it will lift the lighter waste right off the heavier sand before you start sucking the sand up


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## ASTYLIN

We cleaned the poo of sand last night and it wasnt to bad........I posted a thread about Cloudy water in the Tank setup disscusion.........If anyone want to check it out and give me their opinion on what they think is going on.....Thx


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## dark SSide

I was running into a similar problem. Water conditions were perfect and water is crystal clear but was getting tons of "poo" behind rocks and places I couldn't clean easy. Google "Hydor Koralia Circulation Pump" Bought one of these for 20.99 plus shipping and within a 1/2 hr of playing around with it to get it just right it moves all the poo either up into the water so my two aquaclear 70's can get it. This is on a 75g tank. Or out from behind the rock so i can vacuum it when I do water changes.

Big Al's online has the aquaclear 70's for $20 each. By two and you wont have anymore filtration problems.


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## zazz

powerheads ..picking it up and putting it into the cansiters. i havent cleaned my sand in ages ..just regular water changes and occasional canister cleanings.


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## georgiasam

I just sift the sand with my net. It does a great job, but i try not to kick the sand up too much. It's easy for sand cloud to get sucked up in filter


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