FishProfiles.com Message Forums

He all,

Been reading a few threads and have noticed that Bristlenose's are mentioned as high waste producers. For future reference, what other fish are known for producing lots of waste.

Looking forward to your replies
Crusha

---

Those who say they cant, Never will !!!

The key point to remember here is that some fishes are big waste producers because they are themselves big fishes, while some others produce a lot of waste in relation to their body size.

The former category (big waste producers upon account of large body size) encompasses more or less anything over 12 inches in length, which means big Cichlids, larger Catfishes, large Barbs, a whole range of fish species. Basically, if it can be classified as a 'tank buster', then you're looking at fairly prodigious quantities coming out the back end.

The latter category includes many Loricariids (Plecos are notorious for producing industrial quantities of guano), quite a few of the smaller Barbs, and to a lesser extent Corydoras, which can be quite gluttonous feeders when they want to be! Wood eating Loricariids in particular (those with spoon shaped teeth) have been the subject of much hilarity on this Board in the past because they can produce ridiculous strings of woody dung ...

Note that large Barbs in particular are a special case - they have been described as being 'pigs with fins', and if allowed to gorge, they will pass partially digested food when they defecate, which will add to the loading on an aquarium biofilter considerably. Large Barbs should be fed smaller portions of food more frequently, and not allowed to gorge, so that when they do finally excrete, it's all properly digested. If you have Tinfoil Barbs as part of your collection, be warned that these are the Labradors of the fish world - self propelled dustbins that can, if allowed to, swallow gargantuan quantities of food and then fill the aquarium with enough gunk to need a dredger to remove it. Which makes for interesting aquarium management because when you perform water changes, you MUST use a quality dechlorinator because like all large cyprinids, Tinfoil Barbs are very sensitive to chlorine poisoning.

Oh, and it goes without saying that if you have any Big Pims (Catfishes such as Lima Shovelnoses, Redtails or Giraffe Cats) then these produce waste on an epic scale. Given that a Big Pim can end up tipping the scales at 50 lbs or more depending upon species, that's a LOT of body mass to keep fed, with a correspondingly huge appetite and associated guano problems.

WHOOPS - almost forgot! Primarily herbivorous fishes will be bigger guano producers than canrivores. I can't recall if fishes are able to digest cellulose or not - I suspect that they can't, in which case, herbivores (this brings us back to Barbs again) will be bigger waste producers than carnivores, and this means that Pacus are a nightmare because they grow to be juggernaut tank busters as well!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

goldfish and most plecos.

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

Livebearers

OK, thanks for the feedback ... I dont have any "Tank Busters" in my collection.

So basically anything that grows rather large is going to produce lots of waste ... would that include Angelfish and Silver Sharks. What about Clown Loaches???

I have 3 clowns (not huge at this stage) and was thinking of getting an Angelfish at some point in time.

I would assume that frequent water changes/gravel vacs helps eliminate all the excessive waste .

---

Those who say they cant, Never will !!!

What a great post cali. Very comprehensive. I learned a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Herbivorous and limnivorous animals tend to produce the most waste.

Excellent post there Cal,good stuff .

Dont forget the other end of the spectrum too, lots of fish also release ammonia via breathing too, and certain fish that are active or inefficient breathers for their body size put out more than others. One example that comes to mind is the fancy goldfish. A lot of coldwater fish are used to higher levels of oxygen and in tank situations when the temperatures are higher than normal, they will kick out a lot of ammonia. A small amazon fish will put out a minimal amount, but a big coldwater stream or lake fish will produce a lot.