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in my dad's tank, we just put in two plecos so now our water is filled with particles. WHat are they?


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We'll need some more details on the situation, what size tank, existing stock, is the tank cycled, have the plecs caused a sudden heavy burden on the tank, are they rooting around and moving the substrate, as they eat algae patches are they releasing other detritus. What model of filter do you have?

What is the decor, what chemicals do you use in the tank, if you have rocks , what type are they, are you using a brand of algae wafer for the first time, what species are the plecs, they might be wood eaters etc etc etc. Anything we say now would be pure guesswork.

The plecos are the plain variety or the common variety(cant seem to fing the bristle nose variety) and although i am a little embarassed to say this, but my dads tank is a 35 gal. hex with a koi in it. I know, I know, kois arent supposed to be held in tanks. my dad wants to know what to do with the koi. My dads tank has 2" diameter river stones. And yes there is algae. Algae is his nitrate filter. Does any one know what super store in florida sells java moss?

Thanks- Goby& Atlantis07(my dad)

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Algae should not be the only way to remove nitrates. It should not even be a main way unless you purposely setup an algae scrubber which is not done in the main tank. It requires plumbing a seperate tank or container to the main tank, putting on really major lighting, and running the water through it. Water changes are how you lower nitrates in a normal tank setup. Whatever you put into the tank(in this case fish food) must be removed in one form or another(in this case fish waste). Java moss will have only a minimal effect since it's a slow growing plant. Unless you do an all out planted tank with co2, high light, and had less stock than is currently in the tank water changes would still be needed probably weekly.

The answer to your particle problem is more water changes, more gravel vacs, and probably more filtration until you can rehouse the fish that are currently in the tank. I try to get around 10x filtration on most of my tanks and with messy fish like koi, goldfish, plecos, oscars.. etc I'd do at least 10x trying more for 15x or if the fish don't show any stress from the water movement up to double that. With weekly rinsing or replacing of the filter media. The only way to get rid of particles(fish poo) is to take them out of the tank or put in fewer fish so they create less of them. You will also see lower nitrates and less algae if you get the junk out before it breaks down into nitrates.

The best thing for those fish is to find someone that has a pond. Those plecos don't fit in most standard tanks any better than the koi does. Plecos also aren't a way to lessen the particles or filtration needs of a tank. In fact they will create nearly as much waste(it even looks like more) than the amount of stuff they'll consume in the tank. They will actually raise the nitrates requiring more water changes especially if your using algae to remove nitrates. Plecos eat algae, algae gets turned into pleco poo, poo breaks down into nitrates, and your right back where you started with an even higher nitrate level from adding fish food to the tank. You should add a pleco to a tank because you like plecos and can find a species that properly fits in your tank not because they'll help water quality or lessen algae because technically they won't. Their waste will provide more nutrients for the algea to grow on making the problem worse.

Algae is his nitrate filter?

Please tell me he has a real filter in there or that koi and those plecs will be dead as toast...

In that tank with that stocking the only way to get rid of the nitrate will be through water changes. Plants are nice and all that but a koi pumps out a hell of a lot of ammonia, and that all ends up as nitrate. Plants alone will do little, they help stabilise water quality a lot, but I think youlll need to make a bigger impact.In a tank with a few tetras id say yeah fine try plants, but this is a bit different. Try stuff like wysteria, if you really want to try plants, it grows quickly in response to high nitrate, can grow from practically just one leaf to a new plants in just a couple of weeks.Which is handy if the koi decides to tear it apart. Swordplants are nice for the plecs though.

My dads tank has a filter, and he deosent rely on alga alone to clear his tank. he will do water changes- but only every two weeks. Thanks every body for your comments. i will get wisteria for my tanks. thanks again

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Plants do not remove particles so your original issue would not be solved at all by plants. Every other week water changes will not clear the particles and probably not keep the nitrates low enough even with plants. A tank with koi and plecos needs weekly changes with 1/4th gravel vacs every week to remove the waste. Eventually as the fish grow such a tank will need twice weekly and then daily water changes and gravel vacs to keep it clean. If noone is up to the care then either find someone with a pond or talk to some fish stores about taking the fish from you to find another home. Neglecting the tank will just give you a dirty, algae, and poop filled tank with cloudy water and eventually dead fish floating around in it.

If you are going to add some plants to try to help the nitrates then depending on your lighting hornwort or duckweed would be the greatest help with the least maintenance. Hornwort though can sometimes be a bit pickier about the lighting and drop all it's leaves. Duckweed is definitely a weed and will grow most anywhere under most any conditions. Once you add it to a tank it's hard to get it back out but it's an excellent user of nitrates, multiplies quickly, and survives in most any type of light. Koi or goldfish will also eat some of it which is good for their health since they actually do better with a higher level of plant matter in their diet instead of meaty foods and that means they require less fish food. Less food going into the tank=less fish waste coming out of fish=less particles and lower nitrates. Most any other floating plant will have the same effect but duckweed is the easiest to find. Stores will give it to you for free if it gets in their tanks since it's so hard to get rid of and it grows on most ponds. Collecting it from the wild is not a good idea though unless you dip it in something to kill hitchhikers. You will end up with snails and can end up with thing like leeches if you add plants from outside to your tanks.

To be honest, the real solution is this. Tell dad to put the koi where it belongs , in a pond where it wont poison itself with massive ammonia from respiration, or sell it or give it to any one of a million experienced koi owners who will appreciate the fish enough to give it a better environment. Second take the common plecs back and choose a smaller species.

Third think about stocking up with fish that can take a bit of abuse. If he only wants to do water changes fortnightly, he needs to choose smaller fish and have low stocking. Fill the tank up with some nice plants, and enjoy a nicer, more complicated ,sensibly sized community which will actually be a lot less work, and look a hell of a not nicer!

Naughty Daddy!

lol i always remember the first time my dad saw my tanks after i left home , he was like. "whoa , you did this?"


Parents can be a bit slow sometimes... lol