Cleaning up fish droppings?

wpost2

Member
Dumb question I know, but with live sand how does one clean fish droppings off of it without taking bits of sand away with it as well? Do you just let the protein skimmer handle this, or is there some tool I should be using?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
I have a sandsifter, a sleeper goby. Nothing is on my sand. I have never seen fish droppings of any sort, ever.
I have had fish all my life. I have never had to clean fish poo.

Goldfish make the water dirty (rats with fins) thats as close to a nasty fish I ever had.
But in a saltwater, or a tropical freshwater tank fish poo has never been an issue, I never noticed poo unless it was coming out of the fish at that moment.
Do you really have poo problems, that you have to clean??? What kind of fish are you keeping???
 

blayz77

Member
thats what the clean up crew is for. as for a tool lol mayby somethign that resembles what you would use for a cat box lol to sift sand.
if you dont already have any nassarius snails are suppose to clean up fish poo, or any other invert that says "Detritus" as part of its diet.
mayby someone other then me will chime in that knows a lot more then me, but i think detrius is fish waste and like left over food etc.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
One person on the site noticed some weird little somethings and wanted an ID...It turned out to be fish poo. It is so rare to see, the person didn't know what it was.
I don't think anything "eats" fish poo, it just gets absorbed, breaks down and becomes something else (NITRATES, OR NITRITES OR WHATEVER) that gets carried away by filtration.
 

spanko

Active Member
"In biology, detritus is non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material). It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms as well as fecal material. Detritus is typically colonized by communities of microorganisms which act to decompose (or remineralize) the material."
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2977740
"In biology, detritus is non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material). It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms as well as fecal material. Detritus is typically colonized by communities of microorganisms which act to decompose (or remineralize) the material."
........which is why a bio-filter is so vital. Just leave it alone and let it decompose, produce ammonia, and all the friendly bacteria you've cultured will help. I'd go nuts if I had to remove fish droppings (and other detritus) from my tanks.
 

wpost2

Member
ok that makes me feel better, because i've never cleaned up the fish poop either. my girlfriend pointed out the other day that my lawnmower blenny just dropped a steaming pile and that it looked gross. she asked me how i cleaned the sand of these gifts, and i said i never did. that being said, i was thinking maybe i should..but i guess my filtration system takes care of it, as i never see it around in the tank other than when it exits a fish, lol. thanks.
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2977757

And LMB's can put out some poop!!!!!!
Yeah; herbivores leave a lot more "leftovers" than carnivores; despite all the opinion to the contrary.
'Detritus" was my Son's "pet" nickname for my oldest Daughter's 1st boyfriend. Looking back, it wasn't a bad one!
 
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