What eats fish poop?

[Lenny718]

As funny as the title is I'm curious to know if certain hermit crabs or snails will eat it? I have a small yellow tang that poops like crazy and I always have to net it out and it's starting to get annoying lol. Surprisingly it hasn't effected my nitrates since I only have him and a pair of small clownfish and do weekly WC. I also have good flow and everything gets stirred up nicely except his huge poop :biggrin:

 

[noelskii]

Do you flush it down the toilet after?

 

[Lenny718]

Do you flush it down the toilet after?

Is that a serious question?

 

[Robfdny]

Lol

 

[ourcoralreef]

Snails will eat some of it (some snails more than others ie. nassarius will eat almost anything while turbos will mostly eat the algae), crabs will eat some, starfish, worms will eat some, pods love it and other fish as well
Now since its big why don't you test it out and see if your cleanup crew will eat it give it a day see what happens

 

[Branespikin]

I got like 10 nassarius snails they clean up pretty much everything.

 

[Lenny718]

The only cleanup crew I have is about 15 local snails similar to nassarius (look alike) I think the non scientific term is mud snail but they don't touch the stuff, mostly just clean the glass and uneaten fish food . Maybe I'll try the true nassarius snails and see what happens. I'm hesitant to go with hermit crabs cause in all my past tanks they always kill my snails ( I swear they do it for fun lol) . Thank you and the previous poster for constructive ideas.

 

[Branespikin]

No hermits in my tank anymore. They kill my snails too and snatch all my food i feed to my lps.

 

[reefiness]

Protein skimmers eat fish poop. The poop should break down after a little time enough for current to take it to the skimmer. Maybe try some more fiber in the tangs doet (nori).

 

[ourcoralreef]

The only cleanup crew I have is about 15 local snails similar to nassarius (look alike) I think the non scientific term is mud snail but they don't touch the stuff, mostly just clean the glass and uneaten fish food . Maybe I'll try the true nassarius snails and see what happens. I'm hesitant to go with hermit crabs cause in all my past tanks they always kill my snails ( I swear they do it for fun lol) . Thank you and the previous poster for constructive ideas.

If its those little black snails get rid of them they are bad for a reef tank
Not a big fan of Hermits but they do have a job the red legged ones are ok and giving them extra shells makes them more tolerable of each other
shrimp steal food from my corals

 

[oh207]

What eats fish poop?

Short answer: Bacteria

Above answer is probably the most accurate when considering what actually eats fish poop. As the fish waste decay, it produces ammonia. Nitrosomonas bacteria consume the ammonia and creates Nitrite. Nitrobacter bacteria then consumes the Nitrite and creates Nitrate. Nitrate is then used up (eaten) in a couple of ways: 1. Nitrate is converted to gas if you have any anaerobic conditions (no oxygen), such as in a deep sand bed, etc. 2. Nitrate is used (eaten) by macro algae (such as chaeto in a refugium, GHA, or other macros). A water change is another way to help to remove Nitrate.

To ensure the above works, you need lots of live rock, water changes, and proper balance and control of Nutrients going into the tank (food). You can also buy super-special-awesome nitrifying bacteria in a bottle and dose it regularly.

 

[Lenny718]

I'm very aware of the cycle process and how everything breaks down, I've been in the hobby many years. My question wasn't "how do I reduce my nitrates or bioload" it's what animal will eat the actual turd lol. My nitrates are undetectable but the huge turds my tang leaves behind are not. Thank you for the science lesson though

 

[albano]

I've kept sea cucumbers in all my tanks and sumps for many years...some are at least 5-10 yrs old... Always kept sand clean, but I never bothered to check on what they actually eat.

 

[Lenny718]

Thanks Al, I was actually reading up on some on live aquaria and they seem they will do the job.

 

[albano]

RB sent

 

[ourcoralreef]

They will do the job but the cucumbers that i have had always worked very slow and i didint really like the clean sand in pellet form

 

[heuerfan]

Serpent sea starfish worked for me.

 

[joefriedrich57]

Crabs snails conch filter bags

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Lenny718]

Serpent sea starfish worked for me.

Too big, I have a Red Sea Max and it's pretty packed. If I had more room I'd try one.

 

[ourcoralreef]

Not a fan of serpent sea stars i feel like they kill fish in there sleep or fish that aren't feeling so well