goldfish poo

[OwnerOfPhil]

my 55 gal tank has 2 big comets that are always pooping everywhere, but it's all too heavy for the siphon to suction up and I have sand so I was thinking of getting some kind of clam because I heard somewhere that they'll eat it. but the tank is also heavily planted and I don't know if a little clam digging around will mess up the root systems.
does anyone think this is a good idea or are there better ways of doing it? I guess I could just sift through the sand with a net or something, but I thought it'd be cool to have a clam

[TheSilverSlayer]

I've never encountered a turd my siphon couldn't get. Maybe you need a stronger siphon? I would avoid a F/W clam, I have heard they are hard to keep, plus they need deeper substrate. I would imagine if one were to die, it would sit burried and rot, unbeknownst to you!

[AnthonyTCaps]

get a bigger siphon? maybe that would work i figure bigger siphon more water flow more turd lifting power? hope this helped.

[Wild Turkey]

I agree, try a bigger siphon. You cant just leave the poop lay in the bottom forever, and nothing i know of will eat "poop". Clams are a filter feeder and need pretty much dirty water to live, or so i hear.

When you select a siphon head, the wider it is the slower its going to pull stuff up off the bottom. Obviously, the diameter of the hose will determine how fast the water flows overall.

[OwnerOfPhil]

I don't think I can get a bigger siphon, i think I have the biggest one actully. the algea from the extra nitrates was what i was really what i was trying to prevent, but since i have been feeding less and using carbon it seams to have improved, maybe all the poo at the bottom of the tank wont be so much of a problem after all. thanks for all your help though!

[HeatherB]

Do you use a bucket and a siphon? I cannot imagine doing so on a 55, but I guess that is possible!

My Aqueon Water changer hooks to the faucet, and I can not tell you how great it sucks stuff up! If I stick it in my moms tank (she has gravel) and really start to dig around, it picks up seriously almost 1/4 of the tank of gravel and swirls it around.

If you have one that hooks to the faucet, try turning the water up all the way when you are suctioning. I have found that the water pressure makes a difference on how hard the suction is!

[OwnerOfPhil]

no my siphon doesn't hook up to the faucet, but it works pretty well anyways, i hope leaving the poo around won't be too much of a problem!

[korith]

Try lowering the bucket where the gravel vac drains into. That might help give you more suction. That or a larger gravel vac like the suggested.