# Freshwater decomposers?



## mileshs95 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hello, I was wondering if there are any freshwater fish, snails, etc. that will eat fish poop and other waste to help keep the tank clean so i do not have to clean it so often. I have a bristlenose pleco that takes care of most of the algae, so i just need something that might help with the poop etc.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but there is nothing that fits that description. There is absolutely no replacement for a tank cleaning. Think of it this way: anything that eats, poops. Even if it eats poop. You're still going to have to remove that poop somehow. If you're putting nutrients into the system by feed the fish, then you have to take waste out of the system by water changes.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Agree absolutely. During the weekly water change--which is essential for healthy fish--vacuum the substrate.

If you have live plants, the waste in the substrate can be left as it will get broken down by bacteria (and here snails help) into nutrients for the plants. But the water itself still has to be changed weekly.

And in case you haven't noticed yet, all pleco produce a lot of waste compared to most other fish of similar size.

Byron.


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## mileshs95 (Sep 24, 2011)

I vacuum the gravel every time i do a water change, its just that there is so much poop that i have to do 2-3 water changes just to vacuum it all up, meaning that the bucket i use to do the water change is full before i can get all the poop. I heard that there was a type of snail that would help with the waste, but i'm not sure where to get it.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Hmmm. Have you every heard of the python water change system? Aqueon makes a similar one. It's basically a siphon attached to a 25 foot hose. Instead of siphoning into a bucket (which is very limited; I know as I still have to use that method with one tank) you siphon into a sink or a bathtub. And once you are done, you use the hose to refill your tank. You can take as long as you need to suck up all the poop and then have an easy refill.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Agree with Izzy (naturally). 

On the snail, all snails do eat detritus (waste from fish, dead fish and dead plant matter, uneaten food, etc) but they obviously produce waste too, so it just gets broken down into smaller bits. But this makes it easier for the bacteria to tackle. so you do get rid of the solid faster. But this is only a step in the entire process.

Malaysian Livebearing Snails are great for planted tanks because they burrow through the substrate and get into spots nothing else can.

Byron.


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## mileshs95 (Sep 24, 2011)

I have been looking for the malaysian snail but I can't find any at my lfs
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

A lot of LFS don't carry them because some people do consider MTS a "pest snail." I actually got my colony from another hobbyist. Because they reproduce so well most people aren't amiss to giving away about 20 or 30. You could try putting an ad in the classified section here.


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

I have three MTS that came as hitchhikers on my plants and they burrow happily in my gravel. Most of the time you don't see them, and I'm pretty sure I have babies.


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## mileshs95 (Sep 24, 2011)

How do i find the classifieds?
thanks


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

mileshs95 said:


> How do i find the classifieds?
> thanks


On the main page (when you log in) scroll down to the "Aquarium resources" section, it is the second entry.


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## Flear (Oct 5, 2012)

old thread i know.

various snails, various worms, fungus's and molds, don't forget the bacteria.
yes there is a freshwater aquatic mushroom, doubt you'll find it in the hobby, but it exists.

mixing burrowing snails and plants, the plant roots will win and the snails will eventually be forced to the surface as the plant roots make burrowing for these snails impossible.

various aquatic worms are hard to find, tubifex worms and blackworms are the only ones i have heard of advertised in the hobby, tubifex worms will likely be eaten as they stick their buts up out of the substrate and wiggle it around to breath, i'm sure fish are more than tempted already, the extra action is probably more than they need to incite them to eat. blackworms will eventually all be eaten but not soon enough is my guess if you are worried

other aquatic worms, ... at least for the substrate, much searching has not yielded much for results.

try looking up aufshich, as for any specific organisms that compose aufchich, i have only been able to find they call it aufshich, ... a fine layer on the surface of the substrate composed of tiny organisms and algae that various critters eat - usually one part or another of the aufshich, not all of it, they sift through it to find whatever their dietary requirements are.

other fungus's and molds, ... we are raised to believe the existance of these are signs of disaster waiting to happen, ... so not much is known about actual safety or safe species to obtain, or how to obtain any desired species at all.

all these are decomposers, not all are available or even known in the hobby

concerns about snails eating, and pooping again so they are not efficient decomposers, ... sure they poop, but it's farther broken down, this in turn saves it from contributing as much to your ammonia levels and in healthier for your tank.

some view snails as pests, claiming they eat their plants, almost guaranteed snails are never going to eat your healthy plants, they may eat from parts that have decomposed some due to those leaves having various deficiencies, - don't blame your snails

some start feeding extra so the snails don't starve, this is a bad practice, feed your fish, the snails will eat the extra, but otherwise ignore the snails for feeding, just feed your fish

Edit:
found proper spelling
"aufwuchs"
as mentioned above, i am still looking into this as it is more described as a catch-all without any specifics


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