Time to Crap

[Lance_Krueger]

Just wondering how much time it takes for most discus to eat something, to when it's expelled through their faeces. I have been thinking about me making my last feeding so late at night, that maybe I'm doing my daily water changes too close to the last feeding. By the time I'm done sucking the poop off the tank floor, there's more where I'd just been. How long is the minimum I should wait after I do the last feeding to do my nightly water change?
Thanks,
Lance Krueger

[RAWesolowski]

Lance,

You sound a little anal attentive. Your water change could be scaring the ... never mind, you get the picture.

No matter what you do you're never going to time it just right. The plus is that you're doing the water changes.

[Smokey]

Lance..
It may not the "poop" to be concerned about. My discus poop as they feed, poop when the swim, poop when they feel like it.
The concern is with their total " WASTE " output. If you have ever measured the ammonia increase, after feeding, you may find the readings will increase up to an hour after a good feeding.
My personal rule of thumb; w/c at least 1 hour after feeding; perhaps. I generally like to wait 4 hours after feeding.
This way I get rid of the immeadiately produced ammonia and any Nitrates that are being produced.
Remember, the size of your bio-filters( time to convert the nasties to Nitrate) and the amount of water to discus population ratio; is a big factor.
e.g.: my 7 - 4" baby discus are fed 4 to 8 grams of beefheart daily,( with bloodworms as a treat), and will raise the Nitrates from ZERO to 5ppm. in less than 12 hours.
P.S. - I never feed more than 2 grams of beefheart/bloodworms per hour ! Usually 1 gram per feeding. Mind you I try to feed every 2 hours; durning the daytime.
When I do a large w/c, 60%, say in the evening, and I have not feed them for a couple of hours, I will give them 3-4 grams of bloodworms. NOT AS MESSY AS BEEFHEART!, and I always make sure the prefilters are cleaned; before going to bed.

As a rule of thumb, I never let the Nitrates rise above 5 ppm's.
( at least two water changes per day.)
HTH.

Smokey

[April]

smokey can you come and do all my water changes and measure my fishies food intake? LOL. my fish dont know measurements.

[Smokey]

Sure; where can I park my bycycle ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)

[BlueTurquoise]

Lance,

I notice that with my fish, they seem to poop during a water change, after I start pumping in new water. I think it is all the activity in the tank that makes them poop out. It could even be the feel/smell/taste of the new water entering the tank? not sure.

I agree with Smokey, my fish also crap whenever and wherever they feel like it...

Chong

too funny Chong!!!!! I notice that mine also poop when I am doing water changes... and like you said "whenever they feel like it" but had to laugh on the water change comment, because I too am very anal with the poop on the floor (like Lance) and when I do a water change it kills me when they poop during or after it!!! But I have gotten over the poop and food mix... haha... where I absolutely had to do a water change morning and night before I fed, so my fish wouldn't have to pick out the food with poop on the floor! Is that like major "anal"?? After having tons of babies and feeding them constantly- well forget that method... heeheehee.... I gave up and now only water change before they go to bed!!!

Weezy

[brewmaster15]

Not that I have a degree in scatology, but Discus being primarily carnivors are said to have a short digestive tract (never measured it !) so odds are it doesn't take too much time. I'd guess probably a few hours to several hours depending on water temp, age, and activity..... It might be longer though if you provide them with a magazine rack stocked with field and stream, and other nice journals! :)

-al

[Pick]

Or an internet connection and a login ID for Simply! LOL

You guys are killing me. Think I'll go do a water change and see if it makes em so happy they could just....you know.

TC

[BlueTurquoise]

I am peeing my pants laughing! I am in the office now and my collegues are turning their heads! LOL

scatology ROFL! Al you are a stinker! ;) ;D

*wipe my tears* *sniff* *sniff*

Chong

[BlueTurquoise]

Being too "anal" about it... HAHAHAHAHAHA!

you're killing me!

[Lance_Krueger]

Brew,
Too funny!!! My gut hurts, this is so funny. ;D Ain't it a wonderful thing to sit on the crapper and wear out a copy of Field & Stream (especially when it's your own photo on the cover of it!)?! Mike Wells, you and I are probably the only ones that know what I'm talking about. My discus actually prefer the Grainger catalog, looking through the solenoids and float switches it's going to take to get their very own automatic water changing system completed. Then they'll be able to set their watches for when it's time to whip out the trusty old Field & Stream! :-\ :P ::)
Lance Krueger