What species of fish eat fish feces? A detailed introduction to common cleaning fish

For many people who keep fish, an aquarium piled up with fish feces is a very time-consuming thing to clean, and sometimes even shortly after cleaning, feces are present in the tank again, which is often a real headache for many people. So many people add a few fish that eat feces to the aquarium, thereby reducing the buildup of fish feces. So what kind of fish eat feces? Which species should be chosen? Let us take a look below at the common fish that eat fish feces!

Pleco (sucker-mouth catfish)

The pleco is an omnivorous fish that feeds on algae, benthic animals and debris in the water, and can also swallow large numbers of fish eggs and fry. In aquariums it often attaches to rocks and glass to steady itself and graze on algae, and it also searches for benthic animals (such as tubifex worms), making it a faithful "cleaner" in the aquarium. It is a nocturnal fish and can be kept with healthy species of fish. The pleco readily eats feed, especially small sinking pellets, which are easy for its sucker mouth to take in; for small pellets floating on the surface, it will suck them up by turning belly-up against the water surface. Even so, the pleco can still clean the walls of the aquarium. Every place it brushes past is especially clean. The pleco's mouth is like a vacuum cleaner, sucking fish feces and green plants alike into its belly. It also holds a bubble in its mouth, and this bubble contains oxygen, which lets it stay underwater longer and eat more "food." The pleco's main foods are fry, algae, bacteria and feed, and when it is unbearably hungry it will also eat a small amount of fish excrement, which is also the origin of its name.

Chinese high-fin banded shark (myxocyprinus)

The Chinese high-fin banded shark prefers to move about in the middle and bottom layers of the water and cannot tolerate low oxygen. Its body shape is unusual, and the young fish in particular has a distinctive form; it swims quietly and can change body color with its mood. It feeds frequently and is an omnivore, able to eat regardless of the state of the food; its foods include brine shrimp, red earthworms and vegetables. The Chinese high-fin banded shark is an egg-laying animal, but there has been no successful breeding in aquarium conditions. When the male approaches the female, nodules appear on its head and fins.

Corydoras (cory catfish)

Corydoras have existed on Earth for a very long time, yet their small size plus their not-very-fast swimming speed have still allowed them to survive to this day, not only because they have thick scales but also because they have strong vitality. Corydoras are benthic fish with extremely strong disease resistance, a strong desire to feed, and they are not picky about bait but are strong competitors for food. Usually corydoras only become lively and active when eating; at other times they generally hide in shelters to rest. So when bait is added, healthy dominant individuals snatch food fiercely and eat actively. Corydoras can be kept on special feed; of course, bloodworms and tubifex worms are their favorites, and brine shrimp will do too. If a corydoras' fin rays or barbels break off, they can grow back, but if the snout is broken off, there is nothing that can be done. A fish without barbels becomes sluggish, cannot maintain balance, and has difficulty eating.

Grass carp

The grass carp belongs to the order Cypriniformes, family Cyprinidae, subfamily Leuciscinae, genus Ctenopharyngodon. Its common names include huan, huanyu, oil huan, grass huan, white huan, grass carp, grass root (northeast China), sea huan (south China), hunzi, black qing fish and so on. It inhabits rivers and lakes in plain areas and generally prefers the middle and lower layers of the water and nearshore areas with abundant aquatic plants. It is lively in nature, swims quickly, often forages in groups, and is a typical herbivorous fish. In the juvenile stage the grass carp eats larvae, algae and so on; grass carp also eat some animal foods, such as earthworms and dragonflies. It overwinters in deep water of main rivers or lakes. In the reproductive season, brood fish have the habit of swimming upstream. It has been introduced to many countries in Asia, Europe, America and Africa. Because it grows quickly and has a wide range of feed sources, it is one of the four major Chinese carps of freshwater aquaculture.

Bighead carp

Bighead carp is the scientific name of the fathead fish, also called silver-bighead carp; it is one of China's famous four major carps. Its head is large and fatty, and its flesh is snowy white and tender, making it the first choice for fish-head hot pot. The bighead carp has a large head that accounts for one third of its body length, its flanks are blackish with mottled patches, and its eyes are set low. The fish brain is rich in nutrition and contains a kind of fish oil needed by the human body, and this fish oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, an essential nutrient for humans that can maintain, enhance and improve brain function. In addition, the flesh below the gills is transparent and gelatinous, rich in collagen, which can fight human aging and repair body cells and tissues; it is also full of moisture, so its texture is very good.

Black carp

The black carp is a fish with a bluish color. It is mainly distributed in the plain areas south of the Yangtze River in China and is relatively rare north of the Yangtze River. It is an important fishery resource in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and in lakes along the river, and a major aquaculture species in lakes and ponds; it is one of China's "four major carps" of freshwater aquaculture. The black carp mostly inhabits the middle and lower layers of the water and generally does not swim to the surface. Its feeding habits are relatively simple, with mollusks such as snails and clams as its main food. In pond aquaculture, juvenile fish readily eat grain-based feed, and after the body length reaches 15 cm the crushing function of the pharyngeal teeth strengthens and the feeding habit changes. Mortality is relatively high before age 2; its diet is omnivorous, mainly grain-based bait. After age 2, especially when the body weight reaches 1 kg, its feeding habit shifts to soft-bodied aquatic animals, and it can crush hard shells, spitting out the shell and swallowing the flesh. In natural waters it often gathers at the transition zones between deep and shallow areas of rivers and lakes. Apart from weak appetite in winter, it feeds voraciously in spring, summer and autumn, and can take the hook and swallow bait even under low air pressure when most benthic fish generally have no appetite.

Summary: The feces-eating fish is a very interesting fish; they like to live in places such as rather murky small streams. But they very much like to lie on the bottom without moving, yet they can still grow extremely fast, precisely because their main food source is the feces excreted by other fish, which is also how they got their name. However, the editor thinks that although the feces-eating fish is said to eat feces, it does not completely live on fish feces as its staple food, and sometimes it also eats some other feed and such things. Overall, the feces-eating fish still has many benefits for the aquarium environment, so you might as well pick a few and bring them home to keep in your aquarium!