What Fish Eat Poop in Your Aquarium? The Truth About Fish Poop Eaters

As an aquarium owner, you’ve likely noticed fish waste accumulating on the bottom of your tank. It’s an unsightly nuisance that has to be cleaned up regularly. At some point you’ve probably wondered – are there any fish that will eat poop in my aquarium?

It’s a reasonable question In nature, many organisms play a clean-up role by consuming waste materials Could certain fish serve this function in our home aquariums by eating fish poop?

Unfortunately, the short answer is no. There are no fish species that actively seek out and consume fish waste as a regular part of their diet. While some fish may occasionally nibble on poop, they are not doing so for nutrition. Here’s a deeper look at the facts on fish poop eaters.

Do Any Aquarium Fish Eat Poop?

Fish poop, also called fish waste or feces, consists of undigested material expelled from a fish’s digestive system. It contains minimal nutritional value for other fish.

Some fish owners observe plecos, loaches and catfish picking at fish poop and assume they are eating it. But these bottom dwellers are actually just investigating particles they come across while searching for food. They quickly reject poop when they discover it is not edible.

There are no fish species that deliberately consume poop as a food source. Fish waste has little nutritional value and is not a natural part of any fish’s diet in the wild or in home aquariums.

Why Don’t Fish Eat Poop in Aquariums?

There are several reasons why fish don’t view poop as a desirable food item:

• Lack of nutrients – Feces contains indigestible matter with almost no protein, vitamins or minerals to benefit fish.

• Unpalatable taste – Fish use taste buds to reject waste with no nutritional value. Poop likely tastes unappealing.

• Risk of illness – Consuming feces exposes fish to bacteria, fungi and parasites. It provides no health benefits.

• Availability of better foods – With prepared foods and supplementary feedings available, fish have no need to eat poor-quality poop.

• Natural behaviors – No fish species consume waste as part of their natural feeding behaviors. Poop holds no appeal.

With no nutritional motivation or natural instinct driving them, fish simply have no desire to eat poop. Their brief exploring of waste particles is curiosity rather than actual feeding.

Do Plecos, Catfish or Other Fish Eat Poop?

Certain bottom-dwelling fish have a reputation as being poop eaters:

• Plecos – Common pleco catfish investigate every part of their environment. Their sucking on objects helps them assess if it’s food. They quickly reject poop.

• Corydoras – Like plecos, cory catfish sift through bottom debris. They sample particles but do not consume waste.

• Loaches – Bottom scavengers like clown loaches examine everything on the substrate. But they gain no nutrition from poop.

• Shrimp – Shrimp pick at a wide variety of materials out of curiosity. They discard uneaten poop particles.

• Crabs/crayfish – Crustaceans may temporarily manipulate or sample waste but they do not actually eat fish poop.

None of these common tank inhabitants eat poop as a significant food source. They are looking for edible matter when examining feces particles, but soon reject it.

Do Snails Eat Fish Poop?

Snails are thorough cleaners in aquariums, rasping algae from surfaces and consuming uneaten fish food, dead plant matter and other organics. But they do not eat fish feces as part of their diet.

Some believe snails eat fish poop because they are attracted to the bacterial film surrounding old waste. However, they do not actually ingest the feces, only the microorganisms attached to it.

So while snails help clean up debris, fish poop itself provides no nutritional value. Snails will not eat it as a food source.

Will Fish Fry Eat Poop?

Another poop myth is that newborn fish fry eat poop from adult fish. Fry do have some different nutritional requirements from adults. But fish poop provides no benefits for developing fry.

Fry instead feed on tiny live foods like infusoria, microplankton and powdered fry feeds. Feces would be too large and offer no nutrition for growing baby fish.

Best Ways to Remove Fish Poop

While no aquarium residents will deliberately eat fish waste, it’s still essential to remove poop regularly:

• Gravel vacuum – Siphon poop from substrate during water changes using a gravel cleaner.

• Power filters – Use adequate mechanical filtration to trap suspended waste.

• Clean substrate – Stir surface poop into the water column for removal.

• Target feed – Drop food in specific spots to confine mess.

• Remove uneaten food – Clear excess food before it can decompose.

• Clean decor – Dislodge poop from ornaments, plants and other decor when doing maintenance.

Regular poop removal is crucial for keeping water conditions safe for fish. While fish themselves won’t eat it, following sound aquarium practices will help manage waste.

The Bottom Line on Fish That Eat Poop

While the idea of poop-eating fish seems appealing, the reality is that no aquarium species actually consume feces. Fish gain no nutritional benefits from poop and have no natural drive to eat waste.

Occasionally sampling poop out of curiosity or to search for other food does not equate to deliberately eating it. No fish relies on feces or even includes it as a minor part of their diet.

The task of removing fish poop remains firmly on the aquarium owner. But the good news is that modern tools like gravel vacuums make waste removal much easier! With good tank maintenance habits, you can keep the poop at bay.