Baby Pleco Not Eating! (Emergency)

[fishfinderdave]

hi, 4 and a half weeks ago i bought a small baby white stripped pleco.
i already have one common pleco who eats fine, will eat what ever goes in the tank food wise.
when i bought my first pleco i was feeding him on the pleco waffers. which he was happy to eat...
however the new pleco will not touch the things...he refuses to eat them, he wont even eat left over flakes off the bottom, he wont eat daphnia or
bloodworm or any of my live plants!

my fish love their food but he wont touch any of it...he hasnt eaten in ages....and his stomach is starting to cave in....can i save him before he dies?

ive always done regular water changes and ammonia checks.

ive placed a peice of prawn into the tank which has been snapped up instantly by my common pleco, who seems happy to share it with the other fish...he seems to enjoy it...but again....not so for my small pleco
is there any human foods i can try that will save him...
he cost me £22.00 lol...so i dont want it to die!

any help will be appreciated
thanks!

 

[plecostomus-mad]

you can try potatoes and cucumbers, de-shelled peas might appeal to him also. do you use pellets of any kind?

EDIT: he may not be eating due to stress, try leaving the light off for a whole day, he might eat in darkness, most plecos are nocturnal and mostly eat at night.

 

[jacko32]

never heard of a white striped pleco how big is it?

 

[plecostomus-mad]

never heard of a white striped pleco how big is it?

could be a flash pleco L204?

 

[fishfinderdave]

he is only a little fella lol

yano i cant honestly say the exact name of the fish all i can do i describe it for you.
its small- only grows to about 5 inches, a greyish coloured body with black dots over the body with a white stripe on its dorsal and tail fin.
very pretty looking fish.

yes i have used jmc catfish pellets...but they tend to make the water very cloudy and murky so only use sparringly...but he ignores them
i use "tetra pleco wafers" normally which my common pleco eats but the baby pleco wont touch them.

i put a prawn in the tank today...and the common liked it but the other again ignored it completely lol.
ive tried cucumbers but it floats lol...how do i stop this?
could i try sweet potatoes?

ive already left the lights off...there left off for 9 hours a day on a set routine.
he just wont touch any food offered to him

 

[jacko32]

could try micro worms that way it would be hard for him not to eat them as they are tiny and they spread out in the water
do you have any pictures ?

 

[plecostomus-mad]

is it like or similar to this fella?

My link

 

[fishfinderdave]

ok nice picture first off lol
it is similar to that plec....in the white stripes on the fins....but its not a brstlenose plec.....and it has black spots not white
plus the body's grey not black.
but good try

im more than willing to find and try micro-worms.....where can i get them from?

 

[jacko32]

ok nice picture first off lol
it is similar to that plec....in the white stripes on the fins....but its not a brstlenose plec.....and it has black spots not white
plus the body's grey not black.
but good try

im more than willing to find and try micro-worms.....where can i get them from?

you can get them from ebay or your lfs might have them other wise you could try liquid fry food

 

[fishfinderdave]

ok will give these a go.
thanks guys.
will keep you up-dated

 

[jacko32]

ok will give these a go.
thanks guys.
will keep you up-dated

is it an l147
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[fishfinderdave]

no that pleco doesnt have white tips on its fins.
and its a darker colour than this...

but still that's a really nice fish

 

[JenCliBee]

no that pleco doesnt have white tips on its fins.
and its a darker colour than this...

but still that's a really nice fish

you need to find out which plec it is, alot of plecs have different dietary requirements and the lack of a carnivorous diet could be the problem if 'it is' a carnivorous species.

 

[jacko32]

no that pleco doesnt have white tips on its fins.
and its a darker colour than this...

but still that's a really nice fish

you need to find out which plec it is, alot of plecs have different dietary requirements and the lack of a carnivorous diet could be the problem if 'it is' a carnivorous species.

need to see a picture of the actual fish really to find out which plec it is

 

[fishnovice]

no that pleco doesnt have white tips on its fins.
and its a darker colour than this...

but still that's a really nice fish

I feed my baby BN courgettes and cucumber (weighed down with a teaspoon, or get a Screwcumber on Ebay) Also potato microwaved for 1 min so it sinks.They have also eaten soft boiled carrots.