Bristlenose pleco - vegetables?

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I have just got myself 2 bristlenose plecos (about an inch long) - I had them many years ago.

I read an article that said I could feed them vegetables? If so which vegetables are best and should I blanch it? I had a common pleco many years ago and he loved marrows lol. Just wondering what I could give these two? (they have algae wafers but obviously would like to supplement their diet, I've got frozen bloodworm and daphnia which I will stick in the tank a couple of times a week).

 

[CassCats]

Zucchini, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce... Zucchini is usually most accepted.

 

[Essjay]

Zucchini

Or courgette for non-Americans

 

[TheTenthDoctor]

I fed my otocinclaus blanched cucumber. What I did was peeled and cut a cucumber than put in boiling water, let it cool slightly and dropped it into the tank, I left it there for 6-7 hrs then removed it

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Ah fab thank you. Yes my common used to like the softer veg. I'll start feeding them a little bit.

 

[Gypsum]

All my plecos love courgettes (bristlenose, C. formosae, H.furunculus, not all in the same tank). I don't bother blanching them. The plecos mutilate them as it is, and if they were softer, I would be chasing even more courgette pieces around the tank.

If yours don't start eating them straight off the bat, don't despair. My bristlenose wasn't interested for the first couple weeks I had her. But she soon cottoned on and would wait at the veggie clip around feeding time. It took the rubberlip months to develop an interest in courgettes. Once he did, though, I had to put two in the tank so he didn't get into arguments over it with the bristlenose. The L199s, on the other hand, started mauling courgettes within days of their arrival in the tank. And they're supposed to be one of the more carniverous pleco species. The courgettes are for the otos which have lived in this tank for a year, so this isn't ideal as the otos don't get much of a chance at it. Whoever wrote that Hypancistrus pleco species are timid, non-aggressive feeders hasn't met my four reprobates.

Anyway, you should definitely supplement your bristlenose's diets with veggies and algae wafers, as tanks don't produce enough algae to sustain them. But don't overdo the live food. Bristlenoses are primarily herbivores, although they require some protein. I think about 15% of their diet should be protein. Too much is bad for them. Since mine lives in a community tank, she will get some of the sinking pellets/live food I throw in for corys and raphaels, but competing with the corys and raphaels prevents her from overdoing it.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Blanched cucumbers are my Albino BNP’s favorite.