Common Plecos

[littleT]

Hi everybody
I have a common pleco that is about 9 inches and I have been feeding him different kinds of wafers and algae chips because I learned that a diet with different foods is good for the pleco anyway I was reading about plecos and came across people talking about feeding there plecos cucumbers,zucchini,green peas and lettuce ect so I thought I would try it and see what happens the first night everything in the tank ignored the cucumber on the little clip fishy but the second night my pleco was all over it she loves it. I was going to go with the zucchini but they where out at the store. I read that the zucchini was better nutrition then the cucumber I'm going to try it next time. Finally getting to my questions. How much is too much? Do you feed them 3-4 times a week with the cucumbers then the rest of the days with the wafers and algae chips. I don't want to over feed him. Any help would be great.

 

[Colin_T]

Plecos and other suckermouth catfish are vegetarians and as such they spend virtually all the time looking for food. They also don't get much nourishment from plant matter so they need to eat a lot to maintain good health.
Plant foods like pumpkin, zucchini, peas, etc should be offered every day. And algae wafers, bottom feeding pellets can also be fed every day. Feed one in the morning and the other at night. Make sure the dry food is completely gone within a few hours otherwise it can cause water quality problems. The fruits/ veges will also cause water quality problems (not as bad as dry food) if there is a lot of it in the tank and it doesn't get eaten.
If you don't want to feed it twice a day then just feed it once a day and vary the food. Pellets one time, pumpkin, the next, and so on.

All suckermouth catfish are messy fish and need good filtration. You should also do a complete gravel clean and water change at least once a week. The more food going into the tank, the more you will need to clean the tank. If you have water restrictions then only feed the fish once a day so you don't have to do as many water changes. But make sure you do regular gravel cleans to get the gunk out of the tank.

 

[mezzic]

You can also feed them melon, mine love honeydew melon and i've read that you can feed them potato so i'm gonna try it next time we have home made chips.

 

[chesterscot]

the only problem i found with feeding spuds is that they dis colour the water
scot

 

[raptorrex]

Hi everybody
I have a common pleco that is about 9 inches and I have been feeding him different kinds of wafers and algae chips because I learned that a diet with different foods is good for the pleco anyway I was reading about plecos and came across people talking about feeding there plecos cucumbers,zucchini,green peas and lettuce ect so I thought I would try it and see what happens the first night everything in the tank ignored the cucumber on the little clip fishy but the second night my pleco was all over it she loves it. I was going to go with the zucchini but they where out at the store. I read that the zucchini was better nutrition then the cucumber I'm going to try it next time. Finally getting to my questions. How much is too much? Do you feed them 3-4 times a week with the cucumbers then the rest of the days with the wafers and algae chips. I don't want to over feed him. Any help would be great.

how much is a real problem to work out. i add enough so that is is all eaten, even the skin, in three days. don't worry, unless your filtration is really duff it will cause no harm. i would give it a piece, cut in half, about 3 inches in length. remember the skin is important to many omnivorous fish, as it contains much of the, actual nutrition, and amounts of the fibre that they need. all the other food you mentioned is fine, just peel your peas first. don't cook anything, just weigh it down if it floats. tinned veg, seems, to go down well too. just keep an eye on the salt content.

 

[littleT]

Thanks everybody for your advice. I have been keeping fish for a long time and I have never thought of feeding a pleco veges. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Hey boboboy
It is hard sometimes to find the right advice off of the net because everybody can say or write something different and you don't know what is good advice and what is bad so that is why it can get confusing sometimes. That's why I like forums most of the time you get good advice and make some friends you can trust for that advice.
You mention about salt content could you elaborate on that topic please.
Thanks

 

[morgan]

My Common loves mushroom as well. Just take the stalk out and take the skin off, rinse it and put it in the tank. Mine is all gone by morning. I use the kind of mushrooms that are white and about 2" across.

 

[raptorrex]

Thanks everybody for your advice. I have been keeping fish for a long time and I have never thought of feeding a pleco veges. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Hey boboboy
It is hard sometimes to find the right advice off of the net because everybody can say or write something different and you don't know what is good advice and what is bad so that is why it can get confusing sometimes. That's why I like forums most of the time you get good advice and make some friends you can trust for that advice.
You mention about salt content could you elaborate on that topic please.
Thanks

salt is the only additive, for the most part, used in tinned veg. i looked at some tins that were quite high in it. now i haven't looked into the salt tolerance of my plecos, but I would council caution if the amount is, too, much higher than occurs in nature.

 

[littleT]

Thanks everybody for your advice. I have been keeping fish for a long time and I have never thought of feeding a pleco veges. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Hey boboboy
It is hard sometimes to find the right advice off of the net because everybody can say or write something different and you don't know what is good advice and what is bad so that is why it can get confusing sometimes. That's why I like forums most of the time you get good advice and make some friends you can trust for that advice.
You mention about salt content could you elaborate on that topic please.
Thanks

salt is the only additive, for the most part, used in tinned veg. i looked at some tins that were quite high in it. now i haven't looked into the salt tolerance of my plecos, but I would council caution if the amount is, too, much higher than occurs in nature.

Hello boboboy
O.k. your talking about canned veges that make since about the salt content now. I'm not planning on using canned veges just the fresh veges like cucumbers and zucchini. Thats why at first it didn't make since to me because fresh cucumbers and zucchini does not have salt in them not that I know of.

 

[raptorrex]

Thanks everybody for your advice. I have been keeping fish for a long time and I have never thought of feeding a pleco veges. I guess you learn something new everyday.
Hey boboboy
It is hard sometimes to find the right advice off of the net because everybody can say or write something different and you don't know what is good advice and what is bad so that is why it can get confusing sometimes. That's why I like forums most of the time you get good advice and make some friends you can trust for that advice.
You mention about salt content could you elaborate on that topic please.
Thanks

salt is the only additive, for the most part, used in tinned veg. i looked at some tins that were quite high in it. now i haven't looked into the salt tolerance of my plecos, but I would council caution if the amount is, too, much higher than occurs in nature.

Hello boboboy
O.k. your talking about canned veges that make since about the salt content now. I'm not planning on using canned veges just the fresh veges like cucumbers and zucchini. Thats why at first it didn't make since to me because fresh cucumbers and zucchini does not have salt in them not that I know of.

Ahh i see. however, most of the fish we keep cant digest the really good bit, the skin, until its rotted a bit. many are frightened to leave fresh veg in long enough for it to become useful to the fish. so using tinned veg is a good short cut. this though only makes the fibre and some of the vitamins avaliable to the fish. they also use, some, of the bacteria for digestion, this can not be replicated by tinned veg. than again, they may not need it, as the veg is cooked. I'm with fresh all the way, but have to say i can find nothing wrong with tinned food, so it remains an option.