How should I feed my Plecos with guppies?

[snickers1415]

I have some plecos in my tank with about 10-15 guppies. I got the plecos only about a week ago and I`ve been trying to feed them. I always feed them before I go to sleep so I do not really see them eat. But every time I feed them my guppies come and eat all of it. I`ve feed them algae wafers, vegetable tablets, cucumber and today I`m about to put a piece of driftwood in it. I have no experience with bristle nose plecos only guppies. please help one died today. I`m sure its not the water because the others are still alive.
The guppies were also eating the dead body of the pleco, is that normal? I`m really worried.

 

[BrianK]

Feed them after the lights have been off for a while. The guppies will be asleep.

 

[snickers1415]

Feed them after the lights have been off for a while. The guppies will be asleep.

I`ve already tried that but the guppies somehow sense me and wake up even when I`m quite.

 

[CozyCat]

I feed mine in the morning, otherwise I'll forget lol
I feed the guppies their flake food and while they're busy with that I drop an algae wafer per pleco in different areas of the tank.
Most of the time my bristlenose plecos will jump on the algae wafers right away. Then the guppies clean up whatever the plecos don't eat.
I also feed every other day to avoid over feeding, especially for the guppies, and to reduce the amount of waste produced (plecos are poop machines!).

 

[Byron]

A few things here. First, bristlenose plecos are herbivorous, so they need "veggie" or green foods. The best prepared/dried food is Omega One's Veggie Rounds. I recommend this brand because of the healthier ingredients. As others have suggested, drop one or two of these in during total darkness--note, I said total darkness. An hour or longer after the tank light is off, and provided the room is in total darkness, no room light, just blackness. Use a flashlight if needed to find the tank! But donot shine the flashlight into the tank, this affects fish. The guppies will not be active if the room is completely dark and you wait an hour or longer, but the plecos will still be awake.

This pleco also must have real wood, so adding a chunk is good. The pleco does not "eat" the wood for nourishment, but it needs the wood fibre for a healthy digestive system.

 

[Benji k]

I have some plecos in my tank with about 10-15 guppies. I got the plecos only about a week ago and I`ve been trying to feed them. I always feed them before I go to sleep so I do not really see them eat. But every time I feed them my guppies come and eat all of it. I`ve feed them algae wafers, vegetable tablets, cucumber and today I`m about to put a piece of driftwood in it. I have no experience with bristle nose plecos only guppies. please help one died today. I`m sure its not the water because the others are still alive.
The guppies were also eating the dead body of the pleco, is that normal? I`m really worried.

I feed mine in the morning, otherwise I'll forget lol
I feed the guppies their flake food and while they're busy with that I drop an algae wafer per pleco in different areas of the tank.
Most of the time my bristlenose plecos will jump on the algae wafers right away. Then the guppies clean up whatever the plecos don't eat.
I also feed every other day to avoid over feeding, especially for the guppies, and to reduce the amount of waste produced (plecos are poop machines!).

I feed my bristlenose 2 algae wafer and then add some zucchini and then just feed guppy’s flakes and then the baby guppy’s eat the small parts of the ages wafer that fly up

 

[lnsaneM]

I have a royal pleco in the tank I feed him algae wafers. He also eats cut up shrimp when I feed my other fish. I need to try feeding him more vegetables. I heard from a local fish store that veggies in the tank makes the water cloudy. Is this true?

 

[Benji k]

Not r ally I have 33 gal and I put a slice of zucchini in ther almost every night it dosent really make water cloudy I don’t now about a smaller tank

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I got some Repashy soylent Green recently, mainly for my otos, but the plecs will get some too, and I'm sure the other fish will nom on it. But when I looked up vids of people mixing it, I found this one by Aquarium Co Op, where he dips tank items in the gel before it sets, then lets them set, so the surface of say, a pleco cave, has a coating of it with a big surface area. Ideal for plecs to nom onto, and gives all the fish a chance to eat.

Not essential to use this, my plecs don't seem to have a problem grabbing some food even with a big pack of cories (21 of them) scattering about stuffing themselves, so I doubt your pleco died from starvation, especially so soon -since fish can survive a surprisingly long time without food anyway. But I understand the worry, since it takes time for plecs to come out and eat in the open, and I remember having the same fears when i first got mine!

 

[Byron]

I heard from a local fish store that veggies in the tank makes the water cloudy. Is this true?

If left in the tank they begin to decompose, and yes, that can seriously foul the water. When you feed them, remove what is left the next day and this should be avoided. Blanching them first might also help.

 

[lnsaneM]

If left in the tank they begin to decompose, and yes, that can seriously foul the water. When you feed them, remove what is left the next day and this should be avoided. Blanching them first might also help.

Thanks, I'll give that a try next time