00mitomk
Fish Crazy
realli nice i didnt know they could tht much cucumber in one go lol
M i l E S
M i l E S
L191 Eddie The Royal Pleco
- Thread starter Bex
- Start date
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
I'm merely the messenger! The advice was from a scientist studying these fish, who observed that Panaque specimens given to him because they had died in aquaria invariably had fat around the internal organs. In the wild, they don't have this. So yes, it's probably a good idea to keep him on a veggie diet. Catfish pellets have enough protein in them, so you don't need to add mussels and prawns or anything like that. The odd bloodworm probably wouldn't do any harm, just don't make a habit of it.
Mine is 11 years old, at least, and basically only eats wood and veggies.
Cheers,
Neale
Mine is 11 years old, at least, and basically only eats wood and veggies.
Cheers,
Neale
Bex
Fishaholic
Wow neale, he is totally awesome 
How big is he? I can't wait until Eddie gets like that!
It is true what you are saying - Royals that die prematurely have mainly been found to have fatty deposits around the gut because they can't digest proteins.
The trick we have found with Eddie is to put his cucumber in first, wait for him to go for it, then we can put anything else in and he won't leave his cucumber. We have an L075 who should have meaty food that we feed prawns to so it is a good way to separate them. He's a good boy, he doesn't even go for bloodworms.
How big is he? I can't wait until Eddie gets like that!It is true what you are saying - Royals that die prematurely have mainly been found to have fatty deposits around the gut because they can't digest proteins.
The trick we have found with Eddie is to put his cucumber in first, wait for him to go for it, then we can put anything else in and he won't leave his cucumber. We have an L075 who should have meaty food that we feed prawns to so it is a good way to separate them. He's a good boy, he doesn't even go for bloodworms.
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
beechey -- She isn't that big. Probably undersized for her age, she's about 15 cm long, and I bought her in 1994 or 1995. For various reasons (not least being out of the country for several years) she has had to make do with a variety of less than optimal aquaria, at best ~45 gallons. That's much less than this species really needs. That might have had a stunting effect. I also don't feed her that much, basically she gets wood most of the time, and algae wafers and vegetables two or three times a week. No high protein foods (like mussel) at all. On the flip side, she's obviously healthy and happy.
Bex -- I assume the high protein issue is the same as with humans. We have a taste for foods that "in the wild" are scarce -- fat, sugar, and salt. We don't binge on stuff that's abundant, like vegetables, fruit, and water. So in the wild our ancestors would gorge on the rare stuff when they found it, because they "knew" it wouldn't always be there. Now we have farming and mass food production, we still eat those fatty, sugary, salty foods because we're hard wired to do so. Our bodies "think" they should store these foods as insurance for when they're not around, so we get deposits of fat around the organs and under the skin. In the wild, these would never last for long, because they'd be used up regularly, but in modern times, they just sit there. The end result is that fat around the internal organs causes damage to the organs, interferes with blood flow, and so on. Result: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.
I have to assume the same is true with plecs. A Panque normally eats wood, but in the wild, a dead fish or a patch of insect larvae would be a rare treat. It would gorge on the stuff, because it mightn't get another chance for weeks or months. In the wild it couldn't overeat because for whatever reason it wouldn't often find that food. So it normally makes do with wood. In the aquarium, it doesn't know not to eat too much, and if provided with protein and fat rich foods, like meat or catfish pellets, it eats them as long as they are there, probably in preferance to wood. End result: the Panaque equivalent of heart disease and kidney failure.
Funny story (and something for you to look forward to). Yesterday I cut some cucumber for the Panaque, stuck some lead weight into it, and popped it in the aquarium. As it happens, I didn't use enough lead, and the food floated. My Panaque swam out and up to the top of the tank, where she forced the cucumber against the glass. Within an hour or so, she had dragged the cucumber into her burrow under the sand, where the food couldn't float away!
There are really nice fish. Mine has given me years of pleasure, and it's rare to find a plec that is both hardy and colourful. Enjoy your fish!
Cheers,
Neale
Bex -- I assume the high protein issue is the same as with humans. We have a taste for foods that "in the wild" are scarce -- fat, sugar, and salt. We don't binge on stuff that's abundant, like vegetables, fruit, and water. So in the wild our ancestors would gorge on the rare stuff when they found it, because they "knew" it wouldn't always be there. Now we have farming and mass food production, we still eat those fatty, sugary, salty foods because we're hard wired to do so. Our bodies "think" they should store these foods as insurance for when they're not around, so we get deposits of fat around the organs and under the skin. In the wild, these would never last for long, because they'd be used up regularly, but in modern times, they just sit there. The end result is that fat around the internal organs causes damage to the organs, interferes with blood flow, and so on. Result: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.
I have to assume the same is true with plecs. A Panque normally eats wood, but in the wild, a dead fish or a patch of insect larvae would be a rare treat. It would gorge on the stuff, because it mightn't get another chance for weeks or months. In the wild it couldn't overeat because for whatever reason it wouldn't often find that food. So it normally makes do with wood. In the aquarium, it doesn't know not to eat too much, and if provided with protein and fat rich foods, like meat or catfish pellets, it eats them as long as they are there, probably in preferance to wood. End result: the Panaque equivalent of heart disease and kidney failure.
Funny story (and something for you to look forward to). Yesterday I cut some cucumber for the Panaque, stuck some lead weight into it, and popped it in the aquarium. As it happens, I didn't use enough lead, and the food floated. My Panaque swam out and up to the top of the tank, where she forced the cucumber against the glass. Within an hour or so, she had dragged the cucumber into her burrow under the sand, where the food couldn't float away!
There are really nice fish. Mine has given me years of pleasure, and it's rare to find a plec that is both hardy and colourful. Enjoy your fish!
Cheers,
Neale
Bex
Fishaholic
He he! That's a cool little story neale, might try some floating cucumber and see if Eddie will surface dive for it. He loves it that much I wouldn't be surprised!
jerkyslim
New Member
is that just a chip clip you attached the cucumber to?
CatLover
Fish Addict
Ooohhhh, I am so in love with that pleco! Looks like a little wrinkled watermelon 
I have only seen a royal pleco once IRL, and it wasn't for sale. They are definitely one of my all time favs.
I have only seen a royal pleco once IRL, and it wasn't for sale. They are definitely one of my all time favs.
lintulover666
Fish Fanatic
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whats the minimum size tank for a royal plec?
Bex
Fishaholic
lintulover666 - I don't really know the minimum size for one of these guys. They get pretty big - can get over 1ft - and they are one of the biggest poopers. OUrs is in a 105uk gal and we have 2 externals an 1 internal and we are still losing the poo battle!
jerkyslim - we jsut clipped the cucumber to a veg clip and took off the succky pad and put plant weights around it instead. He likes to eat the skin so he can get all the way round it like that.
jerkyslim - we jsut clipped the cucumber to a veg clip and took off the succky pad and put plant weights around it instead. He likes to eat the skin so he can get all the way round it like that.
Xebadir
Fishaholic
Omg omg thats so cute "rushes out to store to buy one, realises his tank is way too puny, and that he couldnt find one in Melbourne to save himself, and walks dejected back to his computer" still cute as 
lintulover666
Fish Fanatic
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Ok then because my mums friend has a corner tank for sale though i dont know how big is it yet , just i really want one after seeing yours.
x
x
black jack1
Fish Fanatic
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Nice looking plec 
...How large do these royal plecos get? 
...How large do these royal plecos get?
nmonks
A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from
Depending on the species (there are several, apparently) anything up to 60 cm / two feet. Most seem to top out at around 30 cm / 12 inches though. Mine is smaller than average, for whatever reason, though apparently happy and healthy.
Cheers,
Neale
Cheers,
Neale
Nice looking plec
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