My First Pleco

[gabbagabbahey38]

Hello all,
Last night I got my first pleco, a birstlenose pleco. I'm extremely excited as it's a beautiful fish.

The only problem is I know close to nothing about them. Can you all give me tips, and some care information about them.

I know they eat algae, but I have little to none in my tank. Should I get algae wafers? Also, can I feed them vegetables without hurting other fish?

I heard they live close to 20 years...is that fact or fiction?

 

[gbailey141]

Hi there,

Welcome to the world of Plecs! You need to make sure you have some bogwood in your tank for them to rasp on. It helps them digest their food. Yes they will eat algae in the tank but you should always subsidise their diet with algae wafers/veg. My BN loves courgette and I put some in about once a week. Some of your other fish may also have a nibble and it won't harm them. Mine lives in a coconut shell so if you can add something similar it will give him a place to mark his territory. As for living upto 20 years I guess anything is possible.

Good luck.

Gav

 

[JenCliBee]

Congrats on the new addition . As mentioned above, bogwood is always a good idea with plec species, BN's dont actually need it because there not a wood eating species but adding wood to a tank is always a good idea, the stuff in wood that aids digestion is often found in plant and veg matter anyways... but wood is often a better option than not.

Food wise, yes a good varied diet... things like, cucumber, courgette, pea's, potato, butternut squash amongst a whole load of other veg matter should be readily available. They should ideally be given a good quality algae wafer or pellet food to boot and live/frozen foods as a treat every week/other week is also appreciated.

Veg should ideally be added daily/every other day and varied each time. Give before lights out and take out next morning/early afternoon to avoid any deterioration and water problems .

Good hiding place/s should also be offered in the way of either crevices in wood or caves made from any water safe product, many as above mentioned use coconut caves, i use slate caves and purpose brought terracotta one.

Other than that. enjoy your new addition.

 

[gabbagabbahey38]

are raw broccoli stalks okay? I live at a University with my tank and there's a "salad bar" type set up here. I'm thinking I could take some of the raw veggies there, and wash them thoroughly of course.

And thank you both, loving the new addition

 

[JenCliBee]

are raw broccoli stalks okay? I live at a University with my tank and there's a "salad bar" type set up here. I'm thinking I could take some of the raw veggies there, and wash them thoroughly of course.

And thank you both, loving the new addition

Yep they will be fine, tbh there isn't much in the way of veg and fruit that you couldn't try lol, they may not eat everything you add but everything is worth a try

 

[zophie]

Congrats on your BN- they are awsome fish, and I think you will love him/her!

As said before, veggies our great for BN. Personally I find that my BN like cooked veggies better then raw, but they are perfectly fine to. Algae wafers, like Hikari Algae Wafers (the best!) are also very good for BN's. I add meat to my BN's diet, basically because I am a breeder, and find that a little bit of meat enchances my sucsess. This is optionel... I feed one sinking shrimp pellet per BN once a week. If you are going to start feeding veggies, I highly reccomend you take a look at the link below... this product I find amazing

http/www.screwcumber.com/

This is an amazing little thing that has made my life sooo much easier!


One very importatnt adition is Bogwood, as said before. This is not just something that BN's like, it is essentiel in their diet, and is great for breeding! Every BN tank, should def have at least one peice of bogwood.

Well that's about all for now... please PM me if you need any more help, I will defintly respond

Zophie

 

[Carlovel1]

http/www.screwcumber.com/

This is an amazing little thing that has made my life sooo much easier!

Or the more cheaper , IMO better alternative is to use a kitchen fork and dunk it in the tank with the food covering the spikes!

 

[zophie]

http/www.screwcumber.com/

This is an amazing little thing that has made my life sooo much easier!

Or the more cheaper , IMO better alternative is to use a kitchen fork and dunk it in the tank with the food covering the spikes!

True, this is a good option... I just am adicted to the Screwcumber