New Pleco Won't Eat! Rescue Adoption From Wal-mart!

[Starving_College_Student]

Hello,
I'm new to the forum and the world of fish keeping, and before realizing what I was getting into I went to walmart and rescued 9 glofish and one pleco(common). I had no idea how big the plecos got, but I'm prepared for when she gets too big because I have someone with a much bigger tank willing to take her if I cant upgrade by then. I read the glofish need about a gallon for each fish, and I have a 10 gallon tank (biggest I can have in the dorms), so they couldnt be happier. Of course when i got them from walmart they were underfed and even had ick, but I took care of all that and the glofish are happier than ever now. My first algae eater (a chinese algae eater) died because he was munching on this fungus that had grown on the glass, but I took care of that too by scrubbing everything down. I feed the glofish flake food, bloodworms and peas every once in a while. I've tried feeding my pleco some algae wafers and cucumber slices but she hardly eat anything. Because I scrubbed down the tank so recently there really isnt any algae, and I don't have access to hardly any of the suplies seasoned fish keepers do. I have the 10 gallon tank, filter, heater, rocks, fake plants, and an orniment on top of my water treatment stuff and their food, but I just dont have access to the garlic and whole cucumbers needed to get her eating fast enough. She still poops like a devil though. I can't tell if her stomach is sinking in or not, so it must not be THAT bad, but what should I do to get her to eat? I wait until night and turn off all the lighs, and she just comes out and sucks on the glass, but theres nothing on there! she barely touched the cucumber and I never saw her eat a wafer. What should I do? I rescued these fish from the evil walmart because I just felt that bad for them, and the glofish recovered beautifully. How do I make my pleco do the same?

 

[rdd1952]

Plecos will eat algae wafers or most any type sinking food. They will also eat the other food that you are using but there just won't be a lot that they can get on the bottom. My tank really doesn't have any algae and I uses algae wafers for my pleco. You don't need the veggies (never heard of garlic being fed before) but they can be used to suppliment a diet.

 

[Anna Robinson]

Try putting the algae wafers in after lights out - plecos prefer to feed at night, especially when they are new to the tank and still feeling nervous.

 

[weejen]

it took my plec bout a month co come out through the day after i got him. just give it time keep doing as you are doin he should be fine.

 

[Starving_College_Student]

When I got her she was a poop machiene, but now she doesnt at all. I put her in a small hospital tank last night, and there is not a single piece of poop in there today. Ive tried wafers right before bed and everything. She comes out and sucks on the walls when i get the lighting right and she'll swim to the surface to gulp and what not, but I dont think she knows she can eat any of the stuff I give her. Ill leave it in all night and it wont be touched in the morning. I just boiled a slice of cucumber and ghetto rigged it so it was hanging by the wall so she might eat it. *fingers crossed*
she might just not like the idea of eating off the bottom or rocks or something because shes ALWAYS sticking to something. I'm going to the cafiteria tonight to pick up some fresh lettice and tomato and whatever veggie I can find to try. She comes out when I'm still up and around and she'll go about the tank doing her thing, but she doesnt know that its food! no matter how long i leave it in there! Its been almost 5 days now and she hasnt eaten anything i put in the tank. How long can she survive barely eating or not at all?

 

[Gilli]

Plecs like different things - what one will eat another wont touch so just try her with all different kinds of veg. No need to boil cucumber you will boil the nutrients out of it - just feed it raw. Same with courgetts slice and feed raw- mine will only eat those 2 but I know other peoles will eat all differnt kinds of fruit and veg. Try her with some bloodworm infact try something different every day and see what she likes.

 

[Starving_College_Student]

I have freeze dried blood worms, but how do I get her to eat it? they float and isnt really into that. besides, my other fishies looooove those things.

 

[mixmaster jay]

garlic has alot of vitamins that plecs and other fish need i was reading this the other day. but it really needs to be put in home made frozen fish foods like a beefheart for instance or fishy things like mussels,prawns.salmon,squid ect bended bagged smoothed so its thin and freeze it you can snap abit off when its feeding time.

im full of useless info today im on fire lol

all my plecs eat virtually anything especially my big gibicepps plec fish,mussels,prawns,cucumber,blanched broccoli,catfish pellets,occasionly floating pellets but very rare and very comical lol and he will only eat at night too,he does monster poo's too lol

 

[Anna Robinson]

Are you sure you don't have any water quality problems? That might put her off her food.

The hospital tank is only a good idea if the conditions in there are good.

 

[Starving_College_Student]

I hate to tell everybody, but my pleco died I found her this morning