New Snowball Plec

[thrust]

i have had my new snowball plec for over a week now i have a whole range of foods catfish pellets, algae wafers,flake food,cucumber,frozen bloodworm and i have not seen him eat any of it yet, even the cucumber is still there in the morning

he does go around the glass tho so i think that is him eating, the other fish eat the algae wafers and pellets before he finds them i think.

so my question is anyone out with a snowball can you please tell what yours eats please?

my tanks is 8 mouths olds and all stats are great btw.

thx for your time.

 

[roadmaster]

i have had my new snowball plec for over a week now i have a whole range of foods catfish pellets, algae wafers,flake food,cucumber,frozen bloodworm and i have not seen him eat any of it yet, even the cucumber is still there in the morning

he does go around the glass tho so i think that is him eating, the other fish eat the algae wafers and pellets before he finds them i think.

so my question is anyone out with a snowball can you please tell what yours eats please?

my tanks is 8 mouths olds and all stats are great btw.

thx for your time.

I have kept a snowball pleco or "large whitespot Pleco" for nearly a year now. They are largely grazers of biofilm in the aquarium. this is found on the substrate ,glass,and or plants and decorations. Mine only occasionally eats the veggies i place in the tank during the evening after lights have been off for the evening. have observed the fish eat frozen bits of krill,cichlid pellets that contain vegetable content, Spirulina pellets,occasional sweet potato,frozen brine shrimp,chopped earthworms,Algae wafers,and bloodworms. But like you, these foods are often eaten by other fish during the day so I offer the foods mentioned at night while other fish are resting and the pleco is more active.
I have also held off on gravel vaccuming in the tank to perhaps once a month. This requires careful feeding of other fish so that organic levels do not get too high for my liking.
I have a couple large pieces of driftwood and some large round ,smooth,river stones in the tank and pea gravel. Water temp is 80 degrees,pH7.4 ammonia,nitrites, zero and nitrAtes between 20 and 40 ppm between weekly 50 percent water changes. Have also placed powerhead in one corner to provide current that the fish seems to enjoy. At night, If I take a small flashlight, I can see the pleco resting on driftwood in direct current,or shuffling about the bottom in search of food missed by others. I don't much like leaving the gravel unvaccumed but it is here that the fish finds most of it's food and as mentioned,, I place some food for it in the tank perhaps an hour after it is dark and other fish are not as quick to get the food .
Is painfully slow growing fish in my view and I worried about him/her for some time but it has been a year or more,and the little fella is still with me. Must be doin something right. I belive they do well with combination of meaty foods and vegetable matter or so it seems.

 

[thrust]

thx for the reply that was what i was thinking how they eat.

so i should just feed as normal and the fish mostly eats what it finds?

sounds like the snowball looks after it self really, am i right in thinking that?

i have been putting two algae wafers in after lights out and they never there in the morning so will keep on with that.

great info very thankful.

 

[xem]

My snowball never seems to eat anything that I can see but had him 6months now and still going algae wafers are always gone. Although the odd meaty food is always good for snowballs aswell. I did read that they go mad for sweet potatoe so u could try that after it's dark.