Pleco Feeds

[GuppyDude]

I have run completely out of alge, and my medium lyretail plec is hungry. Iv been keeping him substained on alge tabs because we wont touch spinach, any ideas?

 

[dylema]

peas, zuccini, cucumber, broad beans, broccoli. My bristle noses love just about any green vegetable. They went crazy and started fighting over some young broad bean pods the other day. I guess you could just try a few different things. Give him time and he should learn to like some different healthy foods I would think. I also occasionally give them some sinking wafers that are high in protien.

 

[KathyM]

There arent any plecs that will live on the algae in your tank alone, all plecs need "proper" food too. Is your Lyretail acanthicus hystrix? If so, their diet is mainly herbivorous from what I've read, and the suggestions above are good ones A diet of vegetables and algae wafers (especially those with a high spirulina content) sounds right.

I'd love to see pics of your setup, and your Lyretail, they grow monster huge

 

[GuppyDude]

Is your Lyretail acanthicus hystrix?

Nope, he has the same tail type, but he's alot lighter, like a green/yellow/brownish, with some leopard like pattern, he may actually be a common, but iv always thoght commons were grey.

Iv had him for 3 years now, my oldest fish, rescued him from a walmart when he was about 2 inches. He's now 5 inches and for the most part he rotates every 2 weeks between my 10g an 20g to eat the alge growth, but recently the alge has qite trying. It's definately not the best for him, the rotateing and all, but he is very healthy and once i move out next year ill have to buy him a bigger more perminate home. Thanks for the healp guys, ill try to find a picture of waht he looks like.

This is exactly waht he looks like.

My 10g has 2 pipes in there for my cory pair and teh pleco to share, with a sand substrate, its primarily a fry rasieing tank for my guppies.

My 20g also has a couple pipes for him and my alge eater to hide in (the cae gets along grate with him, no problems yet), and it is my adult guppy tank, with aproximately 3 guppys, and a bunch of semi-adult guppys that will he sold once they are old enough.

 

[KathyM]

I seriously doubt he's a common if he's only reached 5" in that time, unless he's been stunted by being in such a small tank.

 

[GuppyDude]

Last picture didn't work, this tim it should

I seriously doubt he's a common if he's only reached 5" in that time, unless he's been stunted by being in such a small tank.

Thats always been something thats worried me, as the lfs said he would reach 16" full, but iv nvr taken much stock in what they've had to say. Id imagine that he'd grow a little larger than 5" in a 20g, but his grow has stayed slow and steady. Iv researched stunted growth and he doesn't appear to show any obvious sighns, so i have no idea.

 

[KathyM]

Commons can range from the albinos we see commonly now (varying from yellow/pink to the "chocolate" albinos that are rusty with red eyes) to nearly black, with varying colours in between. Did the LFS say what he was? If they sell them as commons, they generally are normally liposarcus pardalis. Planet Catfish has some good pics, but their size info is all wrong for them as liposarcus sp can grow to over 2ft.

Some links to pics:

http/www.aqua-webcam.de/images/tiere/lipo02.jpg

http/www.aquanet.de/objimages/2004051012...41300422162.jpg (somewhere between albino and chocolate albino)

http/www.mikesfishing.com/pleco/images/picture_186.jpg

http/www.users.bigpond.com/MSN/maverick-...ages/pleco6.JPG

http/www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/uploa...98369_thumb.jpg

All of the above are liposarcus pardalis, however there are several other species sold as "common" plecs.


http/i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/Meechity/thomas.jpg - Labelled as "common pleco", I think this is a hypostomus sp. (punctatus?) You can tell the difference between hypostomus species and liposarcus as hypostomus sp only have 5-8 dorsal rays and liposarcus have 11-15. Hypostomus do have a lyretail too, however, they grow to 12".

http/nscontact.com/Images/Produits/G/319_1.jpg - hypostomus punctatus.

http/img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/bigr...sh/s2020014.jpg - An adult glyptopericthys gibbiceps - again sometimes sold as "common", "gibby" or "sailfin" plec.

http/img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/Kat...0506deniro1.jpg - De Niro, my young gibby to show you the difference between adult and juvenile markings.

 

[GuppyDude]

Fairly certain now that he is a hypostomusm, counted his rays and he has 7, and that coloring on the photo looks exactly like his.

I bought him at walmart, and he was lables "chocolate lyretail plec" and it said 14-16" max size, but walmart isn't exactly reliable wen it comes to fish info, (an employee tried convinceing me that you can keep neons with angles). Something else i notice about my pleco that is very differant from my mom's common pair is that he absolutely hates the light, he'll hide in his pipe all day untill the late hours to come out and eat.

 

[KathyM]

Ooo you lucky devil, I love hypostomus species. I'm not very up on growth rate in that species, but I think their mature size is around 12", maybe a little more. I do think he might be better off in a larger tank in the long run, but you'll know him best.

 

[GuppyDude]

Tried brocoli today, he wont eat it, im moveing him back to my 20g today, theres asome alge in there, but ill have to pic up tabs tomarrow.

 

[dylema]

I forgot to mention they like the veggies better when they are cooked. I guess because they are softer. The pleco in the photo loooks great. I wish I could have a large sized pleco.

 

[GuppyDude]

ah, that might be it. the only problem i have with vegies is that they rot so fast at the bottom of my tank, i can see the bacteria comeing up and swarming on it the tanks clean thogh, just can kill the white dot, im told thier good

 

[KathyM]

All of mine have raw veg such as courgette

 

[dylema]

I think the cooking just makes it easier to eat quickly. If vegetables are left all night the snails find it and I don't like them so I don't want to feed them. I just pulled 100 snails out of the tank and there are loads more .

I take out uneaten vegetables the next day or maybe the day after if they are still intact and look like they might still be enjoyed by someone. Most of the time they are all gone by the next day though.