Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
Hi everyone, little time no see, heh. Anyways, thought i'd do a quick thread on feeding your plec, as many people i have noticed only feed their plecs algae wafers/tablets, but in reality there is so much more to feeding plecs than just algae wafers- even for the algae eating plecs 
.
The 4 main groups of plecs are the carnivorous ones, the alage eating/vegetarian ones, the omnivorous types and the wood eating types. To know your plec, you must not just know what type of plec it is, how big it grows and what its temperment is like, but what it eats- this seems obvious, but many people do not know what catagory their plec falls into exactly when it comes to food or feed their plec the foods it needs to be in full health often enough.
These are some of the foods that are accepted by most plecs;
High protein foods;
Mussels
Cockels
Prawns
Krill
Bloodworms
Catfish pelets
Vegetable based foods;
Algae wafers/tablets
Cucumber
Melon
Tomato
Spinache
...
......
Even the most vegetarian of plecs, will accept and need high protein foods of some type as they grow- common plecs for example, make very good algae eaters when they are little and can live entirely off vegetable based foods when young, but many types of veg or algae are very difficult to obtain enough protein off to give the plec the energy it needs to grow in life so it can reach its max size.
On top of that, the majority of the algae eating plecs sold will gradually go off algae as they mature, this is very true for the larger growing types of plecs like common and sailfin plecs. If you do not feed your algae eating plec any high protein foods, it is a good idea to start feeding them high protein foods after it is a 1/4 or a third grown towards its max size.
High protein foods aside though, veg is obviously a very important element to an algae eating plecs diet- once they have chowed down any algae in the tank that suits their diet, you will need to have to start suplimenting your plecs diet with at least algae wafers/tablets. In similar fashion to common livebearers with fish flakes, although most algae eating plecs can have the vegetable based part of their diet completely attended to by dropping in algae wafers for the plec to eat, for the best health in your plec you should also try and feed them fresh veg- any of the veg based foods in the above list are good for algae eating plecs.
You should try to feed your algae eating plec one sort of high protein food a week, although take into account the size of its sucker as it might be too big and clumsy to gobble up krill and bloodworms.
A good example of a vegetarian/algae eating plec is the Common Plec.
An omnivorus fish means it needs around a 50/50 veg and high protien based diet, although it is often more high protein based than veg based. The majority of omnivorous plecs will eat algae, but often make very poor algae eaters in comparsion to the more vegetarian based plecs- if you want a good algae eater for your tank, you are probably alot more better off with a small growing fish like oto's.
Either way though, a good mix of any of the foods in the above lists is important in attending your omnivorous plec's dietry needs
.
A good example of an omnivourous plec is the Candy Striped Plec.
Ah...Carnivorous plecs...The majority of carnivorous plecs like the vast majority of other plecs, are not predatory, but rather just scavengers. Alot of carnivorous plecs though are very terotorial with other nocturnal catfish, and they can often find difficulty competeing for food if you house them in an active/semi agressive or agressive tank with fish that have a strong liking towards the meatier range of foods. "Ahem" anyhoo, this thread is not about pleco compatability or stocking but rather diet
) .
Most true carnivorous plecs grow 8inchs+ and the majority will accept the high protein foods listed, although other high protein foods like chopped up earthworms or slices of fish, are also readily accepted by many. Like the vegetarian plecs though, the carnivorous plecs often suffer the same issues with lack of a particular type of food but the oposite- in this case, veg. A little bit of veg, like a little bit of high protein food in a vegetarian plecs diet, is very good to help balance out the high protein diet of the carnivorous plec .
A good example of a carnivorous plec is the Blizzard Cactus Plec.
Lastly, but not the least, are the wood eating types.
These fish vary a huge amount of what foods they need, so it is very important to do your own research like with all the other types of plec, but the main aspect of these types of plec's diet is wood. Having at least 2 types of wood in the tank for the plec to chew on is very important, preferably a peice of bogwood and a peice of driftwood, although the more types of wood you can get the better- thats basically the jist of it.
A good example of a wood eating plec is the Clown plec.
Of course there are many plecs that can over-step the boundarys of these clear food catagory types- for example, bristlenoses are primarily vegetarian plecs, but it is thought that elements in bogwood, particularly lignin, may form an essential part of the bristlenose diet- too much high protein based foods on the other hand, are linked to stomache disorders.
Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this thread and if you have any comments or things to add, please post
.
.The 4 main groups of plecs are the carnivorous ones, the alage eating/vegetarian ones, the omnivorous types and the wood eating types. To know your plec, you must not just know what type of plec it is, how big it grows and what its temperment is like, but what it eats- this seems obvious, but many people do not know what catagory their plec falls into exactly when it comes to food or feed their plec the foods it needs to be in full health often enough.
These are some of the foods that are accepted by most plecs;
High protein foods;
Mussels
Cockels
Prawns
Krill
Bloodworms
Catfish pelets
Vegetable based foods;
Algae wafers/tablets
Cucumber
Melon
Tomato
Spinache
...
......
Even the most vegetarian of plecs, will accept and need high protein foods of some type as they grow- common plecs for example, make very good algae eaters when they are little and can live entirely off vegetable based foods when young, but many types of veg or algae are very difficult to obtain enough protein off to give the plec the energy it needs to grow in life so it can reach its max size.
On top of that, the majority of the algae eating plecs sold will gradually go off algae as they mature, this is very true for the larger growing types of plecs like common and sailfin plecs. If you do not feed your algae eating plec any high protein foods, it is a good idea to start feeding them high protein foods after it is a 1/4 or a third grown towards its max size.
High protein foods aside though, veg is obviously a very important element to an algae eating plecs diet- once they have chowed down any algae in the tank that suits their diet, you will need to have to start suplimenting your plecs diet with at least algae wafers/tablets. In similar fashion to common livebearers with fish flakes, although most algae eating plecs can have the vegetable based part of their diet completely attended to by dropping in algae wafers for the plec to eat, for the best health in your plec you should also try and feed them fresh veg- any of the veg based foods in the above list are good for algae eating plecs.
You should try to feed your algae eating plec one sort of high protein food a week, although take into account the size of its sucker as it might be too big and clumsy to gobble up krill and bloodworms.
A good example of a vegetarian/algae eating plec is the Common Plec.
An omnivorus fish means it needs around a 50/50 veg and high protien based diet, although it is often more high protein based than veg based. The majority of omnivorous plecs will eat algae, but often make very poor algae eaters in comparsion to the more vegetarian based plecs- if you want a good algae eater for your tank, you are probably alot more better off with a small growing fish like oto's.
Either way though, a good mix of any of the foods in the above lists is important in attending your omnivorous plec's dietry needs
.A good example of an omnivourous plec is the Candy Striped Plec.
Ah...Carnivorous plecs...The majority of carnivorous plecs like the vast majority of other plecs, are not predatory, but rather just scavengers. Alot of carnivorous plecs though are very terotorial with other nocturnal catfish, and they can often find difficulty competeing for food if you house them in an active/semi agressive or agressive tank with fish that have a strong liking towards the meatier range of foods. "Ahem" anyhoo, this thread is not about pleco compatability or stocking but rather diet
) . Most true carnivorous plecs grow 8inchs+ and the majority will accept the high protein foods listed, although other high protein foods like chopped up earthworms or slices of fish, are also readily accepted by many. Like the vegetarian plecs though, the carnivorous plecs often suffer the same issues with lack of a particular type of food but the oposite- in this case, veg. A little bit of veg, like a little bit of high protein food in a vegetarian plecs diet, is very good to help balance out the high protein diet of the carnivorous plec
. A good example of a carnivorous plec is the Blizzard Cactus Plec.
Lastly, but not the least, are the wood eating types.
These fish vary a huge amount of what foods they need, so it is very important to do your own research like with all the other types of plec, but the main aspect of these types of plec's diet is wood. Having at least 2 types of wood in the tank for the plec to chew on is very important, preferably a peice of bogwood and a peice of driftwood, although the more types of wood you can get the better- thats basically the jist of it.
A good example of a wood eating plec is the Clown plec.
Of course there are many plecs that can over-step the boundarys of these clear food catagory types- for example, bristlenoses are primarily vegetarian plecs, but it is thought that elements in bogwood, particularly lignin, may form an essential part of the bristlenose diet- too much high protein based foods on the other hand, are linked to stomache disorders.
Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this thread and if you have any comments or things to add, please post
.
