Meaty Pleco Foods

I have had my BN pleco for just over a year now and he's doing great. He is now almost 11cm (4.3") but he's still a bit of a fussy eater. He will happily eat algae wafers, courgette, cucumber, mushroom, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, bell pepper, beans and other veg and will sometimes eat some sinking goldfish or shrimp pellets but this is rare. He won't touch any frozen or freeze dried foods. I know that he needs more protein in his diet so I was wondering if you had any suggestions? He loves algae wafers and if I could find something like a meaty algae wafer that would be ideal.

 

Omega One sinking Cichlid pellets. Its primary ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal like a lot of other brands. My bottom dwellers tear it up.

 

You could try some of the Repashy foods. My BN loves the Grub Pie.

 

Omega One sinking Cichlid pellets. Its primary ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal like a lot of other brands. My bottom dwellers tear it up.

Thanks! I've just had a good look at their website. I use their betta pellets but haven't looked at their other foods since no stores around here stock them. I think I will order those pellets.

You could try some of the Repashy foods. My BN loves the Grub Pie.

I do sometimes feed Repashy Bottom Scratcher but the other fish (platies and dojo loaches) usually get to it first and it does make a mess in the tank.

 

BN plecos are more herbivores so you don't really need to give them meaty foods. They will get protein from the algae wafers. HikarI algae wafers have 33% protein. The only time it's important is when you're conditioning them to breed.

That said, I drop some blackworm sticks and HikarI sinking wafers for my BNs and they will go after them before the other fish get to it. I have 3 BNs (2m, 1f) and they're all about 4-5". I don't want them to breed so they're in separate tanks. I have a Super Red in my Pleco grow out tank that's about 3". I have 11 other plecos in that tank.

Omega One sinking Cichlid pellets. Its primary ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal like a lot of other brands. My bottom dwellers tear it up.

Whole fish and fish meal are pretty much the same thing.

You could try some of the Repashy foods. My BN loves the Grub Pie.

I mix Bottom Scratcher and Soilent Green for my other plecos. I also mix Morning Wood and Soilent Green for my plecos that are herbivores. They all contain 30-45% protein.