My AB Pleco isn't eating

Hello all,
Relatively new tank (about a month old). My young AB Pleco won't eat algae wafers. I've tried two different kinds, and I put in a small piece. I do it right before "bedtime", too. I'm pretty sure there's not much algae here for him. I plan to try blanching some cucumber for him, but my question is this: How long can he go without eating something? I'm worried. P.S. I do remove the uneaten wafers. Your help is much appreciated! Thanks!

 

I've read that fish can go 2 weeks or so with out eating. It supposed to clean their digestive system out. I'm sure he gets enough to eat from the extra food left over from the mid swimmers. Hope you see him eat soon though!

 

Trust me, fish can go 2 weeks without food. I was gone for 2 weeks for vacation and my fish were fine. but still. the fish I fine. maybe you should look at him to see if there's any swelling. he may be constipated. if he is feed him a half of a pea and he will be fine. even if he is not constipated giving your fish one every once in a while doesn't hurt.

 

You could try a raw piece of zuchinnI jab it with a stainless steel spoon to sink as it will float otherwise. You could also add some garlic juice to the algae wafer,as it is an appetite enhancer.
What are your tank readings?-if it is a new tank it could be adjusting to the changes in the water and not eating as much.
Also try to look at its eyes, sunken eyes mean it is not getting enough food, sunken belly the same thing. Thou fish can go some time without eating. Good luck.

 

Agree with zucchini. Also consider picking up some frozen brine shrimp and/or bloodworms, and feeding the tank about 10mins before lights out. They do most of their foraging at night.
Good luck!

 

Looks like he finally found the driftwood! That's good for him, right? I'm trying the zucchinI as we speak. Of course, he hasn't discovered it yet. I figure I'll leave it in there for about 3 hours and then remove it. Thoughts?

 

I think it's okay to leave the zucchinI in there overnight, just remove any leftovers in the morning. Driftwood is needed for them to aid in digestion, so it's good that he found it

I had fish shipped to me that took 10 days to get here. All were alive....very hungry, but alive

 

Wonderful, thank you! It kinda looks like he's getting a lot from the live plants I have in there, too. I find him on my java fern quite often. Strange thing, yesterday he spent a couple of hours on the rubber band that holds it to the driftwood. I'm trying to get it to grow there. Anyway, he went around and around it over and over again!

 

Plecos are super timid when they're new, I didn't see mine for 2 weeks after I got it lol. When you drop the food in (at night) leave it in until the next day. He won't eat while you're watching or moving around the house and he can see pretty far from where he is

 

Plecos are super timid when they're new, I didn't see mine for 2 weeks after I got it lol. When you drop the food in (at night) leave it in until the next day. He won't eat while you're watching or moving around the house and he can see pretty far from where he is

Good to know, I've only seen mine a few times since adding him to the tank a week ago (or so). I haven't seen him at all for a few days.

I believe I have the same type as the OP.. amie110299, is yours a longfin albino bristlenose too? I still can't believe I paid $13 for one fish but those fins kind of won me over ;D

 

My clown pleco was $13. Most expensive single fish I've ever bought and he's my favorite. lol

 

View attachment 111276Looks like he finally found the driftwood! That's good for him, right? I'm trying the zucchinI as we speak. Of course, he hasn't discovered it yet. I figure I'll leave it in there for about 3 hours and then remove it. Thoughts?

This species is Ancistrus (sp), They do not eat wood, nor need it for their digestion. He is simply eating the biological film that is forming on the wood, and or algae forming on the wood. That is not to say the wood will hurt him. Just trying to keep the facts straight. There are numerous "plecos" that do need wood. See planet catfish.com

 

shelleyd2008 , yes! But I'm kinda confused about these guys. There was something called a golden BN, and that's what I wanted. The store said he is in fact that, and that they all look albino to begin with and will turn yellow...but I do know that there are just plain ole albino plecos, too. Not sure. What do you know about it? It seems like some were already more yellowish and looked to be the same age. Anyway, this guy is really cool either way!
Terra, thanks! I'll try that!

 

marine590622 Thanks! Of course, my lovely LFS told me otherwise! But it looks nice in there and will play a nice part in my plan to have my tank all natural and planted. So, this species is the one that turns bright yellow, then for sure? Mine has red eyes and not the white ones. Does that matter?
Thanks in advance! It is so cool to be able to talk to people who know what they are talking about! I truly appreciate it!

 

shelleyd2008 , yes! But I'm kinda confused about these guys. There was something called a golden BN, and that's what I wanted. The store said he is in fact that, and that they all look albino to begin with and will turn yellow...but I do know that there are just plain ole albino plecos, too. Not sure. What do you know about it? It seems like some were already more yellowish and looked to be the same age. Anyway, this guy is really cool either way!

I've not heard of a golden, just the albinos. Mine is the only one I've seen in person (I ordered mine from eBay ;D), but the photo on the listing had a yellow-looking fish. I assume the 'albinos' are yellow/golden in color.

This species is Ancistrus (sp), They do not eat wood, nor need it for their digestion. He is simply eating the biological film that is forming on the wood, and or algae forming on the wood. That is not to say the wood will hurt him. Just trying to keep the facts straight. There are numerous "plecos" that do need wood. See planet catfish.com

I have read that they do need it and that they don't. I have cholla wood in my tank, at the recommendation of the breeder, so it's staying. I'd rather be safe than sorry

 

First off, Ancistrus (sp) comes in a wide range of line breed color and even fin forms. What we have in the hobby really does not equate to fish coming out of the wild, at least according to planet catfish. That said, I have albino BN plecos that are mostly white, as well as some that are bright yellow. I like the brighter yellow, but mostly because when they are in breeding form they develop a pinkish spot on the top of their heads. Makes it easier to tell when I should be checking caves. If you want a wild form, I would recommend the L144. This is a pleco like the albino bushy nose that gets the tentacles on his nose, but they golden yellow color is his natural color form and he has a bright blue or dark black eye, quite striking.

As for feeding the zuchini, I recommend frozen over fresh. When the water in the cells freeze it expands rupturing the cell wall, When the material thaws in the water column much of the water in the sell will leak out, making the material more dense than the water and it will sink without a weight.

 

wow. Thank you for the info on my Pleco! And I will take the frozen advice! Thanks!

 

Most expensive fish I baught was my L128 phantom blue pleco cost me £40 witch is about $65

 

Wow. I saw a beautiful golden nugget that was going for $60. I swear if I had more experience and my water levels were stable for quite some time, I would have definitely gotten him! Gorgeous. I googled your L128. What I saw was quite nice!

 

I haven't got it anymore I had to put it in my brothrrs tank my gibisep got a bit aggressive and territorial after a few months of putting the L128 in

 

But golden nuggets are beautiful looking plecos

 

gibisep? Sorry, I don't know all the lingo...yet! So sorry, but it's good that you had an option for him!

 

I still haven't seen my pleco, I'm starting to wonder if he's still in there :-\ I usually see him at least once a day but it's been 3 days. I thought maybe it was 'in' the cholla wood but I didn't see it

 

Basicaly its another name for a leppard sailfin pleco

 

shelleyd2008 Oh my, Shelley! I bet he didn't disappear. Are fish aliens real??? He's gotta be in there somewhere, right? Mine seems to be an excellent hider, too! I usually find him on the back of a leaf of my Java Fern, or in one of the little cave thingies I have. It also doesn't help that he is the same color as the substrate! Keep me posted!

 

I would think he'd have to be in there somewhere. I looked inside both pieces of cholla wood, 'brushed' all the plants around (to try and scare him out of hiding), and moved the fake driftwood thingy that's in there. I don't see him anywhere

Can they jump? There's only a very small area that is not covered, but that's the only thing I can think of. Mine is also the same color as the substrate, but moving everything like I did, I'd think he would have gotten scared out.

 

I don't know! That's probably a good question for CatfishKing! What about in the filter (God forbid!)?

 

I don't know, IME BN plecos are pretty good at hiding and pretty stubborn about coming out of their favorite hiding places. I always have to be really careful at work when I take out the decorations in their tank because sometimes they won't come out of hiding even when I lift the items they are hiding in out of the water.

So there's still hope that your pleco is okay!

 

Pleco change the colour I had black gravel and my gibisep was dark with brown paches then I put golden sand in and shes gone the same color with brown patches like when she goes in thr cave she turns dark so your pleco is mot likely hiding and ive never known plecos to jump

 

Most expensive fish I baught was my L128 phantom blue pleco cost me £40 witch is about $65

I also had a BPP -- bought him at a pup for $35. He grew to almost full size within 2 years, then one of my Kribs saw him as a threat and chewed his dorsal and analfin off. He did not survive. The Krib then quickly got donated to my LFS.

 

So sad!

 

Off Topic: I just googled Kribs. I didn't know what they are. Cool fish! I'm assuming that's what's on your avatar? Question. I saw a picture of one with a puffer in a tank (on google s). Are they brackish? That's another thing I want...a puffer. But I think I read somewhere they need a brackish tank. Long long long term goal!

 

Off topic Jonez what fish is in your dp

 

Kribensis cichlid. Beautiful fish, just aggressive to any other fish around their size.

My avatar pic is of my male red neck apisto cichlid, Burt. He's super personable whenever I come up to the tank. Great fish. The female, Virginia, is about 1/2 the size and rarely seen unless she is trying to coax the male to her lair. I'll try to get some pictures up of her if I see her.

 

Its a shame there aggressive id love to have some looks awsome tho

 

In a 55 you could do one male to 3 females and probably be ok, as long as all your other fish were smaller. They grow to about 4-5inches, at least mine did anyhow. When they're spawning they look great

 

My tanks 30 galon so I guess I can't get any lol

 

Yeah, you'd end up with one mean bully on your hands.
You could go for a pair of Nigerian red /purple cichlids. They're smaller, more colorful and do extremely well in a community tank. Most smaller apisto's will.

 

Off Topic: I just googled Kribs. I didn't know what they are. Cool fish! I'm assuming that's what's on your avatar? Question. I saw a picture of one with a puffer in a tank (on google s). Are they brackish? That's another thing I want...a puffer. But I think I read somewhere they need a brackish tank. Long long long term goal!

A lot of going on, but not all puffers are brackish or salt water. The dwarf puffer is completely freshwater

 

I just looked up at them nigerian cichlids they are stunning how big do they get and will they be ok with other cichlids like rams and angel