Plecos - what else can they eat besides algae wafers and lettuce?

I don't think my pleco's are getting enough to eat. I drop algae wafers in there late at night but it seems the tiger barbs are more interested in eating it than the pleco's.

I have a moss ball in the tank and they don't seem to be interested in that either.
Are there any other food options? And how long do you leave ( lettuce ) in the tank before taking it out? Does it mess with the water chemistry?

TIA!

Junne

 

You could try some veggies. Try some cucumber or zuchinni!

 

You could try some veggies. Try some cucumber or zuchinni!

Do I just drop it in the tank or suspend it on something? How long do I keep it in there?

Thanks!

 

It'll float so I'd weigh it down with a veggie clip. Ken uses plant weights and LexI uses stir sticks stuck in the substrate. If it's floating you could end up with a pleco attached to it, tail acting as a rudder and spinning! xD

Put the veggies in when you turn the lights out and take them out in the morning when you turn the lights back on.

 

Buy a Zucchini, cut it in half or into four pieces, long ways, from one tip to the other. Stick a piece of metal in it to hold it to the bottom of the tank. I use stainless steel Allen wrench keys, but anything not sharp will work. I leave it in the tank for 12 plus hours. Do it a day or two before a water change.

They also love frozen Brine Shrimp.

 

okay thanks!
I'll go get some zucchinI - I'm wondering if one of those skewers for shish kabobs will work... I really don't want to be "fishing" at the bottom of my tank to get the pieces in the morning.......

 

As long as the end isn't sharp, shish kabob skewers should be fine. Mine also loves cucumber, but never caught on to peas. I've fed mine shrimp pellets once or twice but they make a mess of my tank. Also, I second feeding after turning the lights off...mine is much bolder at night. She just goes after the cucumber, bowling over anyone in the way. She's a little tank.

 

As long as the end isn't sharp, shish kabob skewers should be fine. Mine also loves cucumber, but never caught on to peas. I've fed mine shrimp pellets once or twice but they make a mess of my tank. Also, I second feeding after turning the lights off...mine is much bolder at night. She just goes after the cucumber, bowling over anyone in the way. She's a little tank.

I always feed the algae wafer late at night but I see my barbs going after it immediately....
I feed the fish a small pinch of food every day so I dunno - Only the barbs love the algae....

 

I always feed the algae wafer late at night but I see my barbs going after it immediately....
I feed the fish a small pinch of food every day so I dunno - Only the barbs love the algae....

Silly barbs. Did you try telling them the wafers aren't for them? I know tiger barbs can be aggressive, so maybe they're more headstrong with the pleco's food. Mine is only fighting ghost shrimp, and she's a little tank, so she just ignores them and goes after what she wants. My platys are not interested in algae wafers or vegetables in the slightest.

 

Out of the 5 barbs, only one of them is aggressive. I mean this ones is a bona fide black belt! They all go after the algae like they haven't eaten in days! I'm hoping the fresh veggies will take care of that. Lol

 

I offer my fish many options. ZucchinI ans cucumber slices are usually well received. I use a kitchen fork that is dedicated to my fish.

Start with small pieces until you know if they will eat it. My 125G gets a 4 inch chunk of cucumber; and my 90G gets a 1.5 inch of zucchini. My fish are picky...lol. Common Pleco and Silver Dollars loves cucumber and the bristlenose go for zucchini.

 

the bristlenose go for zucchini.

I have a bristlenose so I will try that first. I wonder why they don't touch the moss ball that I got? As a matter of fact, only the barbs use it to play dodge ball!

 

My BNs don't pay too much attention to the Cucumber, I guess I've gotten them used to the Zucchini. The ZucchinI is also a little softer.

 

Bait is set - lying in wait - waiting for one of them to bite

 

That's great, but push the piece of ZucchinI down a little closer to the bottom of the tank.

 

Good morning,

I feed my Pleco's a slice of raw zucchinI every morning. Using plant anchors to weight them down. I slice the zucchinI round about 2" thick. I then push an algae wafer into the zucchinI so that the Pleco's have a a chance to eat the wafer before it's gobbled up by other fish. After about 2 hours the Pleco has made a hole in the zucchinI slice and I remove the slice before I have to fish out the plant anchors.

Tongs can be a great help to an aquarist:

These exact same tongs can be found at ACE Hardware at a much cheaper price. I use 36" tongs for my 265g tank and I have a smaller pair for my 33g tank.

Ken

 

This morning, I found one of the plecos attached to the zucchinI - it seems "someone" took some pretty good chunks out of it last night so I think they like it!
I will leave it in there another day and then take it out. I do have another idea if this skewer doesn't work out - I have a super long fork
The aqua tongs sounds cool - thanks for the idea!

Junne

 

The one pleco has been noshing on this all day. The other, not so interested yet......

 

He'll come around. I got my common pleco when he was about the size of the one you have now, and I give him either cucumber, zucchini, or squash on almost a daily basis. He's come to recognize what's going on when I go to place it in the tank, and sometimes he'll even meet my hand at the bottom when I place the veggies! Pretty neat to experience, and I'm thinking that as long as you feed fresh veggies on a fairly regular basis that yours could do the same

 

Marvin (pleco) was loving himself some watermelon the other day, as well as my rainbow shark. I tried oranges that I seen on another post but they didnt like them. romaine lettuce is also another fav in my tank. unfortunately my umbrella plant must be really tasty because he won't stop eating the leaves.

 

Good morning,

Along with Algae Wafers, you can also try Vegetable Wafers and Spirulina Wafers. My Pleocs love them all.

Ken

 

I tried baby carrots last night ( steamed and cooled )
I saw the pleco on it a few times but not really as interested as they were in the zucchini's. The one thing I don't really like about the zucchini's is they get mushy and the seeds and everything fall out and make a mess

 

The one thing I don't really like about the zucchini's is they get mushy and the seeds and everything fall out and make a mess

That's why I mentioned in post #5 to feed it a day or two before a water change.

 

Hello,

My Sailfin Pleco (265g tank) eats the seeds and all but the green skin. The Silver Dollars come along and nip at the green skin of the zucchini. Usually after 2 hours I have to remove the slice. I feed in the morning. Slicing it round, the Pleco eats his way to the bottom and I remove it to save my plant anchors.

If you feed at night, remove any uneaten portions the next morning. Don't leave it in the tank so long that it gets mushy and makes a mess.

The Bristle Nose Pleco in my 33g long, I leave the zucchinI in the tank for about 5 to 6 hours. She likes to take her time and she prefers to eat when the tank lights are off.

Ken

 

When I had a BN it also liked catfish pellets, blood worms and spinach. BNs typically eat a lot veggies, but they also need the occasional bit of protein.

 

You know, even the barbs are liking the zucchinI - caught them a few times nibbling at it and also the seeds when they float to the top

 

Apparently, my one pleco loves to give my black mystery snail a good scrubbing! And ONLY this one snail. It doesn't bother the other 3 for some reason... Funny!

 

hello I'm new to this site.!! can you give the pleco dried lettuce

 

hello I'm new to this site.!! can you give the pleco dried lettuce

I have never heard of anyone giving dried lettuce. I give mine a variety of fresh fruits and veggies. I have a clip that sticks on the side for lettuce. For bulkier foods I have a weight I took off a moss ball and tied to a rubber band from fish bag. This perfectly holds zucchinI etc.

 

hello I'm new to this site.!! can you give the pleco dried lettuce

Do you mean like, freeze dried? I would just give them fresh if you can

 

Meh, I wouldnt even bother with lettuce unless it was something like romain or arugala or such, try not to feed too much iceburg, 1. Mine have never touched it 2. very low on nutrition.