we bought a house and the previous owners gifted us their fish tank. it's an 100 gallon, maybe 125 gallon.. there are 4 blood parrot cichlids (about 6-8 inches each), a tiger barb and an 18-20 inch pleco. he's an older fella (about 10-14 years) and i'm worried that he's not getting enough to eat. i put a leaf of lettuce attached to a rock but the cichlids have gotten to it first and the pleco seems unsure of it. i've plopped in dried algae tablets but the cichlids get to those, too. i know having a pleco this size is very rare, but i'm hoping someone can give me some suggestions. thanks!
2006-08-11 06:36:38 · 7 answers · asked by CMR 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
at feeding time, he does get aggressive.
2006-08-11 07:01:37 · update #1
You can kill your parrots feeding them meat. Too much protein will block their intestines and they will succumb to what is called "Malawi Bloat".
The best way to feed your pleco is to wait until you are turning the lights off for the night and drop his food in after you turn the lights off in the tank. The lights should be off in the room also. Plecos are night scavenging fish and he will find it just fine.
I feed all my plecos zucchini. Thin slice a whole zucchini and drop the pieces into boiling water for about 3-5 minutes. Next, lay the boiled pieces on a metal cookie sheet and pop it into the freezer until they are frozen. Pop them off the cookie sheet and into a zip lock baggie. Put the baggie back in the freezer and there you have perfect pleco food anytime you need it. As soon as you put it in the tank, it will defrost and sink within a minute. He will love you for it. I have probably 30 plecos of different sizes and species, and they all go for it in a big way. Cheap too! None of them are as big or as old as yours, though.
You can still feed lettuce too, but don't use iceberg lettuce, there is almost no nutritional value in it. Use the dark green leafy stuff like romaine.
2006-08-11 07:18:51 · answer #1 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Don't listen to the Village Idiot - pleco's are not bottom feeders, they're vegetarians, and the food you give to the other fish is not what they eat.
However, the algae that develops after the other fish eat and then eliminate their food is great.
Normally, they'll get plenty of food from the available algae in the tank.
If you feel that he's not getting enough, try dropping an algae wafer in just about on top of him - then turn off the lights in the tank. That will slow the other fish down and give him a chance to sniff it out.
2006-08-11 06:48:05 · answer #2 · answered by abfabmom1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Note that plecos are by their nature night feeders, and like to hide during the day. (When you feed him you should be turning out the lights.) Also they benefit from driftwood for scraping. As they age they stop eating algae as much, and need to be fed regularly. They will happily eat fish flakes and scraps from the bottom, but need a fair bit of vegs. Personally I wouldn't worry to much hungry plecos will make sure they are getting food. I've seen plecos who inverted themselves and ate food from the surface. (Generally it's a bad sign when pleco resort to this unless trained.)
Note that lettuce isn't a good food for fish. It's not bad, but it has little nutritional value. (Okay for just general roughage.) Zucchini, and cucumbers are a better household veg.
2006-08-11 07:52:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pleco's are bottom feeders and are virtually self-sustaining... if you're feeding flake-food, he'll eat the stuff that falls to the bottom... and the algae... and the crap.
Don't worry too much about the Pleco... I've yet to see one die of starvation.
If he's really hungry, you'll notice that he'll get aggressive... which rarely happens. If that DOES happen, drop a 3-day feeder block into the tank every once in a while... he'll feed off of it.
2006-08-11 06:40:20 · answer #4 · answered by Village Idiot 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Have you ever tried zuccini or cucumber.....I have 1 that will even eat oranges...............maybe you could feed the chichilids on 1 side and the pleco on the other.........and wow he is an elderly fellow...I hope you can find something that works.......are ANY of us "self-sustaining"?.....it would also be good for his digestion to have some driftwood for him in the tank.......just remember...in the wild most of them eat vegitation so please try to supplement and vary his diet. there are some great sites you can find for info on his care ...if you need to you can leave any veggies offerings in thhe tank for 24 hrs to give him time to check it out.
2006-08-11 06:41:05 · answer #5 · answered by TooSassy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tetra-Min makes large sinking wafers which have algae in them. DEFINITELY drop a few down (one wafer per few inches of algae eater.... directions on the package). Please do this so this gorgeous HUGE pleco doesn't slowly starve to death. That would be horrible! Good luck!
2006-08-13 10:53:53 · answer #6 · answered by lunakitty0823 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
I'm a fish hobbyist and I know a few cheap tricks.
There is one.
If you boy a fresh chicken, separate the neck and cook it in a pan without any spices or salt. When it's soft, separate vertebras.
Feed one, freeze the rest.
When the bone is clean, remove from the tank.
See who likes it the best in your aquarium. Plecos need some proteins too!
Regards,
Maciek.
2006-08-11 06:48:17 · answer #7 · answered by Bonawentura 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋