I HAVE been feeding him, so don't freak out, but I'm wondering if I stopped, would he eat the algae?
2007-03-11 15:54:30 · 11 answers · asked by pookiemct07 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
Well, just with any human or animal, if we have food handed to us, we get lazy and don't go looking for food on our own. The more you feed him "free" food, the less likely he is to go out and do his job and get rid of the algae. This isn't to say, starve him to death, but try to find a happy medium where you are keeping him fed, but not spoiling him. A fish can go for several days without eating, so if you only fed him once every three days or so, this would force him to eat more algae, but you could be assured he was still eating enough.
EDIT: Fish aren't people. They have different metabolisms and do not process food or need food the way humans do. Fish can get overfed very easily, which leads to sicknesses and death. The best way to prevent that is to underfeed. If you think you are being kind to your fish by overfeeding, you are actually doing harm to your fish and are killing it. People here who seem to think that we need to feed fish like people have no concept, at least proper concepts, about keeping fish and need to do some more research on proper fishkeeping techniques and stop giving incorrect advice to the Askers.
2007-03-11 16:00:25 · answer #1 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If you have a lot of algae growth, lay off the feeding. Pleco food is algae and other chlorophyll substances and will cause some algae build up if fed too often. If you dont have visible algae, go ahead and feed the pleco but if he isn't cleaning the tank, he is getting too much to eat.
2007-03-11 16:02:31 · answer #2 · answered by larry p 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Honestly, a pleco could live if you did not feed him anything! I've had plecos live for years without specifically feeding them...
so yes, if you stopped feeding him, he'd eat the Algae, and leftover food from the other fish...
but in order to be nice to your fishie, keep feeding him :) i learned after many years having fish, that there is food specifically for plecos...feed him algae wafers, or zucchini/cucumbers....they love it...
2007-03-11 17:23:41 · answer #3 · answered by djs2012 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, just in case he's not getting enough nutrients from the algae. I always have a piece of courgette in my tank (boiled a little so it sinks) and my plecs still eat algae as well as the courgette + any other fish food that falls to the bottom (flake, bloodworm). You don't even need to buy commercial food for plecs, they will do fine on bits of vegies you give them (shelled peas, courgette) Don't believe anyone who says they'll get lazy - they're fish, not people.
2007-03-11 16:16:05 · answer #4 · answered by HotGurrlz 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Plecos don't eat all type of algae. The one that is growing in your tank may not be edible for him. ie. they normally wont eat brown algae. You should keep feeding him just in case.
2007-03-11 16:01:23 · answer #5 · answered by kitty98 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
plecos need algea discs and they will eat algea in tank as well as fish food granules that sink to bottom of tank (not much at once), despite common misconceptions, plecos dont just eat algea, we had a fish die in the tank of old age and before we could get to it, the plco was eating it like stolen candy...we didnt have the heart to take his treat away but there after made sure to provide some type of meat source treat for him.................lol, here is a quote i found on a forum where someone asked what plecos ate.....
"""Mine will eat anything, They like meat more than plants from what i've seen, Ghost shrimp(live) goldfish(dead) meat, anything mine will eat anything i fed oscar.. ~Violation of TOS~, he'd even fight the oscar for pellets. i wouldn't worry about them, alot of people don't even feed their plecos and they live off algeas and food debris.."""""
hope this helps
2007-03-11 16:08:15 · answer #6 · answered by Tammy M 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No you should never feel your pleco as it will rub the protective slime off of their skin....LOL...I know what you mean and it really depends on the kind of alge growing...I find with mt plecos they do not like Hard Green alge but do like blue green alge
2007-03-12 14:17:03 · answer #7 · answered by Canadianbrainiac 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would recommend that you cut way back on his food. Like others have said, when he gets a little hungry he will spend more time grazing on the aglae.
MM
2007-03-11 16:16:15 · answer #8 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
YES! Thealgae is not enough. Feed it pellets and a little squash from time to time.
2007-03-11 16:10:24 · answer #9 · answered by DAGIM 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
well, a varied diet is always nice. who wants to eat the same ole thing every day, anyway?
2007-03-11 15:57:39 · answer #10 · answered by idabearheart 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋