which veges to use~ancistrus

[DJ-don]

what types of veges or fruits should i use for ancistrus???
i already use cucumber zucchini and broccoli.
i read Mats' pleco feeding article, but im wondering what veges would really suit the genus ancistrus
much appreciated

[Shane]

A little searching of the Forums will turn up dozens of past threads on this topic.

im wondering what veges would really suit the genus ancistrus

None specifically as the genus does not consume fruits or vegetables in the wild. Feeding fruits and vegetables is a way to offer a diet that is nutritionally similar to their wild diet, not one to replicate it.
-Shane

[Richard B]

you might want to try any of the following...

Peas, beans (cannelini, black eye, red kidey beans etc - out of a can[rinsed]) beans, dwarf, french, runner, (whole) -any leguminous plant seeds, pods that are fit for human consumption

Cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brocoli, spinach, lettuce, chicory - any brasica fit for human consumption

Potato, sweet potato, palm hearts, banana, cucumber, courgette, marrow, tomato, peach, pepper, mango, plums, asparagus, mushroom.....the list goes on & on

[MatsP]

Almost anything vegetarian...

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

My P.maccus and L401 like white seedless grapes too - and they sink!

Bananas, Richard? Cool. My fish eat better than I do.

Don't forget MatsP's article here : http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... cle_id=294

[DJ-don]

i never knew there where that many
my LFS said not to try fruits i dont reall know why
im guessing citric fruits are out of the agenda though?

[MatsP]

i never knew there where that many
my LFS said not to try fruits i dont reall know why
im guessing citric fruits are out of the agenda though?

Citrus fruits are not that great, and the fish don't seem to like them much either, so it's no loss...

If you are not sure how it works, keep it to a small amount first, and see how it goes.
I did have a minor problem when I put a large piece of mango in the tank - it got very cloudy within hours.

But I think your LFS is just being cautious. They obviously have no interest in you buying food from the supermarket, and there is of course a risk that you get it wrong.

But sure, most fruits and vegetables work fine. Variety is good.

--
Mats

[andywoolloo]

I always wondered about this:

None specifically as the genus does not consume fruits or vegetables in the wild. Feeding fruits and vegetables is a way to offer a diet that is nutritionally similar to their wild diet, not one to replicate it.
-Shane

thank you for posting that. I always tried to imagine how they would get these foods in the wild and imagined alot of crops planted along rivers and streams that somehow the fruit and veg toppled into.

My bristlenoses eat on a regular basis:

zuchinni, cucumber, romaine lettuce, sweet bell pepper strips ( will not eat the green ones) mushroom, mango, tomatoes, green beans, lima beans, plums.

All raw of course.

[jeff@zina.com]

I'm feeding (regularly) zucchini, cucumber, spinach, kale and algae (in the form of wafers or the stuff on the glass). I also feed (less regularly) sweet potato, broccoli stems and peas. I feed only fresh, uncooked veggies, though I blanch the spinach and peas because they seem to discolor the water if I don't.

I can't imagine these fish from diverse areas all eating a strictly vegetarian diet, so I do feed sinking pellets, beef heart (sparingly), and frozen blood worms. I'm going to have to try some of the other things on these lists though.

Jeff

[andywoolloo]

yes, definitely Jeff, mine eat some carnivore also, I try to keep it 80/20 herbivore/carnivore

[Suckermouth]

I always wondered about this:

None specifically as the genus does not consume fruits or vegetables in the wild. Feeding fruits and vegetables is a way to offer a diet that is nutritionally similar to their wild diet, not one to replicate it.
-Shane

thank you for posting that. I always tried to imagine how they would get these foods in the wild and imagined alot of crops planted along rivers and streams that somehow the fruit and veg toppled into.

This does not mean there are not fruits and nuts in the rivers. I believe redtail catfish and pacu are both known to eat fruits and nuts in nature, and various loricariids have been known to feed on seeds and fruits in nature. So far as I know, Ancistrus primarily feed on algae and detritus in the wild.

[chrisinha]

When you say they wont/shouldnt eat citrus fruits, are you talking about ancistrus only? my L021 favorite food ever is orange!!

[DJ-don]

When you say they wont/shouldnt eat citrus fruits, are you talking about ancistrus only? my L021 favorite food ever is orange!!

yes because isnt citric foods very acidic?

[MatsP]

When you say they wont/shouldnt eat citrus fruits, are you talking about ancistrus only? my L021 favorite food ever is orange!!

yes because isnt citric foods very acidic?

It can be quite acidic. However, if you consider how sour a glass of water gets when you put a slice of lemon, and a glass or water is about 0.3 liter, you need quite a lot of lemon (which is more acidic than orange) to make a noticable difference to the tank-water, even if the water is really soft. In a hard water area, it wouldn't do any harm at all to add some acid to the water. I believe Dave Rinaldo adds Hydrochloric (muriatic) acid to the water before it goes in the tank, to lower the Austin tap-water to a reasonable pH [I'm not entirely convinced this is the right way to get the right pH, as I personally believe that conductivity has more to do with the fish's happiness than pH, but we can't argue with Dave's success in keeping all manner of fishes in Hard As Rock Austin, TX tap-water].

--
Mats

[DJ-don]

okay thanks for the help guys
but even though this post was about ancistrus, i tried to give peach today to my 5 ancistrus the 2 little commons attacked then left later the male gave it a shot but i saw my albino cory eating it~the other cory's were just schooling together. i know its proably not bad for them but this cory just kept eating and going for it
she has already gone a bit plump just by constantly eating it.
i find this very interesting how my cory is eating more of the peach thean my bns

[DJ-don]

i'm thinking of adding mango today but how much should i out in for 2x5cm juvy bristle noses ,adult pair common bn and 1 peppermint bristlenose?
i tried peach but i put too many in and it clogged my filter

[andywoolloo]

my bristlenoses do not go for peaches either.

The mango used to be a devil to cut . They sell this thing to slice it but it was very expensive.

There is a big pitt in it or something. I cut the ends first, below the pitt, like lay the mango down and cut the ends off. You can feel as you try to cut if you have the pitt or not , just move your knife further away from it. On my mangos it ends up to be about an inch on each end, but when you skewer it thru a stainless steel fork or spoon , or a screwcumber, laid with flesh up it's about 2 inches long and 2 inches wide.

I give one to my common pl*co and the other bit to my bristlenoses babies. I also skewer different things along at the same time, the common goes for his mango first, he is in another tank, and the bristlenose juveniles go for each skewered item equally. Only thing left is skin.

Then next time you cut the same mango you can hold it up and cut down the sides away from the pitt, since the bottom and top are gone already.

Probably too much info , sorry , but mangos were tricky fo rme at first, having never ever encountered one before. I actually have way more fruit & veg in the house then ever before since I have had pl*cos.

[DJ-don]

my bristlenoses do not go for peaches either.

The mango used to be a devil to cut . They sell this thing to slice it but it was very expensive.

There is a big pitt in it or something. I cut the ends first, below the pitt, like lay the mango down and cut the ends off. You can feel as you try to cut if you have the pitt or not , just move your knife further away from it. On my mangos it ends up to be about an inch on each end, but when you skewer it thru a stainless steel fork or spoon , or a screwcumber, laid with flesh up it's about 2 inches long and 2 inches wide.

I give one to my common pl*co and the other bit to my bristlenoses babies. I also skewer different things along at the same time, the common goes for his mango first, he is in another tank, and the bristlenose juveniles go for each skewered item equally. Only thing left is skin.

Then next time you cut the same mango you can hold it up and cut down the sides away from the pitt, since the bottom and top are gone already.

Probably too much info , sorry , but mangos were tricky fo rme at first, having never ever encountered one before. I actually have way more fruit & veg in the house then ever before since I have had pl*cos.

with thepeach it takes some time and i found that my male was hogging and at night my peppermint bristly came out to eat too
with mango as soon as i added it, all my plecos went crazy! my male blocked off every BN the female got spiked and im hoping there arnt any injuries they love the magno!

[MatsP]

When there is one fish that wants to dominate the food, there is a simple solution of feeding in two places in the tank. One fish can't be in two places at once, so if you feed at either end of the tank, the male can only guard one end, and the others can find food at the other end.

--
Mats

[andywoolloo]

Yes I agree. I put all different kinds in a line on the fork or spoon etc and put several of those in different areas of the tank.
But then still each piece is covered with pl*cos so you can't see the food. But no fighting. Just a bit of jostling.

[jeff@zina.com]

My BNs won't swarm anything I put in the tank until the lights are off. Other plecos are more active in daylight. I once cut the ends off a zucchini and weighted it with a flat rock, the next morning three BNs were using the hollowed out zucchini as a cave.

Jeff

[DJ-don]

When there is one fish that wants to dominate the food, there is a simple solution of feeding in two places in the tank. One fish can't be in two places at once, so if you feed at either end of the tank, the male can only guard one end, and the others can find food at the other end.

--
Mats

yer i realised that with the peach~but with the mango i decided to give the other fish some of it by putting it in the driftwood

my bristlenoses do not go for peaches either.

The mango used to be a devil to cut . They sell this thing to slice it but it was very expensive.

.

i thought mangoes were only expensive at the start of the mango season in australia mangoes are cheap