Some ?'s on pleco diets

biomechmonster · Post by **biomechmonster** » 16 Apr 2004, 22:08

I try to feed my plecos a variety of foods and want the best possible diet for them, so I was wondering if this diet was adequate, or I could add more:

Frequently:
Driftwood (always available)
Algae tablets (2-3 nights a week)
Shrimp pellets (2-3 nights a week, primarily for 2 juvie bichirs but plecos eat leftover pellets)

And one or two of the following given 1-2 nights a week:
Zuchinni/squash
Sweet potato
Tomato
Spinach

And rarely, once every couple weeks:
Frozen bloodworms
Whole peeled shrimp

The two juvie bichirs living with the plecos tend to eat most of the bloodworms though!

Also, do plecos eat fruit? I would think it would decompose fast but I'm thinking of apple or orange slices. Thanks!

Post by **corybreed** » 16 Apr 2004, 22:48

Seems like a nice variety to me. How can I move into your

tank?
Mark

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 17 Apr 2004, 01:04

hmm... never heard of feeding tomato before, do you rinse out the gel that the seeds are in and just feed the meat or what?

biomechmonster · Post by **biomechmonster** » 17 Apr 2004, 02:33

No I just slice them lengthwise (like you would for a sandwich, but a bit thicker) and leave it at that...the gel/seeds don't float around the tank (unless you're a real klutz putting it in there!) so I don't see a reason to.

Not all plecos relish tomato, if I put tomato and zucchini in at the same time, they go for the green stuff first but they do eat the tomato too. It also doesn't get as soggy as quickly but I still take it out after a couple days.

I had no idea about feeding tomato too until a couple years ago when I bought some plastic plants from a guy and he showed me pictures of his plecos, including one of a L091 munching on tomato.

Suckermouth · Post by **Suckermouth** » 17 Apr 2004, 06:00

I'm assuming they're getting food everyday, right?

Yes, plecs will eat fruit, though I wouldn't go for those citrus varieties; they just seam to be bags of juice, ya know, and that could screw up your water pretty bad.

Yeah, that sounds pretty good. Some of us even stick the algae wafers in the zuchinni!

fmueller · Post by **fmueller** » 18 Apr 2004, 19:54

It would never have occured to me to feed tomato, but I'll have to try it now! I have fed water melon to my otos. Not quite as popular as cucumber - their favorite! - but they ate it.

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 19 Apr 2004, 17:55

Hi!

Just a question:
You r talking about pl*co!!!
But what genus and species?
Most of them have basically the same requirements but some need more specialise stuff...
Cheers
Yann

biomechmonster · Post by **biomechmonster** » 20 Apr 2004, 23:48

Well, I have the following:

2 Liposarcus pardalis
2 G. gibbiceps
1 G. scrophus
1 Ancistrus punctatus
1 Ancistrus sp.
1 Parancistrus sp. L030
1 Panaque maccus
1 Chaetostoma thomsoni

Any of these prefer a specialized diet?

Elspeth · Post by **Elspeth** » 22 Apr 2004, 04:21

Are there any veggies plecos, or other fish, should NOT be given?

E.g. it's asparagus season, but the grocery store asparagus still needs to be "snapped" producing about an inch or more of stem that's too woody for human tastes. I stopped myself just in time from dumping them in the compost, thinking AHA, shouldn't I blanch and feed to the fish? Other common "leftover" and conveniently-available veg include, but are not limited to: broccolli stems, cabbage leaves, brussel sprouts, cabbage hearts, and oh yes, I slice up oranges for the carp from time to time.

SO sing out if you know of any fruits or veggies that are on the Do Not Eat list for plecos! My crowd would probably love to help me with these bits and pieces...

P.S. Just caught up, and I'll put persimmon on the DNE list... at least underripe persimmon. I'm surprised, incidentally, that they're available in Wales. I always thought they were very regional, but then again I've never looked for one in the grocery store so perhaps they are more popular than I thought!

biomechmonster · Post by **biomechmonster** » 22 Apr 2004, 21:46

I know plecos like broccoli stems...and cabbage leaves, well they have no benefical vitamins or whatnot, better to feed spinach or romaine lettuce. I don't know about the other items on your list, maybe someone else does!

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 23 Apr 2004, 13:37

I'm not honestly certain that persimmon is toxic. What happened is my L161 jumped from the tank shortly after eating a lot of it. 'Psychoactive' might be a better adjective.

They aren't common here. An acquaintance of mine was doing supermarket tastings and had a lot left over, so I decided to try some on my plecos.

Some ?'s on pleco diets

Some ?'s on pleco diets

About those fresh veggies...