help raising a common pl*co

[corydoras4life]

I have a common pl*co and I dont really know how to take care of it I have it in my first tank it says on my "signature" and i dont know what kinds of caves it needs and stuff like that please try to help

[MatsP]

I have a common pl*co and I dont really know how to take care of it I have it in my first tank it says on my "signature" and i dont know what kinds of caves it needs and stuff like that please try to help

They are not really hard to care for. The most important "care" you need is to keep an eye on your nitrate levels, and make relevant water changes. They are pretty good poo-machines if they are fed properly, so keeping up with the water changes is important.

They need food, of course: Any algae in the tank will probably disappear quite quickly, and you'll need to supplement this with vegetables: Cucumber(r), Zucchini (Courgette)(r), Sweet Potato/Yams(b), Potato(b), Peas(b,f), Green Beans(b,f), Broccoli Stems(b).
Code:
(r) - Serve raw.
(b) - Boiled so that they are still quite firm, but a little softer than raw.
(f) - Frozen and defrosted.

For some foods, it's necessary to help them sink, for instance the Zucchini is a "floating" vegetable. If you take a teaspoon and stick it through the veg, it will sink.

Start with a small portion, say about the size of a teaspoon or less, say for instance half or a quarter slice of Zucchini, about 1/4" (6mm) thick. If the fish doesn't like one thing, try another. But also bear in mind that most fish are "neophobic", i.e. they don't like new things, so it may take a few days to get used to the food that you're giving it.

Algae wafers are available from various fish-food manufacturers. My local shop stocks Hikari, and that's what I've been using, but there are several different brands that are probably equally good. Bear in mind that these do contain a lot of protein, so they don't want too many of these (they will eat a whole lot if you let them).

Common pleco's aren't very particular about how they hide, but they like to have some hole/cave to hide in. Anything from a suitable flowerpot or a piece of bogwood would be fine, or a few rocks piled up (make sure they don't fall down and injure fish or crack the glass in the tank tho').

Obviously, the cave should be big enough for the fish to fit in, but it shouldn't be "huge", becuase the fish will like to sit in it and feel secure, so a reasonably snug fit will be perfect.

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Mats