PlanetCatfish.com

I have been putting slices of zuchini in my BN pleco tank, and I can tell they have been nibbling on it. Just wondering how often to change it? How many days do you leave a piece in their before replacing with a new one? They certainly aren't gobbling it down to nothing, I have two pieces that are probably 1.5" x 1". I have a pair of albino BN in this tank by themselves, hoping to get them to spawn. I do feed them other foods like algae tabs and some occasional bloodworms.

I would feed them a bit more than what they eat in 24 hours. Take out what's left after that time.

If they are small, you may want to give it a quick boil (stick it in a microwave safe bowl with enough water to cover it, and give it a nuke 'til the water boils - rinse with cold water and place in tank).

A pair of medium bristlenose will eat a slice half inch think (1.5" diameter) in about 24 hours.

--
Mats

i leave mine in for 24 hours before adding a fresh piece. However, I have babies in the tank and a slice will rarely last that long. I clip 5 slices in different areas of a 50g tank and they're all gone (except the skins) in a day.

I also throw in some frozen salad shrimp and the fish love them. Just toss them in frozen and they'll thaw and sink. It's a very cheap way to give good protein to the fish. I do it once or twice a week. The rest of the week is zuccini, algae wafers, and flake.

I wouldn't leave it in there much longer than 24hrs cause it will start to break apart and can be hard to remove. When I feed mine Zuchinni I slice it from top to bottom and stick it in the tank that way. Usually by the next morning they have eaten most of it. I have two full grown Commons one is albino and one full grown Gibby.

24hrs is the maximum for my Pl*c's that only have a bit a couple of times a week. However with my Ancistrus I cut the Zucc into qtrs and leave it in the tank till it's gone, usually 24-36hrs.

Regards

A slice of Zuchinni is generally gone in 48hrs. But a larger piece I remove by then.

Cucumber I remove at 24hrs. Any longer and it becomes slime, and is near impossible to lift out.

I leave sweet potatoe in for 2 nights (approx. 32 hours). Zucchini or cucumber I only leave in for
1 night (approx. 8-12 hours), although, I have left them in on occasion for as long as 48 hours.

If you could only see what my pleco's did to an entire squash in 10 minutes unpealed in the day. competition seems to stimulate appetite. I would say the time it gets mushy and starts breaking down. Barbie dries her's and it comes out good.

Well, my point is more like this: If the food lasts much longer than 24 hours, you're feeding a too much. Feeding a smaller portion that only lasts around 24 hour is the best idea.

--
Mats