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Hello Catfish keepers

I have just aquired an l273 titanicus pleco over the net. Ive had him in quarentine for 3 days so far, seems o.k i wouldnt say hes got a hollow belly but looks a little on the thin side , have been adding bloodworm but havnt noticed him so far taking anything, thats probably due to its nocturnal natuure and settling, seems pretty much o.k not botherd by me that much, seems to have a spot under the heater near some plants along the side of the tank rather than a cave which seems a bit unusual . Is there any other food anyone can recomend for an 8cm fish other than bloodworm. I use smelt for my limas and my goldie plec also eats it too would that be a good idea.

Thanks Ben

Hi costatus7.

Is there any other food anyone can recomend for an 8cm fish other than bloodworm. I use smelt for my limas and my goldie plec also eats it too would that be a good idea.

I would avoid the smelt for now, as I think perhaps it may be liable to easily pollute the tank if not eaten straight away. Do try it at a later date though.

I would stick to bloodworm, hikari algae wafers and krill.

These foods should be immediately accepted.


Make sure you measure ammonia and nitrite every day, as a common mistake when acclimating new plecs is to pile loads of food into the tank. Uneaten food that you may not notice will breakdown in the tank and poison your new fish very quickly. I have a hunch that this is a big part of the reason why many people find it hard to feed their new plecs.


You don't say what temp the tank is. I would aim for a temp of between 27C and 30C to acclimate new plecs.

This will help to stimulate the appetite. Be very careful though, as there will be less oxygen available. Keep an eye on gill rate, and add more aeration if necessary.

I would also keep the tank as dark as possible. Bright fluorescent tubes will not help them settle down. More dark hiding places are also good.


Good luck with your new fish. I wish I had one of those!

Yep my temp is 28 in my tank and 28 in quarantine. im finding this plec very strange he seems to sit in one spot all day even if its exposessed,i know some plecs dont move much like a medussa plec but this one dosnt even flinch when u get close to the tank. also ive noticed he sitts on the rear fins like algea eaters rather than on his stomach seems strange to me.

Sitting in the open could be a sign that he is not getting enough oxygen.

How fast are his gills working? If it is rapid or eratic, then perhaps more current is required.

My L273 won't touch algae wafers, but he devours shrimp pellets and carnivore sticks.

Tetra prima (colorbits in the U.S.) is another good one to try.

gill rate was farirly fast so i added a big air stone and it seems to have slowed down. on inspection of the plec yesterday morning i noticed something not good, a peppering of amber to whitish small grains forming which was definatly velvet, checked my water is all fine. so must be stress from the travel, anyway i dosed him with sera omnipur yeasterday and already seems that the velvet has completly dissapeared. however hes looking pretty thin and not taking food as far as i know. will try some tetra prima and the shrimp pellets.

ben

i dosed him with sera omnipur yeasterday and already seems that the velvet has completly dissapeared. however hes looking pretty thin and not taking food as far as i know. will try some tetra prima and the shrimp pellets.

Great news.

I hope he pulls through.

hope he does too. seems alot better now gill movement slowed and moving a lot more so hope he takes the food, am soaking bloodworm in garlic juice. nothing worse than losing a great plec, lost a full size wormline peckolita in my old tank once was my fav soooooo gutted.