jprp wrote:i have always been reluctant to use potatoe due to the starch, plecs tend towards green veg as a rule.
dont think the cross will suffer , but i have always disbelieved the line about red tails eating fruits and seeds , i assume the contents of stomarch quote that has been past from book to book by lazy authours copying previous works came from the rt eating something like a small pacu which are known to eat such things.
in my experience no large pim will recognise veg as food ,they can be very fussy about even shop purchased sea food rejecting food that we may think is fresh.
it would tend to indicate that the fish is not getting enough to eat if it takes anything that enters the tank.
I have to disagree with a couple of points...
If an RTC ate a pacu that had eaten seeds & fruits, i wonder if we'd be able to tell there had been a 2 stage digestion problem? I have personally fed RTC with over-ripe plums & they have been consumed - not eagerly mind you, but i put this down to it being something out-of-the-ordinary. I agree vegetables are most unlikely to be consumed & should not be offered but ripe plum-like fruit could be offered every once in a while if it was the fishkeepers choice - i would avoid seeds.
I have experienced no problems with the starch in potato, sweet potato etc when fed to herbivorous loricariids, but variety is the key so spinach, cabbage, peas, green beans etc should also be fed.
"
they can be very fussy about even shop purchased sea food rejecting food that we may think is fresh." - sea food that is fresh is still not something that is encountered naturally is can often be refused. RTC are more likely to wolf down large earthworms, freshwater fish & crustacea, than marine equivilents.
"it would tend to indicate that the fish is not getting enough to eat if it takes anything that enters the tank" some big pims even when well-fed will still attempt to eat more - it is part of their survival instinct to eat plenty when food is available - this trait does not disappear when in artificial captive environs & food is freely available.
above all else - a hungry fish is a healthy fish (as opposed to vastly overfed) & a varied diet is always best.
