What to feed my Pleco?

grewals · Post by **grewals** » 27 Nov 2004, 00:53

I currently feed both of my pleco's algae wafers regularly and sometimes a leaf of lettuce. However, when I visit pet stores sometimes the tanks have cucumbers in them and the algae eaters are stuffing their faces. Can I feed my common pleco cucumbers and if so how much? Is there any other vegetable or fruits that I might be able to feed them?

RogerMcAllen · Post by **RogerMcAllen** » 27 Nov 2004, 02:17

Your pleco can eat just about any fruit or veggie you can eat. It pretty much comes down to what won't foul your water quickly. The best choices are solid things like brocoli stems and cucumber/zuchini (de-seeded).

grewals · Post by **grewals** » 27 Nov 2004, 02:24

Thanks a bunch!! Another question... Should I peel the skin off of the cucumber of leave it on?

PlecoCrazy · Post by **PlecoCrazy** » 27 Nov 2004, 03:24

I cut the skin off as it did not seem to get eaten plus once I thought about it, the skin gets in contact with everything it touches from the farm to our home. I thought it just safe to cut the skin off. This is just my opinion.

I usually use on of those veggie suction clips to stick it to the side of my tank and makes it easy to remove any uneaten food without having to stick my whole arm into the tank before work to get to it on the bottom.

Post by **Shane** » 27 Nov 2004, 13:28

I actually leave the skin on. Some loricariids, like Panaque and Cochliodon, prefer to eat the skin while others prefer the soft white insides. Plus, if anything my mother told me was true, the best vitamins are in the skin. Do be certain to wash all veggies well and try to buy organic veggies if you can to lessen any potential pesticide problems. I do have to say that I have fed 1,000s of cucumbers over the years and only once had a death that I thought was possibly caused by residue pesticides. Yellow and green squash are also highly appreciated and less messy than cucumber.
-Shane

Untitled · Post by **Untitled** » 27 Nov 2004, 14:55

Mine loves cucumbers and zucchinis. Although it doesn't seem to like the skin, it does like them unpeeled, if that makes sense (neither does the fish, by the way). I once tried feeding it with Wakame (dried japanese sea weed), but it didn't like it.

I have never seen those veggie clips PlecoCrazy mentions, but they sound good, if you find them. I just cut about 5mm thick slice, and I stick a plant weight through the bottom of it and let it sink. It always sinks with the weight side down (ask physicists, maybe it makes sense to them) and when the fish done eating, I take it out. I guess you could either tie a fishing line to the weight so you could just fish it out when you want to, or you can cut a longer weight and hang it from the side of your tank. I've also seen people sticking the vegetable on skewers, but I've never tried that.