feeding my pleco?

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Ramrebel

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I was realizing that my cat is very dominant (and big) and takes algae wafers away from pleco? Since there are no plants in the tank (tiger barbs chewed them apart) if I put some floaters (or whatever they're called) on top will that help feed my pleco?
He also likes to hide inverted under an arch and only seems to come out when the light is off.

thanx in advance,

Ed
 
Try weighting down a piece of zucchini, Ours love it. we give them a thick slice and they devour it. Some Pleco's are nocturnal. What type do you have.
You mention a big cat? What type????
If this is an upside down catfish he may be picking on the Pleco. I had two and they started killing everything at night.
The bigger these guys get the more vicious they are.

EMS503
 
No way! Wow, I never heard of them being aggressive. How big were yours?

My upside down cat is 9 years old, never bothered anybody. He's about 3.5 inches long. I have to check frequently to make sure he's still alive. He never comes out at feeding time, I have no idea what he eats.
 
My upside down cats were about the same size as yours, age I really don't know. They would eat the same things I would feed the other fish.
When I had my 75 gal. as FW I had Rainbows & Rummy Nose and a common pleco with two upside down cats. At first they were peaceful then fish started showing signs of injury. I watched the tank 24/7 and finally caught the cats attacking at night. I read they can become aggressive but I really think its up to the individual fish, Now my 75 is a reef and I had a purple tang now I have a Powder Blue tang both are supposed to be aggressive niether are. Hope you have the catfish that decided its better to be nice :D

EMS503
 
type of cat

it's a beautiful 4 line pelonid catfish - about 4 inches long
biggest thing in the tank

Ed
 
I have a 16" pleco its huge.. we gave 2.50$ for it lmfao.. the LFS wanted rid of it and sold it for the price of teh small ones.. when i asked the price he said it under breath i was like OMFG/... then he had to get a huge icechest like containor (prolly cost 3 bux itself) to put it in.. newho we have pellets my dad puts them in teh tank but i never haev seen oen eat one.. maybe they do it at ngiht who knows.


Jacob
 
I place a slice of zucchini in my freshwater tank for my pleco once a week. That'll give it the nutrients it needs if it doesn't get enough from the algea in the tank.
 
Pleco

Just a kind of side note on Pleco feeding. I can't find my book right now so I couldn't look up anything on the one you have but.... Not all Plecos are strictly herbivorous. Some are omnivores and some even require a piece of driftwood to graze on...yeah, they actually eat the wood (yuk). Mine is about 8" long and eats algae wafers if there's nothing else, likes zuchini very well, but will attack a chunk of frozen bloodworms like it was his last meal. Loves them. I feed him bloodworms about once every two weeks. The zuchini: Slice it up and drop it in boiling water just long enough to soften if a little (can't remember the proper cooking term for that...the pleco is the only one who will eat my cooking anyway :) ) and freeze it in ziploc bags. It will sink to the bottom of the tank that way; you don't have to weight it down with anything. A way to tell if your pleco isn't getting enough to eat: Look at his eyes. If they are sunk back in his head, he is starving. Try feeding him the algae sheets by clipping them to the side of the tank with a feeding clip. I forget who makes them but they come in a box about the size of a pocket notepad and the individual sheets are thin as paper. All herbivores seem to like these very much and most pet stores stock them.
Logan J
 
you definately should feed your pleco something besides the algae in the tank, i know a chic who had many of them die--until she started feeding them! lol
mine loves zucchini, lettuce, shrimp pellets, algae wafers...most of them do like to come out to eat in the dark, but some will eat with the light on--such as the one who is used to eating with my oscars...i have never seen my plecos come to the top to eat anything, but i have seen some do that at the lfs for zucchini...check out his stomach area too and make sure you don't see any sunken areas, that would be a sign of starvation--and so far, all of mine have loved wood! it gives them needed roughage in their diet....
 
embarrassed chef

RIGHT!!! See, I knew there was a word for it :D . I thank you and my pleco thanks you.
Logan J
 
does anyone know anything about zebra plecos, they dont eat algae and i have done extensive research on them. any thing extra would be appreciated about these beautiful little fish!
 
I feed beef heart in all my freshwater tanks. The pleco's go crazy for it. I lost my big pleco just over a month ago to carpet shark syndrome. He was HUGE. He covered half the front of the 30 gallon when he stuck to the glass sideways.
 
beef heart?

What's beefheart?

I did some research and read something about bogwood. Any opinions?

ED
 
Beef Heart is just that. You can find it at your local grocers. If they do not have it in stock, most do not mind ordering it for you. It is VERY cheap to buy, one heart lasts my tanks about 4 months...that is about 2.00

You just have to make sure that before you turn it to ground stuff with a food processor, you cut out all the white striny and white hard stuff.
If you are more interested in how I prepare mine for the freezer and make it wasy to feed, send me a message.
 
pleco?

I heard SOME plecos like it and some don't. I don't what kind I have. Is there such a thing as a generic pleco?

Ed

Bogwood? Driftwood?
 
there are a zillion kinds of plecos, quite a few that are referred to as the common pleco--mine have not shown an interest in meat....common plec's should be ok with the algae wafers and pellets, left over fish food and veggies--beef heart can easily foul your water....
 
thanx but what about wood?

I don't think I'm gonna do the meat thing BUT I'm still wondering about the bogwood/driftwood thing.
 
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