Pelco Fedding

[jbrown03]

Hi.

I have a 6' - 7' sailfin pleco. I am starting to think that I am feeding him too much. I am thinking this as the vast majority of the time there is long a trail of poo hanging from him. This never used to be the case, although he has not always been this big. Is this a sign of overfeeding, or just a fact of life with a pleco?

Another explanation could be the diet I am feeding him. Currently I am feeding him algae wafers, 3 or 4 wafers two times a day. I am aware that plecos like other things in their diet... but I am a bit lax on this front. When I have given him/her cucumber he pays little attention to it. Maybe some perseverance would pay off. Your thoughts?

 

[lmw80]

Hello jbrown.

This is a fact of life with plecos! The bigger they get, the longer the string of poo gets! I have a 14" common pleco, and the string is always unbelievable.

Plecos don't actually have stomachs, only a digestive track, so what goes in, comes out fairly quickly. They absorb what they need to and "discard" the rest, lol.

I would cut down to 2 twice a day. Also, with the cucumber, I cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, put it in a veggie clip, and stick it on glass. Sometimes it takes my pleco a day to notice it (I only leave it in for 2). Also, remeber plecos are mostly active at night, so you may not actually see him eating it.

 

[jbrown03]

I would cut down to 2 twice a day. Also, with the cucumber, I cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, put it in a veggie clip, and stick it on glass. Sometimes it takes my pleco a day to notice it (I only leave it in for 2). Also, remeber plecos are mostly active at night, so you may not actually see him eating it.

Thanks for that.

So you leave the skin/outer layer of the cucumber on? I always get the impression that it would be too tough for them. Why do you scoop the seeds out?

My pleco doesn't seem to mind coming out during the day. When I pop his food in in the morning, after about 2 - 3 mins out he comes. I have some nice photos of him which I took a few days ago.

 

[lmw80]

Some people leave the seeds in, but it can get messy, so I just scoop them out. The skin you leave on cause it kind of holds everything in. They don't actually eat the skin...once it gets down to the skin, you can take it out.

If your pleco comes out during the day, then just stick to it! Not everyone is so lucky!