Pleco Bored w/Cucumbers and Zucchini

[GouramiFanatic]

I've been alternating between cucumbers and zucchini for my Pleco, but he seems to be getting bored with both of them. He'll still munch on them for a couple of minutes, but when I first started feeding them to him he REALLY went to town! Is there any other veggies he can have? I was thinking maybe butternut squash or something. Would that be ok for him?

- Mandy

 

[Jchillin]

Squash is good...so is broccoli stalks What I've recently done with the broccoli issue is to save the rosettes, steamed in butter for me as a snack and the stalks go into the tank.

 

[crazycat]

peas!!!!!! get frozen peas, microwave them for about 45 seconds. take the skins off and watch the plec have FUN! loaches love them as do a bundh of my other fish.

 

[QTOFFER]

Whole leaf spinach is a big hit with my BN plec.
I rubberband it to a rock - I gotta get one of those fancy veggie clips.

Lima beans, prepared the same way crazycat prepares peas, is another favorite.

 

[sherry]

we microwave 7 peas for 10 seconds and the plec loves it..

 

[Guest]

none of my fish ever touch the peas.. and yes I do shell them... maybe i just have weird fish?
I don't even feed cucumber anymore.. always zuchini.. and every once in a while i do yellow squash and my pleco goes crazy... But he always finishes his zuchini!! sometims if he starts getting lazy i wont feed him for a few days and then when i DO feed him he gets excited over the food again.. Not good to have lethargic, overfed fish!

 

[Acer]

GouramiFanatic, when you first started eating what you mentioned, did he ever eat that before you gave it top them? maybe it was just somehing new and munchy so he had a blast eating it.. he might not be bored with the food at all but maybe full?

 

[Guest]

I agre with Acer in that your pleco may just be full!! Try cutting down on how often you feed.

 

[GouramiFanatic]

I suppose he could be full, but I've read that some people offer veggies three times a week and that it's no problem. I give mine veggies only twice a week (Mon and Thurs). Last week I only offered it once because I kept forgetting to bring it in to work with me.

He's not lethargic from what I've seen. He spends a good portion of the day hiding, but he also comes out quite a bit to search the bottom of the aquarium for left over pieces of food. This is only during the day when I can see him. I have no clue how much time he spends out when it's complete dark in my office (office lights go out @ 5:30pm and do not come back on until 7:30am).

Should I really cut down to just once a week? It was originally recommended a few times weekly.

- Mandy

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I only pop in a zuc slice once a week. They really go to town on it and eat it bare.

 

[BillD]

Romaine lettuce was always a favourite of my bristle nose plecs, and it doesn't mess up the water the way zucchini does.

 

[Guest]

I only pop in a zuc slice once a week. They really go to town on it and eat it bare.

I usually every other day but i put in a small piece and it's always gone within a day!.. LOL.

 

[Tolak]

You may want to try pumpkin, it's a seasonal food for my plecs. Makes for some colorful tank decorations after they eat it.

 

[Zagz]

My different plecos like different veggies, my gold nugget pleco only eats when it is dark, won't eat in the daytime. I rarely see that guy. The BN pleco doesn't care for cukes, or zuc, only peas and broccoli, the common pleco will eat anything I put in there and my CAE loves zuc and cukes!

 

[Big C]

My golden nugget also likes honeydew melon!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My fish just love zuccini, but I have a question. Is it ok to try bell peppers? Like green bell peppers, or yellow bell peppers, or red? My fish like cucumber too. Bananas get a little too problematic, get too mushy and messy. Are there other vegies not mentioned here that you feed?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

How about kiwi? Strawberries? Apples?