What do you feed your bn?

[skiweeangel]

Held off on giving my BN food until my 55g tank was nice and clean, now it is beautiful! So I am worried about starving the poor little guy/girl (too early to sex I think). I have heard algae wafers are good and was wondering how people keep their other fish from eating them before the BN can get to it.

 

[LyndaB]

I have lots of bottom dwellers in the community tank where the BNs are growing out, so they scavenge off the bottom with the kuhlis and shrimp. Somehow, everybody seems to find stuff.

I usually use algae flakes versus the wafers because the amano shrimp swim off with wafers and pellets.

If you can put a wafer behind a piece of decor, your BN will have a better chance of consuming it.

 

[Impulse09]

How big do bn get? Why colors are there? Are the aggressive i have 6 corys and 2 german blues at the bottom a lot of the time

 

[skiweeangel]

They don't get as big as some of the other Plecos, about 5 to 6 in (maybe a bit more). They don't seem to be aggressive but will hold their own. They are an armored cat fish (correct me if I am wrong here) and come in a variety of colors and fin lengths. I have a brown BN short finned but I know they come in Greenish and albino, as well as many other shades and variations as well as long finned. Google for pics and types! In all honesty I picked it for size and temperament, rather turned off by looks. But now it is my favorite fish in my sons tank! It hides a lot through out the day but is active at night time before I turn out the lights on the tank. My son calls it princess because it seems to hide in the enormous castle during the day because I can never find it until it comes out. I was worried for a whole 36 hr period once because I didn't see it. Then the next morning when I turned on the lights it was front and center. I loooove watching it whenever it is out, and my son finds it fascinating to watch it when it's feeding in the glass. So happy I chose this fish!

 

[skiweeangel]

I have lots of bottom dwellers in the community tank where the BNs are growing out, so they scavenge off the bottom with the kuhlis and shrimp. Somehow, everybody seems to find stuff.

I usually use algae flakes versus the wafers because the amano shrimp swim off with wafers and pellets.

If you can put a wafer behind a piece of decor, your BN will have a better chance of consuming it.

Haha! I can totally picture this happening in an awkward bumbling sort of way. I will try the hiding it trick tonight after I feed the danios first.

 

[adeebm]

There are several species of BN plecos, which is why there are several color/pattern variations. Some of the species have albinos as well. They top out at about 4-6. The get territorial as they get older, mostly with their own kind. A single BN wont bother other fish.

--Adeeb

 

[FastFly67]

spirulina wafers, cucumber, zucchini, green beans, sweet potato
Also plecos (some more than others) require driftwood in their diet.
planetcatfish.com is a great resource for finding out habitat and diet requirements

 

[toddnbecka]

I feed my BN a staple diet of NLS 1mm Cichlid or .5mm Grow pellets, occasionally spirulina flake, and canned green beans once weekly.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have 5. I feed them spirulina wafers, shrimp pellets, blanched beans or peas and they eat any flakes that they find.

 

[skiweeangel]

Thank you all! I have picked up some wafers because it was the only thing I could find at the moment. I figured it was picking up the last little bits of flakes because when I did my weekly PWC I didn't fine one!