what to feed my new pleco

[BHBowhunter]

? the last one i had started losing weight and died after about being 2 years old, i never fed him anything i just figured he lived in the tanks alge.

my new one is bigger and i want to feed him, the other fish eat his waffers and he ignores them anyway.

i have herd of zuccini and or cucumber? let me know please ive had him for 24 hours and i bet he is hungry

 

[William]

boil a piece of cuccumber or zuccini, then let it cool down.

Wait for about an hour after you turn your tank lights out and drop it in, don't leave it in for more than 12 hours or it will start to decay and make your stats rise.

You can also feed Algae Waffers [ I think most everyone around here, including myself, use Hikari ], same as above.. wait till night and drop them in.


How big is this Pl*co anyways? if hes in your 55gal and more than 6 or 7 inches long I fear he may be far to big for your aquarium.

Is it just a common pleco or is it something like a Bristle nose or other smaller growing species?

 

[BHBowhunter]

he is about 9 inches and shares the tank with only 2 other fish a 8 inch blue gill and a tire track eel.

he has a zebra pattern so im guessing he is a common>?

 

[BHBowhunter]

this is what he looks like though he has more white to him

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loricari/liposarc/88_12.htm

 

[William]

You need to take the Pleco and the Tiretrack eel back to the LFS.

The Pl*co IMHO is to big for the tank already, and depending on the size of the Eel, hes either to large already or will grow to large eventually.


There are many fish that would fit nicely into your tank, In the future take a stop by the site here or browse through google to research any fish you may want.


9 times out of 10 your local LFS's like PetSmart, PetLand, ect ect don't know what their talking about and often times only tell you things to make a sell, so you'll be happier in the long run and have less problems if you know the fish your buying before you buy it

 

[BHBowhunter]

what about the one inch per gallon rule right now im at 25 gallons and the gill is done growing. that leaves 20 inches to the eel and the pleco alone.

 

[William]

the 1inch per gallon rule is an outdated wives tale

Often used to justify the placement of very large fish into a home that is not suitable for them.

There are many shorter growing species of Pl*co, They are a great fish. However, people do not realize that a fish that gets over 2 feet long won't be happy in a tank four feet long.

Honestly BHB, A common pl*co should be in a minimum 125-150gal tank.

 

[austin fishhead]

he is about 9 inches and shares the tank with only 2 other fish a 8 inch blue gill and a tire track eel.

he has a zebra pattern so im guessing he is a common>?

Is it L046? http://www.plecos.com/plecos/lnumbers1.php?start=40

 

[Essayons89]

The one inch per gallon "rule" is fine when dealing with small fish such as tetras, danios, guppies. The "rule" will not work when dealing with large bodied, heavy waste producing fish like common plecs, large cichlids, goldfish etc.

Also, plecs cannot live on tank algae alone, this isn't enough to sustain them. As they grow most plecs need protein in their diets. Driftwood for them to rasp on is also benecial to their overall health. Like all fish it best to feed them a varied diet. I feed my plecs algae wafers, shrimp pellets, sliced zucchini, frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.
Even a plec with a great rep as an algae eater like the bristlenose will enjoy an occasional treat of bloodworms. At least mine do anyway

Bryan

 

[grimlock3000]

1 inch per gallon is a good baseline for small tropical fish, but not for much that gets over 3 inches or so. And not for Goldfish either

I agree that the Pleco will soon outgrow the tank. Unfortunately most pet shops sell common Plecos which grow far too large for many tanks

 

[Thaiboxer]

I never knew that about plecos... good to know! Thanks!