Hello, and why isn't my rubber lipped pleco eating cucumbers?

[ViolistRichard]

I have a rubber lipped pleco in my 10 gallon tank. My tank is still within the cycle period so there's not much algae for him/her to eat. I was reading that I could supplement that with cucumbers so I attached a cucumber with a rubber band to a turtle at the bottom of my tank and the pleco hasn't touched it. Any advice?

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to FW forums. You`ll get more answers there. This is for introductions here.

 

[happygirl65]

How long have you had the pleco? It is possibly stressed fro a couple of reasons 1. new home and stress of transportation 2. stress of living through a cycle...both of which can make your fish go off of food for a while.

Be careful not to overfeed and if your pleco isn't eating the cucumber get it out of there because it will foul your water. I would wait a while to introduce fresh veggies because this fish may have never had them and not know what to do with it. Get an algae tab if you are concerned about the pleco eating and drop it in the front of the tank or someplace where you can see that it is getting eaten.
Watch your ammonia and nitrite closely so that you can make adequate water changes during the cycle.

 

[zach_1_6]

mine wouldnt eat any veggies untill the 2nd week i tried to feed him them. if it wont eat take out the veggie.

 

[reefdiver]

try zucchini! put it in a cup and cover it with water and nuke it maybe between 30 and 60 seconds. Others have tried baby leaf spinach. I have a clown and that guy eats algae wafer's and sinking pellets. But it is true they dnt recomend a new tank for them.

 

[BillD]

Other things you might try besides zuchini are romaine lettuce, slices of brocoli stem, and melon rinds. Romaine is my favorite as it won't pollute the water. Cucumber is not very good as it has very little nutritional value.

 

[ViolistRichard]

Thanks for the response guys! I think I might try the algae tabs or the zucchini. I'll reply with the results.

 

[jsoong]

Also, feed just before lights out. Rubberlips feed at night. <Mine sleep in his cave all day & only comes out at night.> Drop the softened veggies (by blanching or microwaving in hot water) into the tank just before light out, and fish out any uneaten bits in the morning.