Pleco eating?

[bosk1]

Is there a way I can help make sure my gold nuggest pleco is getting enough to eat? The problem is, whenever I put food of any kind into the tank, my four clown loaches will scavenge for hours afterward, and it doesn't seem possible that there would be much left over for my pleco. Sometimes, he will come out during feeding time and will fight the loaches for the usual wafer I drop in. He will push them out of the way and grab it in his mouth, but then they chase after him and knock it out of his mouth. They will go back and forth at this for a little while, and then he gets bored and goes back to his cave. (I thought about breaking the wafer into smaller pieces so he could maybe swallow them, but if I do that, my roseline sharks will snatch the pieces before they hit the bottom, and then they will just swim around with their mouths jammed open because they have a piece of wafer they can't swallow. So I don't like doing that. Any suggestions?

[nitrous]

try putting two halves of zuchini in there and then the loaches can have one and the pleco can have another or cut it up into more pieces so the loaches dont all go for one

[Jchillin]

Originally Posted by nitrous

try putting two halves of zuchini in there and then the loaches can have one and the pleco can have another or cut it up into more pieces so the loaches dont all go for one

I like that idea. Subterfuge feedings. A few shrimp pellets, especially dosed at night, will also help.

[tropicfishman]

my red tailed shark loves shrimp pellets

[Zagz]

I do the 2 zuc idea myself. Also as JC suggests pellets or algae wafers before lights out is good. You could also put a wafer into his cave. You're lucky your gold nugget pleco shows himself lol, mine never does. Such a shame, they are beautiful.

[Meredith]

have you tried a veggie clip? I have never had loaches so I don't know if they would go up the sides of the tank for food, but you could try some spinach or zuc on a clip more towards the top of the tank at lights out.

[thutton33]

Yep Clowns chow down on it from a veggie clip I am having the same concern, making sure mhy Pleco gets food, my 3 Clowns take it and if I drop algae tablets my 2 silver dollars will take the whole disc and swim around with it....

[jim532]

I had the same concern in the past, so what i do now is feed my in the morning when the hood light isn't on and after i get everyone else preoccupied with food, i drop 3 alge wafers through a small whole in the very back righ-hand corner of the tank so they always fall in the same general area. My pleco was became accustomed very quickly to look there for food and he comes out very shortly after i drop food in the tank, looking for his, totally ignoring other food in the tank.

I confirmed this was working a couple times when i hesitated to put wafers in for him and seen him pass up other food and go to look for the wafers, then I put a couple in for him.

[donttaptheglass]

My pleco has "his" cave that he never comes out of with the lights on, so I put a clip with a zuchini in it right outside the door of the cave after I turn the lights out. I go out and check every night and within a half hour he is always out there feeding his heart out on the zuchini. It's the only time I see him. Sometimes the Golden Apple Snail will park on it for a while, but he waits his turn and then he hits it when the snail leaves. My Clown Loach takes care of what is left in the morning when the lights come on. Apparently someone forgot to tell my Clown that he was nocturnal . . . .so he doesn't know (ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

Anyway, managed to catch him on film one night. I put the shutter speed on 2 full seconds, which will explain why both the moon lights and the flash exposed real well. I thought it turned out to be a pretty cool pic. He didn't swim away after the flash went off, so I think he forgave me that one pic.