Algae

[aquaplanner]

Have a bn pleco and really want it to eat some part of its natural diet by growing algae. Unfortunately, the tank is in a basemen with only one ground window, which means little natural sunlight. I know longer lighting helps but I don't want to stress out the Cory an pleco since they're nocturnal.

 

[tamtam]

take a container of tank water and drop some aquarium safe stones in it, like 4-5. Put the container on a windowsill and leave it be. Once it grows algae take a stone and put it in your tank. As you need to replace the stone just remove it, put it back into the container and put a fresh one into the tank. You can replace the water every now and then with more old tank water as you do water changes if you notice it's getting gross.

 

[aquaplanner]

How long Gould I leave it in there, I tried the method but my pleco eats all the algae in like 10 minutes, I want some serious algae growing in my tank!!!

 

[aqua_chem]

You're better off supplementing a pleco's diet with vegetables like cucumber rather than growing algae. It works will for smaller fish like otos, but plecos are machines when it comes to some algae.

 

[aquaplanner]

What vegetables do you recommend and how do I prepare them?

 

[tamtam]

How long Gould I leave it in there, I tried the method but my pleco eats all the algae in like 10 minutes, I want some serious algae growing in my tank!!!

hmmm. I think perhaps he need more options than. I've never used this method but people I know that have usually switch them out every few days.

Another poster mentioned veggies which is a good idea. Some good options are cucumber, zucchini, I've heard success with different types of melon. Peas, sweet potato/yams are all options. I've heard of people offering carrots and apples as well as broccoli. Veggies should be peeled/shelled deseeded where needed and blanched/boiled for a short time. If it floats you can tie it to a piece of drift wood or the like to keep it under.. I've also read that as the pleco gets older you don't actually need to blanch the food any more though have no experience with this.
It may take some experimenting to see what your pleco likes and doesn't like and what level you need to cook it to, over cooking can cloud the water. Sometimes it may take several attempts for your pleco to realize that something is food as well so don't be afraid to reoffer something a few times.

 

[aquaplanner]

Could you fove me the instructions for blanching, I've never some this before. How long should I do it?