preferred pleco food

[Kuhlifan]

I've got a common pleco and I recently ran out of algae wafers. Before I go buy more, is there a preferred food for these guys? Something that they may just love? Is there a preferred brand of algae wafer?

I've tried spinach and zuccini, by the way. It pretty much gets ignored by anything but the snails.

[Bethany1979]

My Pleco loves snail jello, lol!

[excuzzzeme]

As they get older they eat less algae and become more of an omnivore. Although algae is preferred they are pretty much an omnivore and will eat most any fish food, especially sinking foods. When I run out of wafers I feed mine small sinking cichlid pellets as they are easier for them to mouth than the large pellets are. The will also eat other sinking foods. I have actually seen mine trap floating pellets against the glass and eat them.

[Kuhlifan]

Cool. He's probably competing with the snails and kuhlis for shrimp pellets then.

[wataugachicken]

mine eats zucchini, algae wafers, shrimp pellets, bloodworms, bits of shrimp, and if i put in a scoop of duckweed from the planted tank, he'll hover along the top and eat all that too.

[stezatois]

My Pleco loves snail jello, lol!


mine too lol.

but mine also prefer hikari algae wafers, they wont touch the tetra ones for some reason.

[Lupin]

they wont touch the tetra ones for some reason.
:rofl: :rofl: They sure know which food tastes bad.:evil_lol:

[snappyguy]

I give mine Hikari algae wafers and zucchini

[leeser28]

Mine really likes zucchini and the Hikari wafers. He also loves the Hikari cichlid gold pellets - he too swims to the top of the tank and and traps them against the glass - like the pleco that belongs to excuzzzeme. My mom had one that loved basic flakes and would swim on his back eating them - reminded me of a sea otter!

[DAVIDFBT]

I once saw my BN Pleco come out of his cave when I fed bloodworms and started sucking them down like candy.

[inkyjenn]

i have a gibby that loves the hikari wafers. but hell also munch on cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, peas, blood worms, tubifex worms, krill and shrimp.

[justahannah]

Mine really likes yellow squash and collard greens, prefers them over zucchini by far. My other fish demolish any wafers and pellets I drop in there (even after lights out) before he gets a chance to work on them so I can't vouch for processed foods. Although, my fish won't touch Hikari algae wafers. I (and my fish) really like the HBH brand wafers, a lot of veggie content right at the top of the ingredient list, and seems to contain less grain overall when compared side by side with other brands. And they're cheaper :D

[stezatois]

:rofl: :rofl: They sure know which food tastes bad.:evil_lol:


are you talking from personal experence ? :silly:

[Kuhlifan]

I (and my fish) really like the HBH brand wafers, a lot of veggie content right at the top of the ingredient list, and seems to contain less grain overall when compared side by side with other brands. And they're cheaper :D


I actually bought some of these yesterday and I'm kind of impressed with them too. I haven't had a chance to give them to my pleco yet (I forgot them at work), but I did put a few in my work tank and they seem to be a much higher quality than any I've had before. The others would turn a nasty brown after being in the water for minutes, but these are still nice and green after several hours or becoming snail breakfast.

[wataugachicken]

yeah, the HBH ones are great. i had used wardley wafers previously and the fish were so-so about them, but they fall apart so quickly. they didn't like hikari or omega one wafers at all. when i dropped the hbh 'algae grazers' in the first time, EVERY fish in the tank came over to try them, even the tetras. i think they have rosemary in them, which is a big attractant. and they keep their shape long enough to be eaten.

[fishorama]

We had a common that learned to "wink" for Tetra tabimin. He loved them so we reinforced the eye roll behavior.

I think they use potato that some plecs like.

[ToeJam]

When I had a variety of rare species of pleco I used Cucumbers and they munched on bogwood for other nutrients. Sometimes a squash. They normally demolished the cucumber over all other foods I tested.