Can pleco live on algae alone?

[ticklemepunk473]

What else do I need to feed my pleco besides what he can scrounge off the bottom?

[PumaWard]

They can't live on algae alone for very long, at least not be very healthy. You can buy some shrimp pellets and put a slice of zuccini or cucumber in once or twice a week.

Many plecos also need protein in their diet as they get older, so the shrimp pellets and similiar things will be necessary as it gets older.

[Leopardess]

A pleco should also have a piece of driftwood to chew on - they do best with wood in their diet

[ticklemepunk473]

wood really? where woulfd I get a piece can I use a piece from a river near my house or do i need to buy one?

[Leopardess]

You *could* use one you find, but its more of a hassle than it is worth and can be dangerous. You'd have to deal with ensuring its the proper kind of wood, finding a dead piece (can't be live), and then trying to water log it, plus making sure you kill any organisms on it. I wood just buy a piece (hehe sorry I couldn't help it).

[ScottoMacD]

Originally posted by ticklemepunk473
wood really? where woulfd I get a piece can I use a piece from a river near my house or do i need to buy one?

One more thing that you can help supplement your plecos diet with is spirulina tablets.

Wood helps add a fiber to the plecos diet.

Most LFS carry wood that is all ready to be placed in your tank.

If you do decide to go with the wood from around your house there are a couple of things that you will want to keep in mind.

1) Make sure that it is a hardwood species of tree. Softwood tends to degrade and rot quite fast in the warmer waters of an aquarium. Then it just gets messy, and could be dangerous to the tank biology.

2) Cure the wood before placing it in the tank. Boiling and baking are the two most common methods. This will remove any nasties that the wood may have picked up along the way. Boil the wood a few different times fully summersed. This will help remove any tannis that the wood may have. You don't need them leaching into your tank changing the water color or worse releasing something else that will pollute your tank.

Good luck.

[ticklemepunk473]

ok cool thanks. those tablets seem like a good ldea and I have heard about the zucchini thing so I will try it.

[ticklemepunk473]

oh yeah! Will my tiger barbs eat the zucchini too? They seem to nibble on plants and pull things up so I want to make sure there will be enough to go around

[PumaWard]

They might, but they will have difficulty breaking it apart.