I have a about a 3inch pleco, it is one of the very small pleco for my 20 gallon and I was wondering how often you are supposed to feed them? I have been feeding my pleco once every couple days at night with 1/2 of an algae wafer. Is this too little?
How often do you feed pleco?
- Thread starter FiShNoObIe88
- Start date
Probably - I would feed 1/2 an algae wafer daily, at least. Depending on the age of the tank, you may not have enough (or any!) algae for him to graze on.
Other good things to feed are zucchini, cucumber, yellow squash, and dark leaf lettuce. Lots of other things you can try such as sweet potato and spinach, but these first four are the least problematic and most readily accepted, IME. If the seeds bother you on the cukes or squash just scoop them out.
Feed the cuke and lettuce fresh. Everything else I would nuke in the microwave to make it a little softer (10-30 seconds depending on how big a slice). To get them to sink, I impale the veg with a bamboo BBQ skewer and then weigh down the skewer with a heavy plastic clamp. Other people use forks, some use rubber bands and rocks...just find what works for you
Lastly, look in the Asian section of your grocery store for plain sushi Nori. I clip on strips of this with a plastic clothespin (which sinks, unlike the wooden ones) and all the fish - including plecos - like nibbling at it.
Other good things to feed are zucchini, cucumber, yellow squash, and dark leaf lettuce. Lots of other things you can try such as sweet potato and spinach, but these first four are the least problematic and most readily accepted, IME. If the seeds bother you on the cukes or squash just scoop them out.
Feed the cuke and lettuce fresh. Everything else I would nuke in the microwave to make it a little softer (10-30 seconds depending on how big a slice). To get them to sink, I impale the veg with a bamboo BBQ skewer and then weigh down the skewer with a heavy plastic clamp. Other people use forks, some use rubber bands and rocks...just find what works for you
Lastly, look in the Asian section of your grocery store for plain sushi Nori. I clip on strips of this with a plastic clothespin (which sinks, unlike the wooden ones) and all the fish - including plecos - like nibbling at it.
thanks for the advice. So i will definitely up how often I feed the pleco. I mean i do have algae but the pleco did a nice job of clearing it up and now there really is no algae.
Are you sure that your pleco is a vegetarian ? Not all of them are. And even if it is a vegetarian, it may need some protein as a supplement. I would do a little research and find out exactly what it's diet should consist of. Or, ask the forum, and give us a pic and/or name of the fish. Good luck.
i agree with both pieces of advice given. fresh veggies every other day and a little protien are good suplements for a growing pleco.
I have a common pleco about that size and I feed him a sinking wafer each day, except when I want him to eat his veggies. He'll barely nibble on them and I usually have to pull them out of the tank.
All the fish go nuts for those wafers though. Even the ghost shrimp tries to steal it, all I see is the wafer walking across the tank. lol
All the fish go nuts for those wafers though. Even the ghost shrimp tries to steal it, all I see is the wafer walking across the tank. lol