ChileRelleno
03-10-2005, 3:50 PM
Some common questions regarding Plecos and diet.
Are algae wafers a proper dietary supplement for Plecos?
Yes, but not by themselves alone, Plecs just as other fish do much better with a varied diet, read more below.
My Pleco doesn't eat the algae in my tank anymore?
Plecs dietary needs change as they mature, read more below.
I thought Plecos were vegetarians?
Nope, most Plecos are omnivores, read more about their diet below.
And theres alot more questions about pleco dietary needs...
The trend is to just throw a few algae wafers in after lights out and think that that is enough supplementary food for'em.
Its not! :(
Plecs may start of just fine eating algae in the tank and/or algae wafers as juveniles, but as they mature their needs change.
Most Plecs are very opportunistic omnivores, in other words they'll eat just about anything they can get a hold of such as worms and insect larvae, dead fish and other critters and etc... But primarily subsist on veggies.
A plecs digestive system is designed for a diet high in bulk fiber and low in protien, they need large amounts of vegetable matter and occasional protien. Their digestive system is designed to handle alot of material to attain a little nutrition, they need more than just a few wafers and whatever food they find leftover or a little algae growing in the tank.
A Plec without fiber bulk (veggies) in his diet is a Pleco that feels like he's starving most of the time, even if he's getting enough nutrition to survive and grow.
It'd be like be like you getting only a slice of bread per day that has enough calories, protien, fats, sugars and asst'd vitamins for you to survive and grow...
But you'd be horrendously hungry the rest of the time
Excellent daily veggie supplements are, spinach and other leafy green lettuces that have been blanched first, cut zuccinni, cut cucumber, broccoli stems, peas and beans (blanched and skinned), and others.
I found it very hard when housed with other fish to get such delights as worms and small scraps of cut fish/shrimp, shrimp pellets and other sinking food tablets/pellets down to the plecs.
My solution was to load their zuccinni or cucumber with shrimp pellets, carnivore sticks and so on, like cloves on a ham .
I implore all of you with plecos who do not currently regularly supplement their diet with veggies to do so, please!
I gaurantee you will notice a increase in growth and improved physical appearance
__________________
If riding in a airplane is flying,
then riding in a boat is swimming.
Experience the element, get out of the vehicle.
SKYDIVE!
My tank specs
Are algae wafers a proper dietary supplement for Plecos?
Yes, but not by themselves alone, Plecs just as other fish do much better with a varied diet, read more below.
My Pleco doesn't eat the algae in my tank anymore?
Plecs dietary needs change as they mature, read more below.
I thought Plecos were vegetarians?
Nope, most Plecos are omnivores, read more about their diet below.
And theres alot more questions about pleco dietary needs...
The trend is to just throw a few algae wafers in after lights out and think that that is enough supplementary food for'em.
Its not! :(
Plecs may start of just fine eating algae in the tank and/or algae wafers as juveniles, but as they mature their needs change.
Most Plecs are very opportunistic omnivores, in other words they'll eat just about anything they can get a hold of such as worms and insect larvae, dead fish and other critters and etc... But primarily subsist on veggies.
A plecs digestive system is designed for a diet high in bulk fiber and low in protien, they need large amounts of vegetable matter and occasional protien. Their digestive system is designed to handle alot of material to attain a little nutrition, they need more than just a few wafers and whatever food they find leftover or a little algae growing in the tank.
A Plec without fiber bulk (veggies) in his diet is a Pleco that feels like he's starving most of the time, even if he's getting enough nutrition to survive and grow.
It'd be like be like you getting only a slice of bread per day that has enough calories, protien, fats, sugars and asst'd vitamins for you to survive and grow...
But you'd be horrendously hungry the rest of the time
Excellent daily veggie supplements are, spinach and other leafy green lettuces that have been blanched first, cut zuccinni, cut cucumber, broccoli stems, peas and beans (blanched and skinned), and others.
I found it very hard when housed with other fish to get such delights as worms and small scraps of cut fish/shrimp, shrimp pellets and other sinking food tablets/pellets down to the plecs.
My solution was to load their zuccinni or cucumber with shrimp pellets, carnivore sticks and so on, like cloves on a ham .
I implore all of you with plecos who do not currently regularly supplement their diet with veggies to do so, please!
I gaurantee you will notice a increase in growth and improved physical appearance
__________________
If riding in a airplane is flying,
then riding in a boat is swimming.
Experience the element, get out of the vehicle.
SKYDIVE!
My tank specs