Clown pleco

jsnf

jsnf

AC Members
Dec 30, 2008
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Calgary Alberta
Do any of you know how to tell if a clown pecco is getting enough food? I put him in there a few days ago and I haven't seen him since. If I look hard enough, hes always in the same spot under my drift wood, but i can BARELY see him. I tried looking for him several times during the night, but i never see him out eating algae. I haven't tried putting any veggies in yet because he hasn't even eaten any algae that i've noticed. I figure I'd throw in some veggies after he's eaten some of my algae, but most if not all of the algae still appears to be there.
 
you really do need to feed him and cant rely on algae alone. Drop in some algae wafers at lights out for him. hes new to the tank and it could be a while yet before he is confident enough to venture out to eat the algae. It took george about 3 months in my tank before he started sucking the glass. Now he is always out and has made friends with the loaches, who groom him when he sits at his 'cleaning station'.

Also all my plecos go back to the same resting spots, george under the out take about the air stone. Little whatsit behind the bog wood etc.
 
do not get fish to do the work for you. it never seems to happen the way you want it to. if you need confirmation that your pleco isnt getting enough to eat, get him out of the tank for a moment (net, trap, whatever) and look at his belly. a well fed pleco has a belly that is gently rounded outward. a starving pleco has sunken eyes and his belly is caved in. you need to feed them regularly just like any other fish. your best bet for algae control is to get a scraper/paper towel/razor blade/etc. and scrape it yourself
 
My clown pleco is hardly out as well but they are notoriously shy, at one point I thought he was a goner because I couldnt find him anywhere. My BN plecos on the other hand are all over the place. I also agree that you need to feed him.
 
Mine is nocturnal & shy unless he's very hungry. Clowns are omnivores & need both meaty & veggie foods. They're not the best at algae removal although I rarely have to scrape any in his tank.

Give him some time to adjust & give him his own pellet or wafer at night near his chosen spot. Unless you have other noctunal bottom feeders 1 or 2 should be plenty. Mine also likes zucchini & romaine lettuce.
 
^^ If i drop veggies in there overnight, will they rot and pollute my tank water? That was my biggest concern about dropping veggies in. I'll try dropping in some algae wafers for now...
 
it takes more than 24 hours for a veggie to begin rotting in a tank
 
Clown pleco's need driftwood, they're actually aquatic termites and have bacteria in their gut that breaks down the wood. NLS pellets are also a good addition to their diet, but algae and/or veggies aren't really on their menu.
 
its good to offer a variety of foods. individual plecos like different foods. my little clown LOVES broccoli as does my L239. *shrugs* give it a shot. if nothing is gone in the morning, you know he doesnt like spinach
 
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