Need help feeding pleco

[lorindaleigh]

Last month I bought a 20 gallon tank from someone. It came with some fish and a 6 inch pleco. She called him an algae fish lol and told me that he just ate the algae. After doing lots of research, I figured out that my little guy (or girl) is a pleco. Since then I have tried to feed him 6 different typers of wafers, tons of vegetables and even a banana. He won't touch anything. I thought maybe it was the other fish bother him so I put up a divider and still won't touch the food. I've done the put it in and turn off all the lights for the night trick. That doesn't work. I have read that people have been able to drop a wafer into their plecos mouth. I can't get close to him. He swims away if I do. I'm not sure how to feed him. He stays in the same corner sucking the same areas of the tank so I'm not even sure how much algae he is gettng. He hasn't lost any weight. Any ideas on what I should do?

 

[fishorama]

Many plecs are nocturnal, keep feeding at lights out it, must be eating something. See the sticky at the top of the plec page for more foods. Can you post a pic so we can tell what kind it is, they have some different dietary needs. Do you have any wood in the tank, many like it, some NEED it.

 

[leeser28]

I wouldn't worry so much. I believe that when he's hungry he'll eat. If he looks healthy and isn't losing weight he probably is eating something and you just don't see it. Keep tossing in a algae tab. Mine loves it when I cut of a good sized hunk of zucchini (like a 3 inch long piece), skin it, skewer it on a fork and let it sink to the bottom of the tank. Last night and today he finished off almost the whole piece! I do also have a piece of driftwood in the tank for him to suck on, although I didn't for the first 6 years I had him and he was fine.

 

[lorindaleigh]

He won't eat any veggies. I have tried cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, peas, and spinach. I've tried them all blanched and non blanched.

Here's a pic:

I'm treating the tank with Jungle fungus tabs so I can't get any more until I do a couple more water changes so it doesn't come out greenish.

 

[pinkertd]

I'm not 100% certain, but I think he's a common pleco. I can't help you with his diet, they are supposed to like some veggies and wafers. And it is not uncommon that he hides when you approach the tank....that is typical pleco behavior.

 

[Blossom112]

common plec i believe .
he will eat when hungry like said above , drop the wafer in and vegies and just wait ........
when i have gotten new plecs they take time to eat .... when i get them from the fish store small you never know what they are fed my last ones werent eating anything and i waited 3 to 4 days then threw food in and they ate like pigs since then they devour everything i put in ,i find mine dont like the wafers .

he looks healty so he is getting something !!!
they will clean the bottom at night and eat poop too ......lol
Gl

 

[chloe_21]

hes a lovely common!
when they get bigger they dont seem to eat as much arnt as active. unforunatly my 2ft common just died, but he never used to do anything...hardly ever saw him eat lol i used to chuck in wafers at night and by the morning they were gone. so chuck some in and with a piece of cucumber and just leave him over night.
x

 

[lorindaleigh]

common plec i believe .
he will eat when hungry like said above , drop the wafer in and vegies and just wait ........
when i have gotten new plecs they take time to eat .... when i get them from the fish store small you never know what they are fed my last ones werent eating anything and i waited 3 to 4 days then threw food in and they ate like pigs since then they devour everything i put in ,i find mine dont like the wafers .

he looks healty so he is getting something !!!
they will clean the bottom at night and eat poop too ......lol
Gl

Thanks so much! I was so worried about him. I have gotta attached to him lol. My eyes got a little watery when you said he looks healthy. I was worried. I think I read too many horror stories.

 

[lorindaleigh]

hes a lovely common!
when they get bigger they dont seem to eat as much arnt as active. unforunatly my 2ft common just died, but he never used to do anything...hardly ever saw him eat lol i used to chuck in wafers at night and by the morning they were gone. so chuck some in and with a piece of cucumber and just leave him over night.
x

I was just thinking that the problem could be that I'm not dropping enough in. I also have 2 mystery snails and some mollies. They mollies will try to eat anything. What I have been doing is dropping on wafer on one side of the tank and another on the other side. The snails and the mollies usually go after one of them right away. I'm going to try to drop more in tonight instead of just a couple.

 

[chloe_21]

I was just thinking that the problem could be that I'm not dropping enough in. I also have 2 mystery snails and some mollies. They mollies will try to eat anything. What I have been doing is dropping on wafer on one side of the tank and another on the other side. The snails and the mollies usually go after one of them right away. I'm going to try to drop more in tonight instead of just a couple.

its always worth doing. if hes alive then thats usually a good sign lol he ust be eating something if hes not lost weight....so maybe he will just eat when he wants.
good luck and keep us updated.