new pleco won't eat!

when you take him back to the store it might help if you showed the store employee or manager or whoever it is that issues refunds the photos you posted here on the thread. that sunken belly in the second photo is very evident and a fish doesn't get that thin in 5 days or less.
 
user_name said:
a bristlenose would be a better choice for a 29g. Just throw some driftwood in there (only a few bucks at Petco, Petsmart might have some too) and feed him algae wafers and you should be fine.
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agreed, bn plecos are great for smaller tanks and with a 29 gallon you could have a pair that would most likely breed for you (just play some barry white music, lol!).

bristlenose plecos do require wood in their diet, so be sure to provide one or two pieces for them to rasp on.

i disagree with user_name's suggestion of just algae wafers for the diet though. bn plecos require veggies in their diet in addition to staple foods. zucchini has got to be their favourite veggie. just slice a chunk of zuch and weigh it down with a fork in the tank. if the plecos are very young/small then microwave the zuch until it is soft, then let it cool before putting it in the tank.

i feed my bn pleco zucchini at least once a week, and she nibbles on the other veggies i toss in for the fish and snails - carrots, peas, and green beans for the most part. i swear my fish eat better than i do! lol.
 
my BN's took zuch as fry, but now that their older the ignore it for the most part. They still do eat it, but not as much as before. Is it bad to continue to do the microwave thing for juvies/adults (10+ small bristles), because I still do that...
 
I have never microwaved the zucchini that I put in tanks, and it is still mostly gone overnite. I suppose it can't hurt, but may be unnecessary. Then agaun, if it ain't broke, don't fix it !!
 
I agree with the bristlenose idea. You'll be much better off in the long run. I feed mine zuccini, cucumbers, squash, canned green beans, algae tabs and shrimp pellets. I don't boil or microwave the veggies. Just stick it on a fork and put it in the bottom of the tank. Bristlenose will make short work of it. I don't soften veggies for young bristlenose either. It lasts longer without fouling the water that way.
 
user_name said:
my BN's took zuch as fry, but now that their older the ignore it for the most part. They still do eat it, but not as much as before. Is it bad to continue to do the microwave thing for juvies/adults (10+ small bristles), because I still do that...
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Baby and juvie bristlenose need very very soft zucchini to eat. They are not powerful enough to be able to eat it raw. I microwave it for a few months. For my tank of adults, they gobble it up raw. I put a whole medium size zucchini in, cut in 4 quarter wedges for my 8 adults and it's pretty much gone overnight. They prefer it hands down over any other food.
 
Ok, back from the lfs with a new Lloyd! Wow, thread exploded... thanks for all the help! I didn't see the bn pleco suggestions until now...

They gave me refund on half his price. They only had commons, mustard spots and these these guys. I brought my water and all the food I was trying to feed him. My ph was 7.6, and they made a big stink about it. I thought steady ph was better than continually bouncing it?

They only has 2 of these guys left. One was on the bottom with a flatish tummy and one was high on the side of the tank, big big tummy! Woohoo! It wasn't bulging huge or anything, but enough to see a CONVEX shape instead of a concave one. I tried to take pics but they came out blurry. I need to get a better camera! He was very fiesty on the way home, whereas the old Lloyd just stayed on the bottom of the bag.

I shut off the lights, floated the baggie for a half an hour, put some water in, another half hour, little more water, 15 mins and now he's in. I stuck a algae water in there too in case he's hungry. I'll definitely get some zucchini since they seem to like it too.

Cross fingers, he looks and acts healthier!
 
Good luck with the new Lloyd. Get some driftwood if you don't already have some. Why'd they only give you half the purchase price?
 
One thing I've been told by a few breeders and resellers is that some farms actually just dump in a can of green beans into their pleco tanks and leave them alone. This ends up making some of the plecos very picky when it comes to what they'll eat. (besides the obviously nutritional deficiencies) Long shot, but still.
 
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