# What/How do you feed your plecos?



## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

Hey Guys! 

I'm wondering what you feed your plecos? I got some yam the other day and put it in the tank and my BNPs would suck on it every now and then but they didn't go crazy on it as I've read on some threads about it. 

Am I supposed to boil it a little before feeding so its soft? because the piece I put in the tank was quite hard.. so maybe they didn't like it that much? 

Also wondering what else do you folks out there feed them? I've been feeding them algae flakes and that about it.


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I feed all my fish including plecos a nice piece of zucchini and have on occasion fed them cucumber. Otherwise just sinking pellets or algae wafers.


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## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

sunshine_1965 said:


> I feed all my fish including plecos a nice piece of zucchini and have on occasion fed them cucumber. Otherwise just sinking pellets or algae wafers.


do you just cut the piece and dump it in the tank?


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## Haldane86 (Jan 25, 2012)

Mine really like mushrooms and squash lol not so big on the zucchini. I have also tried melon, green beans, spinach and broccoli. I feed mine using a screwcumber so it doesnt float. They also seem to like sinking cichlid pellets and the occasional algae wafer (I put them in but they dont touch them to much)


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I feed all my fish including plecos a nice piece of zucchini and have on occasion fed them cucumber. Otherwise just sinking pellets or algae wafers.


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I stab it with a fork and sink to the bottom.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

BNP's don't like yams as much as Panaque, but they do eat it. Most plecos prefer zucchini, but they are a bit messier. Try Bok Choy or spinach..mine go after those like mad, or lettuce. But if they haven't had it before they might not recognize it as food, and of course, in a discus tank, they may be too much other food around for them to go after the veggies. Try putting it in there after lights out when you are not feeding the discus. Then take it out the next morning before the food breaks down.


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## Fourstreeman (Apr 23, 2010)

My BNP go crazy over corn on the cob - husk it, wash it and I put an elastic around it to hold it to a limestone tile. Overnight it is comsumed to a hard round corn cob. I alternate corn with zuchini - They love that just about as much...


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## Athomedad (Oct 8, 2011)

I use 'seaweed' clips that suction to the glass. I put up 1 on each side of the tank so the dominant pleco doesn't get violent with anyone. I feed spinach & zucchini (blanched 1 minute) broccoli stalks, buk choy stalks & Brussel sprouts (blanched 3 minutes) and shelled frozen/thawed peas. The peas I just drop in the tank. 

I've noticed if I freeze the veggies than thaw them that they don't float. 

Also be careful of cooking things like yams & buk choy too long. They disintegrate & clog your filters. 

Don't leave the veggies in the tank more than a day or two. 

Be warned if you feed them broccoli there will be an 'odour'


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Fourstreeman said:


> My BNP go crazy over corn on the cob - husk it, wash it and I put an elastic around it to hold it to a limestone tile. Overnight it is comsumed to a hard round corn cob. I alternate corn with zuchini - They love that just about as much...


I heard about this from our mutual friend. Do you put it in there raw? I'm going to see about trying this out.


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## Athomedad (Oct 8, 2011)

Quick photo of my set up


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## Fourstreeman (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey Gary - yes, I put them in raw, right from the fridge. In the summer they are very inexpensive, now, about 5 cobs for $4 at vegetable "corner stores". I wash then and put three or so in at a time in my 210 gallon. BNPs go crazy over them, My L25, watermelon, tigers like them as well. Not messy...

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Mike


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Great, thanks Mike. I'm going to try it for my panaque this summer when they are cheaper.


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## vicz24 (Jan 19, 2012)

I too feed my pleco's zuccinni (raw) on clips, I use 2 clips per tank & put 2 peices on each clip & there is nothing left by morning. I have tried cucumber, peas, carrot, corn, melon & lettuce, but they don't seem to like any of that, just mainly the zuccinni. I also feed them flakes, bloodworms freezdried(they love them), shrimp pelettes, wafers & once a week they get a treat of frozen bloodworms & then it's a frenzie.


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## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all your responses... I didn't know that I can pretty much put in any vegetable in the tank. I'm going to try all the ideas one by one and see what my plecos like the most.



vicz24 said:


> I too feed my pleco's zuccinni (raw) on clips, I use 2 clips per tank & put 2 peices on each clip & there is nothing left by morning. I have tried cucumber, peas, carrot, corn, melon & lettuce, but they don't seem to like any of that, just mainly the zuccinni. I also feed them flakes, bloodworms freezdried(they love them), shrimp pelettes, wafers & once a week they get a treat of frozen bloodworms & then it's a frenzie.


Aren't plecos vegetarian? Isn't animal protein bad for them? Don't they get the 'bloat' problem if they eat animal protein? Its one reason why I stop feeding beef heart mustier in my tank because my pleco would start eating it as soon as I put it in the tank.


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## CanadaPleco (May 13, 2010)

another good veggie for panaque is yucca root. they go crazy over it.


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## CanadaPleco (May 13, 2010)

zhasan said:


> Thanks everyone for all your responses... I didn't know that I can pretty much put in any vegetable in the tank. I'm going to try all the ideas one by one and see what my plecos like the most.
> 
> Aren't plecos vegetarian? Isn't animal protein bad for them? Don't they get the 'bloat' problem if they eat animal protein? Its one reason why I stop feeding beef heart mustier in my tank because my pleco would start eating it as soon as I put it in the tank.


only some plecos are vegetarian , many are omnivores and even more are carnivore.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

CanadaPleco said:


> only some plecos are vegetarian , many are omnivores and even more are carnivore.


Rich is right on. Here's a good article on who eats what: Feeding Plecos, Part 2 Who eats what?; PlanetCatfish.com


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

I believe that fish don't necessarily do well with beef heart. Yes, it's high in protein, but it contains lots of fats that they can't metabolize (like cholesterol, trans and saturated). It's like going on a McDonald's diet. Fish and mollusk meat has fat, but it's more readily metabolized (think of how fish fat stays in a liquid form after you cook it, while beef fat solidifies) and our fish probably produce enzymes to break it down since they naturally feed on aquatic meat. Issues like bloat from feeding beef heart probably relates back to this somehow, whether it's caused by undigested food in gastric tracts, digestive bacteria, pathogenic response, or who knows what else. Just my 2 cents.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

DBam said:


> I believe that fish don't necessarily do well with beef heart. Yes, it's high in protein, but it contains lots of fats that they can't metabolize (like cholesterol, trans and saturated).


That's one thing that many discus keepers who keep plecos have found. That animal protein (not aquatic) causes bloat in their plecos. I've never fed beef heart since my Oscar keeping days as a kid, and probably never will. There are many other forms of high protein food that grow fish without feeding animal protein. Some people swear by those to grow the biggest fish in the shortest time, but that's not my objective, which is to have the healthiest fish possible, whether they are big or not.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I follow Storm's advice when I fist got BNP fri from him

I feed:
Critter Curmbs ... everyone in the tanks like it
Spurilina Wafers and flake.
Romain lcettice the Plecos love it
Banana leaf in the summer while it is growing

dried Banana leaf for leaf litter in the tanks


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

My albino BNP's aren't crazy about zucchini or yam but they like cucumber, bok choy and any "leafy" veggies. The sailfin will devour cucumber or zucchini down to nothing in no time flat, but yams take a little longer. I don't blanch the yams for the sailfin, just wash and peel them. I tried a whole banana (peeled), and that lasted less than 15 minutes.

My goldfish will lay waste to orange halves, (they mob them and eat them right down to the rind within a couple of hours), but none of the other fish seem to care for them as much. 

I put a fork or screwcumber in whatever I'm feeding to make it sink.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

+1 on what most of you guys feed veggie wise myself included, as a treat once or twice a month i introduce 'massivore pellets' by Hikari into their diet too.Try to be careful with the quantity cause its very high in protein which some plecos can do with out.


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## Eros168 (Dec 25, 2011)

My bn pleco goes crazy on zucchini and fresh cucumber. I use algae wafers to supplement it, and for my other pleco such L201 and L134 I feed them kens catfish sticks with some high protein sticks.


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

My BNP's love their zucchini and cucumber, and do ok with spinach and romaine. They're not too crazy about yams. I supplement with algae wafers and sinking bottom feeder pellets.


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## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

This is great info! Thanks everyone and keep it coming. I'm sure many new to pleco hobbyist can take advantage of all this information!

So I placed a couple of pieced of cucumber the other day and they didn't take a stab at it.. but by the next morning they were half gone.... during the day I noticed my red turq picking at it too!! I took that out the second day.. didn't want it ruining the water quality.

Today I'm trying with a leaf of whole cabbage i think.. thats what it is.. the BNPs haven't been close to it but I'm hoping I'll see some activity on it by tomorrow morning.


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## Kimrocks (Aug 30, 2011)

We tried this - (see pics):
- From HomeDepot - a Stainless Steel Screw and Nut (to weigh it down). 
- Fishing Line tied to a Bull Clip - and to the Screw - so that we can lower and raise as needed without getting wet.
- Screw Veges in

It seems to work nicely.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I can't have string in my cichlid tank. Every time I try somebody chews through it.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I use something like these tongs to get the screwcumbers in and out without getting my hands wet.

Eheim Plant Tongs - 24 Inch


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## Jasonator (Jul 12, 2011)

Mine love the cukes and algae wafers.


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

Mine like the zuchinni which I weigh down with a fork, and also give algea wafers. My cichlids devour romaine lettuce leaves which I hang just inside the top with the sliding glass lid to hold it.


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## Shiyuu (Apr 9, 2011)

Do you guys peel off the zucchini/cucumber skin??


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

Shiyuu said:


> Do you guys peel off the zucchini/cucumber skin??


i dont just on the yams i take it off


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