pleco food

[Alexbet813]

so i have algea, plants, driftwood, have tried wafers, fresh veggies, and flakes and my pleco wont touch any of it !?!?! ive had him for two weeks now and he still seems perfectly healthy. any suggestions?

[jbeining75]

He is nocturnal. Throw an algae wafer in there at night and see if it is there in the morning. He will eat off the driftwood and clean up any algae you have. Depending on how long you have had the tank setup he may be sweeping the floor for you also....

[doug z]

Welcome to the forum!

Are you boiling the veggies for bit beforehand?

What kind of pleco?

How long are you leaving the food, before removing it?

[Alexbet813]

i believe he is just a common pleco and i normally just leave the food in there for about an hour but when i put wafers in at night they are usually still in there in the morning and no i didnt boil any i figured he wouldnt get cooked food in nature

[doug z]

Are you sure it's a common pleco?

How big is your tank?

Pics?

You have to boil veggies for a bit, because the veggies that grow on land like lettuce and spinach have lignin/starch in the cell walls to give them structure to hold them upright and keep their rigidity.. You have to break this down by boiling it a few minutes..

Aquatic plants, etc don't have this of course, as they're not working against gravity..

The wafers SHOULD be getting eaten over night..

Maybe try soaking them in garlic? Seachem's Garlic Guard works well..

[Incredulous_Ed]

You can try NLS H2O stable wafers, maybe he might like those.

[Tooch]

He's eating something. If you think he's gone weeks without eating, but he still looks heathly, then he's eating at night. They are noctornal fish. If you see him stuck to the wall during the day, there's a good chance he's eating alge right then and there. Every once in awhile you'll probably see him move and go to a new section. He's finding more food =)

If he's a common, he's gonna get big.