how often do i give my pleco veggies???

**Ark6ie** · 09-08-2007, 01:34 AM

i recently got given a baby sailfin pleco and was curious about how often do i feed it veggies (eg a piece of cooked pumpkin)? i put in a piece last night and the bristlenose have been eating it aswell. any info would be appreciated. thanks guys

**Dave66** · 09-08-2007, 01:53 AM

I put veggies in every night. Plecos by nature are grazers, so they are wired to have food available to them always.

Dave

**cocoa_pleco** · 09-08-2007, 01:56 AM

yep, daves got it. i used to breed plecos and i had 2 commons (large) and a clown one. i always put in 15 algae wafers a night and the ate them all in one sitting. theyre natural grazers

**Ark6ie** · 09-08-2007, 02:52 AM

cool, thanks. ive noticed that my big brown bristlenose has been eating most of the day!

**zackish** · 09-08-2007, 03:29 AM

I thought plecos eat wood? ahaha
I know I am suppose to supplement my otos with zuccini or w/e but I have never yet, especially now w all the algae I got in my tank.

**Dave66** · 09-08-2007, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by zackish

I thought plecos eat wood? ahaha
I know I am suppose to supplement my otos with zuccini or w/e but I have never yet, especially now w all the algae I got in my tank.

You need to blanch (that is, briefly boil) the corgette to make it soft enough for the Otocinclus to eat. It's ready when the slices are slightly soft, not squishy.
Algae is one of the prime foods for Otocinclus.

Dave

**cocoa_pleco** · 09-08-2007, 03:35 AM

plecos do eat wood! they like to nibble on driftwood! arkie, add some driftwood for the pleco, he'll thank you for it!

**Dave66** · 09-08-2007, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by cocoa_pleco

plecos do eat wood! they like to nibble on driftwood! arkie, add some driftwood for the pleco, he'll thank you for it!

CP,
Actually, they are after the biofilm on the wood. The true wood-eaters are of the Panaque genus. They are called canoe eaters in the Amazon.

Dave

**zackish** · 09-08-2007, 03:46 AM

Dave, while your at it answer me this. How come I have such large amounts of algae in my tank all of a sudden ahhaa.
I have got my lights down to only 7 hours a day. A lot of green algae is growing on my Malaysian driftwood now. Is it just from building up over time or?.......

**Dave66** · 09-08-2007, 03:49 AM

Originally Posted by zackish

Dave, while your at it answer me this. How come I have such large amounts of algae in my tank all of a sudden ahhaa.
I have got my lights down to only 7 hours a day. A lot of green algae is growing on my Malaysian driftwood now. Is it just from building up over time or?.......

There are too many nutrients in your tank. It could be overfeeding, phosphate from your tap, sunshine part of the day, all kinds of things. Take detective work to find which one.
Algae-covered tank is an Otocinclus paradise.

Dave