too MUCH zucchini?

**Taurus** · 10-21-2012, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by escamosa

Their proper diet is vegetable matter, and they supplement that diet with algea. If they are left to eat just algea and whatever the other fish leave laying around, they can get intestinal problems or starve. So keep giving the little stinker

his vegies, and he'll love you for it!

Really? I didn't know that vegetable matter was grown in the rivers and streams of South America.

All joking aside, they need protein in there diet too. Bet you need see a BN pleco turn up his nose at blood worms.

**fishmommie** · 10-22-2012, 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by Taurus

they need protein in there diet too. Bet you need see a BN pleco turn up his nose at blood worms.

I have only ever fed freeze dried blood worms - sometimes to my betta and for treats in my tetra tank. Are there frozen blood worms? If not, not sure how the pleco would ever get any to eat as they'd never sink.

**escamosa** · 10-22-2012, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Taurus

Really? I didn't know that vegetable matter was grown in the rivers and streams of South America.

All joking aside, they need protein in there diet too. Bet you need see a BN pleco turn up his nose at blood worms.

Well, they don't exactly grow carrots and peas in the rivers, but there is aquatic plants, which is vegetation, and I think that's concidered as vegetable matter!

I'm sure that they will have a bit of a snack on some bloodworms at times, or left overs from the other fishes in the tank, but if the Bristlies only get that sort of stuff, they can get sick and die. I imagine that all fish would add some protien to thier diet at some point, but some just don't need a lot of it, and if a high protien diet is forced on them then you can have problems. The algea wafers contain enough protein for Bristlies. They also have to feed on small amounts of the driftwood or bogwood to help them digest anything that they have eaten that is high in protein, if no vegetable matter is provided. In my opinion, Bristlies do just fine without being forced to eat high protein foods, and grow better without too much of it.

**Taurus** · 10-22-2012, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by fishmommie

I have only ever fed freeze dried blood worms - sometimes to my betta and for treats in my tetra tank. Are there frozen blood worms? If not, not sure how the pleco would ever get any to eat as they'd never sink.

Yes, blood worms are frozen as well. They can be found in the frozen foods section of your LFS. If you soak freeze dried blood worms in a container of tank water for a few minutes and then dump the container into the tank, a few worms may fall to the bottom. I find it easier just to drop in a sinking bottom feeder tablet (not an algae wafer) or sinking shrimp pellets a couple of time per week.

**Taurus** · 10-22-2012, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by escamosa

I'm sure that they will have a bit of a snack on some bloodworms at times, or left overs from the other fishes in the tank, but if the Bristlies only get that sort of stuff, they can get sick and die. I imagine that all fish would add some protien to thier diet at some point, but some just don't need a lot of it, and if a high protien diet is forced on them then you can have problems. The algea wafers contain enough protein for Bristlies. They also have to feed on small amounts of the driftwood or bogwood to help them digest anything that they have eaten that is high in protein, if no vegetable matter is provided. In my opinion, Bristlies do just fine without being forced to eat high protein foods, and grow better without too much of it.

Oh yes! All I'm suggesting is to feed BN plecos an occasional high protein treat. The average protein content of Hikari bottom feeder tabs or algae wafers is around 35%. The bottom feeder tabs are small compared to the algae wafers. Either choice coupled with fresh melon, zucchini, cucumber will lead to very healthy BN plecos.

I think I would blanch broccoli, green beans, ect first or nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds before I put them in the tank just to soften or brake the top layer of cellulose.

**Taurus** · 10-22-2012, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by fishmommie

Can I feed my pleco too much zucchini?

Bottom line is I don't think you can. BN plecos seems to be able to eat and poop at the same time. It's a question of how much do you want to clean up after them because the more plant matter they eat, the more they........

Here's the path that I would follow.........

Drop zucchini into tank at 8 am or 8 pm and take it out no later than 12 hours later. Leave tank without zucchini for the next 12 hours. Be prepared to do a bit of extra gravel vacuuming and water changing.

**fishmommie** · 10-22-2012, 02:32 PM

Thanks for all the great suggestions guys. I love this forum so much because members like you two are so helpful and full of ideas. Every post turns into an education!

**MuckyFish** · 10-23-2012, 10:51 PM

Algae and vegetable eaters can be like food processors.
I don't see any extra pooping related to the timing of the veges placed in the tank. Unless its at night when I am not around.

As an aside I gave up blanching, sometimes it takes a while for the vegies to soften. I leave the strip of zucchini longer 24 - 48 because its not blanched and the snails either consume the left over rind or it is removed.

As a thought, these plecos are usually from amazon basin rivers with shores lined with trees that presumably drop fruit in the river from time to time. It wouldn't surprise me if some of these plecos fed on fallen fruits such as Jaca (no evidence and have not seen it) as part of their diet.

**Taurus** · 10-24-2012, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by MuckyFish

I don't see any extra pooping related to the timing of the veges placed in the tank. Unless its at night when I am not around.

LOL...I was only half joking. Pleocs poop so much it just seems like they eat and poop at the same time. Anyone that has a BN pleco and vacuums the gravel on a regular basis knows what I mean.

**Fishies' Mom** · 10-26-2012, 03:37 AM

'Alfred', a now 8" common pleco, will polish off a 1.5 inch long, 2 inch in diameter hunk of zucchini almost overnight! He'd do it every night if I kept up with him! I stick it on a stainless salad fork and bury the handle in the gravel - it gives it a good foundation and Alfred can really scrape away at it.

I usually put three or four 1/4" slices in as floaters (swordtails, mollies, and tiger barbs also enjoy), and Alfred will swim up to the top when his chunk is gone and suck on the slices at the top of the tank. He looks very impressive, upsidedown, gnawing away on a floating slice of zucchini! Alfred is cool; we need to trade him in soon, as he's just getting a bit big for our tank. We keep putting it off - we're going to miss him!