Jump to content

My 46G Bowfront gets a Makeover!


AndreaW
 Share

Recommended Posts

On 4/26/2022 at 10:29 AM, Guppysnail said:

On the bright side…you worry about Gorgeous Gary getting enough to eat…now you see HE EATS 😁

Yes! It's expensive to feed him though! I need weekly auctions! Or maybe I need a plant growing tank to replenish what he eats weekly. But guess what?!? Gary pooped the other day. First poop I've seen from him in years and it made me happy. :classic_laugh: 

  • Haha 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/26/2022 at 10:13 AM, AndreaW said:

@Torrey  & @Guppysnail ~ Thank you! :classic_laugh: I'm not sure the Bacopa or Mermaid Weed are going to survive in this tank. There are already chunks missing and I suspect it's Sir Gary the Pleco that's stripping them. Maybe he won't be able to eat them as much if they are floating? They seemed to have good roots on them so I planted them straight into the substrate, and I do have an UG filter, so figured it would get plenty of nutrients. I think I'll uproot my Scarlet Temple stems to see if they will do better floating for a bit.

Sounds like Sir Gary isn't getting enough of his plant/cellulose dietary needs met. Does he have any wood in the tank to chew on? Does he get green beans regularly like @Guppysnail makes for her longfin plecos? What about any other veggies (ours loved carrots cut in half, lengthwise).

That would be a lot easier on Sir Gary, and easier on your plants!

  • Like 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/27/2022 at 8:24 PM, Torrey said:

Sounds like Sir Gary isn't getting enough of his plant/cellulose dietary needs met. Does he have any wood in the tank to chew on? Does he get green beans regularly like @Guppysnail makes for her longfin plecos? What about any other veggies (ours loved carrots cut in half, lengthwise).

That would be a lot easier on Sir Gary, and easier on your plants!

I do have driftwood, and feed him green beans, cucumber, and algae wafers along with Repashy Morning Wood & Bottom Scratcher. However, I recently discovered Sir Gary has a condition called Snub-Nose and his deformity prevents him from rasping on the wood or eating foods a certain way. I'm trying to get him to eat more because he's a bit bony and I rarely see him poop (which means he doesn't eat enough).

I don't always have fresh veggies in the tank, and feed them more as a treat, but maybe I should do more on a regular basis so he doesn't have to compete when I feed the tank. I was thinking the Repashy would be a good addition, but I don't know if he actually gets any of it since I feed it after lights out. Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate the positive feedback here because even when I think I'm doing things better, there's always room for more improvement! :classic_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My bn pretty much snub all the dozens of wafer brands. They like repashy but eat mostly vegetables. I just put one in the tanks at feeding time and switch it out the next day. They graze eat vs gobble so they enjoy it. Different times of the day they eat when they want. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just thought of this for him.  I have a little chopper you could steam his veggies and chop them to a size he could eat a whole piece without needing to rasp.  If you lightly blanch them and freeze they sink.  Also French cut green beans canned no salt added sink and he could gooble hopefully.  Maybe try sinking small pellets as well. 

Edited by Guppysnail
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2022 at 5:43 AM, Guppysnail said:

French cut green beans canned no salt added

Is this what I see in your tank with the weights? I have regular beans, canned, no salt I've been feeding but was thinking of getting some frozen green beans and blanching and weighting them. He *can* eat softened foods as long as he can fit his mouth around him, but he doesn't suction on things like the wood or glass. His mouth is more curved than flat now. I need foods I can hold in place as the current in this tank is still pretty strong. I need to find the time to retrofit the rainbar to slow the current.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No mine are fresh I rinse and steam then open and remove seeds so they can rasp the meat.  The skin of the green bean does not soften until morning for them to eat because I don’t steam them super soft. I don’t eat canned veggies so I just make extra of all veggies each week I prep for meals for hubby and I for the fish.  I do not use oil or salt in the steam water. They get a variety of veggies this way. All my pleco pictures you folks see are green beans because they rush to them. Dinner is at 5pm for them and my tank time is morning/afternoon.  Other veggies they only eat when really hungry. In the afternoon they know to come looking for the green bean treat when I remove yesterdays veggies early. Then as soon as the beans  hit the tanks all 7 pleco are in the food dish in all the tanks at the same time for photo ops 🤣.  
 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2022 at 7:05 PM, AndreaW said:

@Guppysnail ~ I didn't realize you could get fresh green beans year-round! 

I buy them at the grocery in the refrigerated produce section in bags pre washed year round. I look for the longest ones. I get broccoli, baby carrots, peppers, Brussels sprouts ( messy in tank) zucchini etc. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2022 at 2:34 AM, Guppysnail said:

My bn pretty much snub all the dozens of wafer brands. They like repashy but eat mostly vegetables. I just put one in the tanks at feeding time and switch it out the next day. They graze eat vs gobble so they enjoy it. Different times of the day they eat when they want. 

@Guppysnail I've been removing the fresh, lightly steamed (as in I pour boiling water over them and let them sit in the bowl to cool off before adding to the tank) green bean hulls after 2 hours from my snail and shrimp only tanks (they don't exactly last more than 3 hours in the community breeding tanks) to prevent fouling the water. Can I actually leave them in overnight?

On 4/27/2022 at 10:32 PM, AndreaW said:

I do have driftwood, and feed him green beans, cucumber, and algae wafers along with Repashy Morning Wood & Bottom Scratcher. However, I recently discovered Sir Gary has a condition called Snub-Nose and his deformity prevents him from rasping on the wood or eating foods a certain way. I'm trying to get him to eat more because he's a bit bony and I rarely see him poop (which means he doesn't eat enough).

I don't always have fresh veggies in the tank, and feed them more as a treat, but maybe I should do more on a regular basis so he doesn't have to compete when I feed the tank. I was thinking the Repashy would be a good addition, but I don't know if he actually gets any of it since I feed it after lights out. Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate the positive feedback here because even when I think I'm doing things better, there's always room for more improvement! :classic_smile:

Guppysnail taught me to take better care of my snails, so most of my tanks now get fresh carrot (thinly sliced) or lightly steamed green bean hulls almost every day. Spring through summer we get organic at the farmers market, fall and winter I grab fresh in bulk at the grocery store.

I didn't knw about the snubnose condition, that does add an extra layer of complication. That also explains why he goes after the softer plant leaves. What does he think of kale, spinach, turnip, mustard and radish greens? Lightly steamed, they are hits with my fish and shrimp. Would definitely be more nutrient dense than your aquarium plants, and it is *super* easy to grow microgreens to ensure no pesticides on the leaves.

  • Like 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/28/2022 at 8:48 PM, Torrey said:

Can I actually leave them in overnight?

I replace new veggies every 24 hours.  If there is anything left of the old I remove it when I put new in.  Zucchini I take out after 12 because it makes a gooey mess that’s floated everywhere in my tanks…found that out the hard way 🤦‍♀️ Josh’s frogs has a description of allowing small pieces of lettuce to rot in tanks grows in tank infusoria which I have done for years in well seasoned fry tanks  😉 

Edited by Guppysnail
  • Thanks 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...