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Feeding question (a lot of info sorry)


WagglePets
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So I have 3 mystery snails and a rl pleco in a 20 gal along with other fish (not overstocked) well the pleco was having trouble finding his food cuz he is very skinny and only a few inches so someone on fish lore said I should temporarily put him in my bettas 5.5 gallon to fatten him up well there’s also a mystery snail in there and the mystery snail just eats all his food and so do the shrimp how do I feed this guy without these darn snails and shrimp eating it before he can get to it! Times ticking cause he is very skinny and I’m scared he will pass soon sorry I don’t have a picture he hides a lot 

 

there’s like no algae either I feed cucumber zucchini algae wafers and algae pops (I know there for shrimp)

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Put in blanched zucchini in the late afternoon and one before bed. If they're half an inch thick or more, your pleco will have time to go for it. If you can get it close to where they hide, they may be more likely to call claim to it and shoo away the shrimp and snail.

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On 3/14/2022 at 4:31 PM, WagglePets said:

So I have 3 mystery snails and a rl pleco in a 20 gal along with other fish (not overstocked) well the pleco was having trouble finding his food cuz he is very skinny and only a few inches so someone on fish lore said I should temporarily put him in my bettas 5.5 gallon to fatten him up well there’s also a mystery snail in there and the mystery snail just eats all his food and so do the shrimp how do I feed this guy without these darn snails and shrimp eating it before he can get to it! Times ticking cause he is very skinny and I’m scared he will pass soon sorry I don’t have a picture he hides a lot 

 

there’s like no algae either I feed cucumber zucchini algae wafers and algae pops (I know there for shrimp)

What’s an rl pleco?  Many plecos are more omnivore than algae eaters.  Then you have the wood eaters.  If you’re talking about a rubber-lipped pleco, they are omnivores but eat mostly vegetation from what I’ve read.  I’ve never kept one before.  Omnivores, no matter the species, are sometimes subject to parasite infestation.  You might need to do a deworming, preferably with fenbendazole or levamisole.

I would offer something meaty as well as vegetables since your pleco is skinny.  If your pleco is not a rubber lipped, then post species, please?

Edited by Odd Duck
Add levamisole to deworming rec.
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On 3/15/2022 at 11:56 AM, WagglePets said:

Sorry another fish forum use abbreviations for different fish that’s why I said rl pleco instead of rubber lipped pleco  

Just wanted to be sure we were talking about the same thing.  This is a very international forum so sometimes I like to clarify, both to make sure I give decent answers, plus make sure others can understand that may be reading along.

Do you have levamisole that you can use?  It is worth trying since any omnivore species has potential to get internal parasites. Most plecos that are omni or herbivore really like blanched zucchini, so bump that up and offer it fresh every day removing any leftovers.  It’s unlikely that the snails will eat all of that before he can get to it.  Did you say how long you’ve had this little one?  Do you know if it’s domestic bred or imported?

I’m very worried that snails are beating a fish to the food since it’s usually the other way around.  That implies more than just food competition.  Your little one may be sick from something else and getting skinny from that vs. just not eating enough food.

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If you have some Repashy Super Green or Soilent Green it is easy to add medication when you mix it. I don't know what medications are snail/shrimp-safe because I don't have any shrimp and I don't have any snails that I care much about.

If you put medication in Repashy, add the medication after it has cooled a bit, but before it solidifies. Exposure to high heat can make some medications ineffective.

I agree that snails and shrimp should not be able to out-compete a pleco for food. Plecos can "smell" the food and I would think they are capable of finding it and out-muscling shrimp and snails to get it.

Edited by HH Morant
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I’ll try and answer all the questions haha and about the medication I don’t remember if I have that one but I know I have metroplex and I’ll call tomorrow and ask petsmart if it was imported or domestic bred and now I’m worried that your worried cause that could be a big issue if he has something going on. By the way I don’t have any repashy at the moment but I have gelatin and veggies!

One issue is I have ghost shrimp in with my pleco I could always move the snails but I can’t really move the shrimp I’ll try unless someone else has an idea I just don’t want them to get eaten 

But if they do there 39 cents so it wouldn’t be much of a loss if I had to get more 

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On 3/17/2022 at 11:06 PM, WagglePets said:

I’ll try and answer all the questions haha and about the medication I don’t remember if I have that one but I know I have metroplex and I’ll call tomorrow and ask petsmart if it was imported or domestic bred and now I’m worried that your worried cause that could be a big issue if he has something going on. By the way I don’t have any repashy at the moment but I have gelatin and veggies!

One issue is I have ghost shrimp in with my pleco I could always move the snails but I can’t really move the shrimp I’ll try unless someone else has an idea I just don’t want them to get eaten 

But if they do there 39 cents so it wouldn’t be much of a loss if I had to get more 

Even carnivore plecos aren’t too likely to tackle ghost shrimp and omnivores less likely.  They’re more about small detritus type worms (like blackworms, whiteworms, Grindal worms, tubifex, etc), and maybe scuds or something small.

PetSmart won’t know if it’s domestic or wild caught.  Try the gelatin and veggie mix with the dewormer.

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Do you have a plastic bid and a second filter. I some times have to have a second quarantine tankand I set up a bid this one is 16”x10”x6.5”C264DB13-32E1-49A2-93E2-5E0134A30614.jpeg.a4de86f38bdb5d651c37be9467cc7bc6.jpegI have extra sponges running two tanks and that way I can take some water about half and add half new water. If you don’t have a small sponge filter a new one should work you may want to just just as must of the bid as possible. Move the RL there and there and treat especially for worms. someone talked about mixing food with repashy that’s the best way to get it in the gut. You will still need to treat the water. Nothing  should be hurt by the med and the fish you want gets it. The bid doesn’t need to be clear, I have a big grey one I use if get a big shipment of fish. Yes the I show is not big but it’s fine for a short period of time. You can see if the fish is defecating and how it looks that can tell you things.

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Ok I have the perfect container! (It looks like the one pictured) and an extra cycled filter 

And yeah somethings wrong cause I took the snails out and put them in my 20 gal and put a slice of cucumber literally next to my plecos head and halfway through the next day none of it is gone 

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On 3/18/2022 at 4:52 PM, WagglePets said:

I have a few questions 1. How many gallons is that in the picture 2.mine is 1 gallon is that too small 3. If it’s not too small how much metroplex to put in 

 

 

Sorry for the delay I broke a tank today about the time you sent this. I think that a1 gallon is to small unless the RL is 1 inch or less. Mine holds  about 4.5 full to the very top but I normally keep it about 3/4 full so that’s a little more than 3 gals. The metroplex say 1-2 scoops/10 gals(  the measuring device comes with it). I would use the 1/5gals so it would be about a little over half to 2/3 of the scoop. that is for one that is my size.  For a gallon size it would be about 1/5 of a scoop. 
I would try to get a little bigger bin at dollar store if you can. The travel across the country in a gallon size bag. Just do water changes daily about 32 oz. The suggested fenbendazole or levamisole. Reason for this is because it’s a wormer and it sounds like it could be worms.. if you choose to use metroplex I would dose the water and dose the food with one of the other to. I would add a small bit o food with protein. If you feed flakes or other food mix it with the gelatin mix you were thinking about. If flakes you can just crush it with you fingers.  If pellets or crumbles a coffee grinder works great. Blender will work you may just have to add a little more than a coffee grinder just because the blender was bigger. Included a link to figure out how much something hold in gallons. It’s in feet so if it 8 inches you divide 9 by 12. Which is 0.75 feet.  Or if it’s 18in divided by 12=1.5 ft. 
 

you can dm me if you need more help

 

 

https://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/waterops/redesign/calculators/volcalchtm.htm

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