BIRD0887 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I have a rather large plecko ive only had like 2 wks...i feed him algae waffers at nite but i also know he needs vegetables...do i just cut a piece of cucumber n drop it in at nite? Will he eat during the day?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Algae wafers count as vegetables, but fresh is better. It can carry more nutrients as well. Most plecos also benefit from a source of driftwood to munch on As for adding fresh, take an old clean fork, stab and drop in. Most fresh floats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 @BIRD0887 what kind of pleco? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 As for adding fresh, take an old clean fork, stab and drop in. Most fresh floats. Type of pleco is important. Common pleco diets start with mostly veggies (that’s why they’re sold as algae cleaners initially), but they switch to a more protein based diet as they get older and larger. And they stop being algae cleaners. You can add small bits of shrimp or fish for that. But not too much or it could foul up your water. Plecos are notorious waste producers. Not as familiar with the other large plecos. Hopefully someone else can help with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIRD0887 Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 I believe it's an Amazon sailfin catfish, atleast that's what his markings look like...my pet store sold him to me as a common pleco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) Looks like a common pleco to me. Amazon sail catfish is just another name for it. (apparently? who knew?) Much bigger than anything i have ever done before and a bit of an environmental disaster. NBC2 news had a story from a couple of years ago where they had been harassing the local manatees. apparently, they suck at their slime coat and algae growing on it. causing stress and sometimes death Edited January 9 by Tony s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots Of Loaches Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 He looks like a common pleco (Hypostomus Plecostomus) to me. I like adding canned french cut green beans or sliced organic zucchini, rubber band to a rock, for my plecos once a week just to give them a change from algae wafers. It might surprise you how many of your other fish enjoy the veggies as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Common pleco: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Feeding a varied diet is the most important thing I feed tropical hi-aglae discs with 52.% algae tropical pleco tablets with 36% algae and EBo spirulina tabs with 30% spirulina EBo veg sticks with 50% pea 50% pumpkin fibre EBo youngster grow paste and artemia paste they are very rich in protein so you only want to feed a small amount once a week repashy super green and solient green green cucumber blanched spinach and lettuce occasionally frozen blood worms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIRD0887 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 I bought this pleco to be my main algae eater n basically ur saying hes not really and algea eater once he gets bigger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 On 1/9/2024 at 10:34 PM, BIRD0887 said: I bought this pleco to be my main algae eater n basically ur saying hes not really and algea eater once he gets bigger? most "algae" eaters are fairly poor at it once they get past the juvenile stage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 On 1/9/2024 at 10:34 PM, BIRD0887 said: I bought this pleco to be my main algae eater n basically ur saying hes not really and algea eater once he gets bigger? This type of pleco gets enormous and isn't really fit for most home aquariums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Yeah. Sorry, but the common plecco is often sold that way. But their dietary needs change with age. Which is why people release them back into the wild. Well, that and they grow huge. Yours appears mostly grown though. Maybe less than 6 inches left for it. It’s still kind a cool looking dinosaur kind of fish though. The smaller bristlenose or rubber lip pleco does stay a decent algae eater, but much smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Stores will often take them back if he's not what you expected I'd check with them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 My pleco was fed veggies wafers and flake food. It would feed off the substrate, wood, and glass sides. Competition for fresh veggies in that tank was tough so the pleco learned to swim inverted on the surface hoovering down the flake food. Hopefully your Common Pleco is in a large tank. Mine only got to 16", but that took a while, and it could quickly cover a lot of ground when startled. If this is your first pleco, watch out for the dorsal fins, they have spines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIRD0887 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 @Tanked this is my first experience w a large pleco, and he is a rly cool fish!! he is in a 55 gal octagon rn but next month i am getting a 75 long to put him in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 If this Pleco is in the same tank as the one with very elevated Nitrite from your other thread.....I would really hold off on feeding until that nitrite is under control. If you do feed....very, very minimally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIRD0887 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 @quikv6 so could the algae waffers be elevating the nitrite levels?? I did another about 30 percent change today and tested the water 30 min later n the level is down around 1.0 now id say, so i am making progress... i just need to keep this tank going until i get my 75 gal for the goldfish next month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 On 1/10/2024 at 12:15 PM, BIRD0887 said: @Tanked this is my first experience w a large pleco, and he is a rly cool fish!! he is in a 55 gal octagon rn but next month i am getting a 75 long to put him in When things go bump in the night, its just your pleco rearranging the furniture. I think they are a very cool fish. Along with their size and prehistoric appearance 'here be dragons', their habits are just fun to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Marie Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 On 1/10/2024 at 1:52 PM, BIRD0887 said: @quikv6 so could the algae waffers be elevating the nitrite levels?? I did another about 30 percent change today and tested the water 30 min later n the level is down around 1.0 now id say, so i am making progress... i just need to keep this tank going until i get my 75 gal for the goldfish next month *Anything* you feed will elevate the nitrite levels. Fish food breaking down and fish pooping is what causes ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. So anything you put in the tank to feed the fish will contribute. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I agree with Miranda. In the same respect, those same things (food/poop) will also help/cause your biological filter to grow and catch up. It is a delicate balance, but in a case with significant elevated nitrite (any level can be potentially be significant) and perhaps some elevated ammonia levels as well.....I think its best to minimize the short-term risk by feeding lightly if at all, and have a product like Prime on hand to supposedly detox some of those harmful levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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