Repashy recommendation for pleco in community tank?

[Hobbit]

I’m about to get a pleco for my 55 gallon. I have a tank-length piece of driftwood in there and lots of plants. The first time I tried to add a pleco, it ate a ton of wood and then I didn’t see it for ages... months later I found a large vertebra. 😳 The fish store guy said it probably starved, and though I think it’s equally likely it gorged itself to death, I want to make sure I don’t repeat my mistake.

Repashy food seems to be the way to go here. But which one should I get? I have two yo yo loaches, two otos (hoping to get more soon), a handful of tetras and two honey gouramis. Everyone eats the sinking pellets I put in for the loaches, and I’m worried my pleco won’t have a chance to get any food, Repashy or otherwise. Plus there are so many kinds of Repashy that I’m at a loss.

Should I assume everyone will eat it and just go for the Community Plus, hoping the pleco gets brave enough to join the crowd and eat? Or do I try to go with something like Bottom Scratcher or Soilent Green to try to discourage the other fish? Nobody that I have now really likes algae wafers—they always get eaten last.

Any advice? I know I probably just have to try something but I’d love any suggestions or nudges one way or the other!

[FrozenFins]

I would do soilent green, put it on the wood and see if that works. Other options are small peices of veggies (cucumber, zuchinni, green beans, peas) they love that stuff. or algae wafers. 

[lefty o]

most plecos do like to eat wood, but algae wafers are a good supplement also. as for repashy, most of my fish didnt really care for it, but the bristlenose pleco's tear up the repashy community.

[Hobbit]

@James Black Thanks! How do I put it on the wood? Would I have to take the wood out and pour the Repashy on before it sets?

@lefty o that gives me hope! Thanks!

[ange]

You can "paint" Repashy onto decorations before the food sets. I have a pleco cave specifically for this because I like to do it on a removable piece of decor that doesn't upset the plants and can be taken out when they're done.

[Randy]

I like to make a mix of Bottom Scratcher and Soilent Green/Super Green.  Supplementing with the occasional zucchini on the Pleco Feeder is something I try and work in to the food rotation.

[Maggie]

@angecould you expound on exactly how you prepare it (2-1 or 3-1, etc.), and how to paint it on things? Mine made a total disaster when I tried to "drip" it onto a rock. I have six new otocats and want to be ready when they're moved into the community tank. I will buy some fake decoration to paint it on. Right now i just put a piece of it on the bare bottom of the q tank where it kind of falls apart. I watched Cory's vid but it didn't really help, plus he made a huge batch and dipped the decoration in, which won't work well for a small batch made in a small bowl. Thank you! 

[Ken Dyer]

If it falls apart I typically find either my water wasn't hot enough or I used too much water.

A little less water and make sure it is boiling made the difference for me.

[gardenman]

The type of Repashy largely depends on what type of pleco you're getting. Some plecos are largely carnivorous. Give them an algae based Repashy and they'll ignore it. My Super Red Bristlenose plecos are a combination of carnivore (they adore freeze-dried tubifex worms pressed against the glass) and herbivore in that they'll devour canned green beans. They pretty much ignore the algae in the tank though and leave that for me to scrape off. Some are more wood eaters and will ignore anything not wood based. A pleco isn't a pleco. Their diets vary from all plant to all meat to anything in between. Once you decide on which type of pleco you're getting then you can focus on the right type of Repashy for that pleco.

[Hobbit]

Oh dear... I’m getting a super red bristle nose pleco XD

6 hours ago, gardenman said:

My Super Red Bristlenose plecos are a combination of carnivore (they adore freeze-dried tubifex worms pressed against the glass) and herbivore in that they'll devour canned green beans. They pretty much ignore the algae in the tank though and leave that for me to scrape off.

Well I hope mine likes algae more than yours XD I have some sinking wafers that are for omnivores (the loaches’ second choice food) so I’ll give him/her some of that if it looks like the green Repashy isn’t doing it. I plan on keeping the pleco in a separate tank to quarantine and so I can watch it like a hawk.

[Ken Dyer]

My bristle nose will eat just about anything they can. The will absolutely murder zucchini or green beans (salted French cut preferred), repashy, flake/pellet that makes it to the bottom, bug bites plecco sticks, etc.

I doubt you'll find them to be picky eaters, quantity seems to be their chief concern for me 😉  

 

[gardenman]

I bought six baby Super Red Bristlenose Plecos over a year ago from Catfishtown on eBay and he sent seven all of which lived. I put six caves (3 of 1" PVC with end caps and 3 of 1.5" PVC with end caps) and they've bred three times so far. and I've now got over thirty of them in my tank. Here's a photo of about twelve or so nibbling away on the tubifex worms pressed against the glass. They eat like crazy. Mine love meaty food (shrimp pellets and tubifex worms) and green beans. I put in about thirty or so shrimp pellets every morning and then three or four cubes of worms in the afternoons. Every other day they get some green beans and they go through a full can of beans in a week. They'd probably eat more if I put more in. They're really nice little fish.