View Full Version : Royal Plecos
Tainted Glory
10-05-2005, 8:57 PM
I'm going to pick one up tomorrow. Just wondering if there is anything I should be looking out for? Are these guys vegetarians or what? There is a nice piece of driftwood in there for him to chow down on. I feed my other plecos zuchini almost daily, if that helps any. Hook a brotha up.
redtailfool
10-05-2005, 9:09 PM
yeah try zuchhinis and cucumbers... try peas.. and they definitely need wood
in their diet.
The panaques in general hold bacteria used to break down harder algeas. they are adapted to eating even vegitation. it's that time of year where you can find gords. invest in some. when they run out use zuchini squash and cucumber. some meat in their diet is ok but don't go cow crazy. YAY PETA. JK ;)
SteveL91
10-05-2005, 9:12 PM
Check the eyes and stomach: if either (the eyes particularly) are sunken in, then pass on the fish. Check to see how they're maintaining the fish, primarily the presence - or lack there of - of driftwood. If there is wood in the tank, pick a fish that's chewing on the wood; if there isn't, ask them to put a piece in and watch the tank for a bit. You want a fish that's actively working on the wood.
As far as diet, the Panaques are primarily wood eaters. It's a must. Aside from that, just offer a well-rounded diet, and see what it likes. Start with zucchini and/or yellow squash, then go from there.
sandtiger
10-05-2005, 9:36 PM
Hey...I got one of those :)!!!!
Be carefull what one you buy. LFS suck at careing for any pleco species, let alone one like a royal. You don't want to spend the money it takes and end up with a dead pleco. Look for the sunken eyes and stomach as well.
As for food....rabbit pellets work so I have heard, and I used them today and he ate them. Also...
Algae waffers
Squash
Broccoli
Cucumber
Earthworms
WOOD!!!!!!
Peas
You can try other fruits and veggies as well, trial and error.
redtailfool
10-05-2005, 9:39 PM
your pleco can eat your hand sandtiger..
Tainted Glory
10-05-2005, 10:34 PM
LMAO this guy is coming from the store where I work at. There is a large piece of driftwood in there. Last I checked, the one I have my eye on looked healthy and chubby. WIsh me luck...
sandtiger
10-05-2005, 10:40 PM
Good luck :)
Great to hear u'r buying a royal!
everyone has pretty much covered everything..make sure u have wood, and u can supplement with commercial food, zucchini, carrot, potatoes etc..i dun quite like feeding too much veggie cos they tend to be messy..can try finding veggie based pellets..
even if u dun feed them much and have wood inside..they will munch on the wood..softer wood is prefered. :)
oh btw..which species of royal u getting?
I noticed no one mentioned this, but someone I recently saw owning a 14"+ Royal Panaque, was feeding him raw potatoe slices on a regular basis!
loach43
10-06-2005, 3:29 AM
That's mine in the avatar. Does anyone else out there wish that royals came in purple? I love it when they have satan red eyes. Mine has carmel colored eyes (more wishful "photoshopping" on my part). If anyone happens to know the L# for mine please let me know. I've seen similar ones referred to by their owners as "broken line royal plecos". Yes, wood is a MUST! I'm also compelled to say give your Royal good water movement too. I had pretty good movent going on in my tank when I first got mine but my less than satified royal was always hanging around at the top with his face next to the powerhead. I doubled the water movement with a seperate pump and an Xtra large airstone. Now he happily grazes around on the bottom like a happy PleKK should. When I say good water movement, I mean like more than you would think (or atleast what I thought) like the kind of movement you would give a hillstream loach! :thumbsup:
sandtiger
10-06-2005, 11:52 AM
I think yours is a L027b. Olive Royal Pleco, Teles Pires Royal Pleco
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/DazzyD/L27b.jpg
Tainted Glory
10-07-2005, 4:14 PM
I picked it up yesterday. $3.99 baby. Anyway, it's doing great. It hasn't touched the zuchinni yet, but he's been gnawing at the drift wood in there for a while now. Pics tonight!
sandtiger
10-07-2005, 9:08 PM
Congrats. Thats pretty cheap, the cheapest ones I have seen were 15-20 dollers and were babys. How big is yours?
loach43
10-07-2005, 9:08 PM
Congrats on your new Royal TG. Also thanx for the ID info sandtiger. The pic you posted certainly bears some similarities to my royal, particularly the tail. Mine is much darker in color. His body gets so dark sometimes that its hard to see that he has lines, especially when he tries to camoflage himself against the black gravel while I'm vacuuming the tank. I originally wanted one with more contrast and red eyes but I couldn't resist taking this one home since it had such smooth, flawless and flaring fins. He was also healthy, fat and relatively active. Couldn't pass this specimen up when I saw it. I'll be an older man when he reaches 12 inches!
Tainted Glory
10-07-2005, 11:45 PM
I work at a LFS. This guy retails for $29.99. Pics coming soon.
redtailfool
10-07-2005, 11:49 PM
Tick Tock tick tock...
Tainted Glory
10-08-2005, 12:10 AM
ACK gotta install the camera software on this computer. Tomorrow guys...
RTF IM me if you get a chance. The Bled M3.
Jeff M
10-08-2005, 12:16 AM
They love sweet potato!
loach43...looking at your royal..it should be L191 from Columbia...the eyes should be darkish purple, almost black sometimes..body color is commonly greenish/olive..darker or fairer shade depending on environment and specimens...
aint the same from the one sandtiger posted, if u notice, the shape is quite different..
sandtiger
10-08-2005, 1:24 AM
Yeah, I could me wrong. I only had the avatar to look at though, pluse...I'm not that good with most plecostomus species.