royal pleco

[tom h]

i finally got a royal :) pleco but i haven't had much luck finding info on it's diet and conditions to keep it in almost everything on the web about royals are just price lists or scientific nomenclature i understand they are omnivorous and that algae waffers are good, and that driftwood is an essential part of thier diet, but does "bog wood" satisfy thier needs? and is there anything i can do to promote fast growth????

[Oddball]

Bog wood is just fine for royals. Any wood that supports a surface layer of bacteria will do. The Panaques derive some nutrient from the byproducts of the bacteria in driftwood. My Royal grinds down about 50lbs a year so, good filtration is a must. I added a pool screen leaf trap to the w/d filter intake to catch the big chunks my royal tears up. I flush what looks like old coffee grounds from the trap on a weekly basis.
I feed my 18 incher potato halves, kiwi halves, frozen peas, sinking earthworm sticks, sinking catfish pellets, rabbit pellets, frozen fish fillets, cut raw shrimp, live crayfish, live earthworms, and just about anything else that hits the bottom of the tank. (I buy the catfish pellets and rabbit pellets from a feed and grain store. They have the same or higher protein levels as lfs food but costs me less than $18 for 50lb bags.)

[sandtiger]

My royal does not eat much diftwood, had me worried at first but I guess in the past he didn't eat much either. Like oddball I do give him rabbit pellets, its great because the oscars don't like them so they leave them alone. I have also given him brochoili stems, pumpkins and cucumber.

[Tainted Glory]

My 3" royal grinds down driftwood like it's going out of style. I have to do water changes once a week just to get rid of the grinds. All in all, an awesome fish!

[shoefreak03]

i wonder how oddball got them to eat all those stuff. my royal will only take zuchinni

[MANGCH1]

how do i know if my royal is grinding on a the driftwood? i have one huge fake decor. and one real african piece about 6". does that mean soon that driftwood will have disappeared? does anyone know where i can get nice real driftwood in the los angeles area?thx

[Tainted Glory]

how do i know if my royal is grinding on a the driftwood? i have one huge fake decor. and one real african piece about 6". does that mean soon that driftwood will have disappeared? does anyone know where i can get nice real driftwood in the los angeles area?thx

When you vacuum the gravel, you'll notice a rediculous amount of brown crap. That's driftwood.

Is it me or are these things the slowest growing motha f'ers you've ever seen? I swear, mine eats like its going out of style yet doesnt grow?

[quix]

When you vacuum the gravel, you'll notice a rediculous amount of brown crap. That's driftwood.

Is it me or are these things the slowest growing motha f'ers you've ever seen? I swear, mine eats like its going out of style yet doesnt grow?

panaques are slow growing..even with good food, and regular water changes..if u can manage 1 or 1+ inch per yr on the average it'll be good..juvies at below 6 inches tend to display more noticeable growth while i find it really difficult to see clear noticeable growth on the bigger ones..

[Oddball]

panaques are slow growing..even with good food, and regular water changes..if u can manage 1 or 1+ inch per yr on the average it'll be good..juvies at below 6 inches tend to display more noticeable growth while i find it really difficult to see clear noticeable growth on the bigger ones..

Right on. Even my 35" panaque still has 12 years of growth ahead of it.

[MrfisH]

did you say 35"? good god I need a pic of that!!!!!!

[Oddball]

LDA065 Panaque

[DeLgAdO]

OMG ITS ****ING HUGE!!!!!

[quix]

Oddball..the more i see your monster fella..the more i love it...isit still retaining that yellowish coloration? From what I've seen so far, most of them return to the normal grayish/black color after settling down in the tank..

Here's a pic of a juvie fella..maybe the monster's son!? :p
http://fff.corydorasworld.com/gallery/albums/album36/DSC06687.sized.jpg

[MrfisH]

OH GOOD GOD!!!