Bn Pleco Wont eat his cucumber...Should i take it out?

[BPags52]

You shouldn't need to blanch the veggies. I've heard you lose alot of nutrients that way.

Have you found a food the pleco will eat? If so, stuff whatever it will eat in the cucumber. When I add zuchini to the tank, I usually stuff several massivore or shrimp pellets in it.

I add it to the tank at night, and pull it out in the morning. Sometimes I'll leave it in until early evening the next day (if the plecos are still actively grazing on it in the morning).

Try zuchini if you don't have any luck with cucumber, its supposed to be real nutritious for plecos.

 

[SpeshulEd]

I stuck veggie/algae wafers in cucumbers/zucchini at first to get my plecos to realize it was food...now they munch on it the minute I put it in the tank.

 

[BPags52]

I stuck veggie/algae wafers in cucumbers/zucchini at first to get my plecos to realize it was food...now they munch on it the minute I put it in the tank.

Yeah I use massivore, hikari sinking pellets, shrimp pellets, fresh market shrimpfreeze-dried whole earthworms (sandwiched between two slices of zuchini).

The key is to find something they like and stuff it in the zuchini/whatever veggie you are feeding them, they'll realize sooner or later its food.

 

[navygirl76]

ive found that my pleco will eat the flesh of the cucumber, but wont eat the skin. i feed mine (i slice them-freeze them and then rubber band them to a rock and sink it for a few days) zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, and my pleco LOVES cauliflower! lol.

 

[swede]

blanching in the microwave retains the nutrients cuz you're using less water, plus the nutrients have nowhere to go. health experts have said for years that if you cook veggies in the mic, they lose no nutrients

 

[BPags52]

ive found that my pleco will eat the flesh of the cucumber, but wont eat the skin. i feed mine (i slice them-freeze them and then rubber band them to a rock and sink it for a few days) zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, and my pleco LOVES cauliflower! lol.

Why do you freeze it?

 

[SuckmyPleco]

Thanks I'm going to try to get some algae wafers and put them in the cucumber Or do you think theres something that will let him know its food better than algae wafers?

 

[BPags52]

I'm not really sure what bristlenose plecos like.

My plecos are mostly carnivorous, so I use protein based pellets, like Massivore Delight, Hikari Sinking Carnivore pellets, Shrimp pellets, tetramin tablets...etc.

Probably any type of pellet or wafer will do fine. To keep the other fish from pecking the pellets out, I typically sandwich the pellets between two slices of zuchini, held in place by a fork (pictures of this are on pages 4 and 8 of my "Adjustment Period? (New L-264)" thread in the pleco forum.

Add it just before turning out the lights one night, and if its still there in the morning take it out, and try again a day or two later. You could leave it in 24 hours if you wanted (I have noticed on a couple occassions that the zuchini looked untouched overnight, so i left it in while I went to work, and when I got home, it had been mostly eaten).

 

[abarilot]

Don't stress! If you just got the BN then give it time and it'll eat. It could take well over a week before it starts to eat. Fish can live a long time with out eating! Algae waffers and cucumber are great. I also feed mine zucchini, kale, lettuce, and other leafy things!

 

[SuckmyPleco]

my Gbr's wont stop pecking at the cucumber at least they know its food lol should i take it out so they wont eat it anymore? and just put in another one tonight for the BN