I have had bad expirences in the past with small common pleco's getting huge bellies, staying at the top and then dying. I recently got a 20 gallon tank with a couple plants and goldfish. As soon as i saw algae i went and picked out the coolest pleco yet... the first 2 days he was eating like crazy, off the plants and decor and now he is at the top of the glass with a big belly. i dont want him to die like the others, what am i doing wrong??
can plecos eat to death?
- Thread starter rachaelrowbear
- Start date
All pets can be over fed to death if they are fed incorrectly. This happens to much smarter pets like horses, dogs and cats, and it even happens to people.
When I had a pleco, I fed it blanched spinch and kale, although cucumbers and certain squash works as well. He ate all the time and grew a lot, but did not get a swollen belly. He would sometimes swipe pellets from the surface, but often he ignored them when he was not hungry. Keeping a regular supply of spinach in the tank kept him away from taking pellets. I'd usually place 10-15 large leaves, rubber banded to a piece of flat slate in the tank every 3-4 days.
How much to feed?
Plecos are grazers. Not in the sense that they eat grass, but in the sense that they are, in their natural habitat, eating more or less continuously. This means that they want to have at least some food all the time.
However, with plecos as with many other fish and humans, overfeeding is much more of a problem than underfeeding, and aside from that, food that is breaking down in the water will affect the water quality in a negative way. The goal is to give sufficient food, without overfeeding. The best advice is to start with a small portion. If it's all been eaten overnight, it's probably OK to feed a bit more next time.
https://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=294
http://aquariumtidings.com/common-pleco/
What is he eating besides algae?
Does he have real wood (e.g., raw driftwood) in the tank?
When I had a pleco, I fed it blanched spinch and kale, although cucumbers and certain squash works as well. He ate all the time and grew a lot, but did not get a swollen belly. He would sometimes swipe pellets from the surface, but often he ignored them when he was not hungry. Keeping a regular supply of spinach in the tank kept him away from taking pellets. I'd usually place 10-15 large leaves, rubber banded to a piece of flat slate in the tank every 3-4 days.
How much to feed?
Plecos are grazers. Not in the sense that they eat grass, but in the sense that they are, in their natural habitat, eating more or less continuously. This means that they want to have at least some food all the time.
However, with plecos as with many other fish and humans, overfeeding is much more of a problem than underfeeding, and aside from that, food that is breaking down in the water will affect the water quality in a negative way. The goal is to give sufficient food, without overfeeding. The best advice is to start with a small portion. If it's all been eaten overnight, it's probably OK to feed a bit more next time.
https://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=294
http://aquariumtidings.com/common-pleco/
What is he eating besides algae?
Does he have real wood (e.g., raw driftwood) in the tank?
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i dont want him to die like the others, what am i doing wrong??[/QUOTE]
goldfish like cold water pleco's do not
in warm water the goldfish metabolizes faster and produces excessive waste
goldfish poison the water with excessive ammonia because they're very messy so in a very small 20 gallon it's safe to say your nitrates/nitrites are also probably crazy too
there are quite a few varieties of "pleco"
What kind do you have?
Different species obviously will have different requirements- some get huge...
Most will outgrow your 20 gallon
so will goldfish
Almost all pleco's will need a bit of driftwood to graze on. It helps with digestion- without it sometimes they'll get a big belly and die from bloat
goldfish like cold water pleco's do not
in warm water the goldfish metabolizes faster and produces excessive waste
goldfish poison the water with excessive ammonia because they're very messy so in a very small 20 gallon it's safe to say your nitrates/nitrites are also probably crazy too
there are quite a few varieties of "pleco"
What kind do you have?
Different species obviously will have different requirements- some get huge...
Most will outgrow your 20 gallon
so will goldfish
Almost all pleco's will need a bit of driftwood to graze on. It helps with digestion- without it sometimes they'll get a big belly and die from bloat
