Feeding my Pleco

[threedifferentco]

Hey all,

How can I tell if my pleco is eating? he tends to hide under driftwood until I turn out the lights and get out of site, so I've been leaving food overnight. I don't really want to do this anymore, as the food is continually rotting in the bottom of the tank.

Thanks for your help

-Adam-

 

[davo]

remove the food the next morning. What sp. is it, what you feeding and how much and how long you had the pleco? Does it look thin/have a sunken belly and its general health? You read the dietry sticky?

 

[threedifferentco]

Read through some of the sticky, that's where I picked up the cucumber thing. I believe it is a common pleco...at least it was sold as one. Can't really tell about his belly...don't know what it is supposed to look like. Plus he's really shy and I usually can't get pictures of him.

I was mostly just worried about continuing to leave food in the tank over night. My WQ is terrible right now and I'm going to have to get test kits and some medicine today.

Any suggestions to telling him apart from the other species?

Thanks

 

[davo]

Ummm.... it could be a Pterygoplichthys in which case would have more than 10 dorsal rays, commons of this species could be P. pardalis, P. joselimaianus, P. gibbiceps or P. disjunctivus. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=6#148
If it has less dorsal rays then it could be one of the Hypostomus species... H. punctatus or H. plecostomus etc. http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=17#43

Keep feeding at night and in the morning take out what is left. A lot of plecs only eat at night, most of mine do all the time anyway. If it looks healthy and happy chances are it's feeding.