Gold Nugget Help

[Lou Lou]

I have a gold nugget pleco in a 55gal kept with a large blood parrot, shoal of tiger barbs and a pair of blue rams. I've had him for about 3months. He is extremely shy, and is just now starting to come out and move around in the evening. Other fish don't bother him.

The problem, he doesn't go for any food I put in the tank! Here is what I've tried so far: algae discs after lights out--but other fish eat it; cucumber, zuccini, broccoli stumps on a suction clip. I have a large piece of driftwood and I do notice him on it, but not that often. Is he going to eventually starve?

Also, he seems to go to the heater a lot. Can he burn himself doing this?

Help would be appreciated!...Thx

Here's a pic. Not that great. Took on my cell, and the moving bubbles make blury little lines.
And by the way, the piece of wood in the pic is fake. The real one is to the right ;-)

 

[reddragon343]

well...Gold Nuggets actually prefer rocky hideouts than compared to wood. Seriously, I thought my GN was gonna drop dead too when i first got him. Never saw him eat, and shy as hell. Bt now...more than 4 months after i first got him...he's coming out quite often. Dont worry...so long as theres excess food lying around after lights out...he'll be fine.

 

[zerojquan85]

it also depends on what u leave behind too..

For me, i have two giant pleco in my 150gallon.. so i have a chain of cucumbers cut in slice along the length of the tank... (i only put it out at night). So i think u should try the same.. just have lots of food available. so that your gold nugget and other veggy eating fish can eat..

 

[BPags52]

I always see people on these pleco forums saying they feed theirs cucumber, zuchini, etc. Are these just from the produce section of the grocery store? If so, how do you prepare it for the plecos? Just slice and drop in? Rinse first? Boil first? De-skin it?

 

[reddragon343]

Don't bother skinning it. Some plecos love the skin. You dont really need to boil either. Just rinse it, slice it , stab it to a fork, and let it sink. That or u could clip it or rubberband it to a rock...and let it sink. And yes...i think they do come from the produce section...even in the US, where u live.

 

[zerojquan85]

I always see people on these pleco forums saying they feed theirs cucumber, zuchini, etc. Are these just from the produce section of the grocery store? If so, how do you prepare it for the plecos? Just slice and drop in? Rinse first? Boil first? De-skin it?

If find that its best to slice it like u would served in a salad, but instead of dropping it in (they float) I use turkey stuffing poles and tide them to a plastic wire in one long chain.... I usually place it along the the tank floor so that my pleco can get it...

there are also aquarium clips that u can get (Petsmart) and they sorta do well... i used to clip it onto the glass.. but find that to be pointless as plecos like to swim and explore at night, so i use it as a weight and drop it into the tank...

Theres other ways to do it too.. like the rubberband on a rock...

 

[wingate2581]

Whatever you do try to get it off the heater. I know, easier said than done. They do sell plastic heater gaurds if it refuses to leave that spot.