For larger plecos ([SIZE=-1]Hypostomus[/SIZE] spp) Raw or cooked prawns whole will be appreciated or even a small slice of fish fillet occasionally. In the wild, fish would be constantly foraging for food so they are always looking and eating by instinct. In aquariums its quite different since they dont need to expend much energy searching and food is very nutritious and plentiful. For larger fish including plecos I would only feed twice a week unless I am trying to actively grow them. However, I am told that fish which grow rapidly have shorter lifespans.
non-messy pleco food?
- Thread starter cvermeulen
- Start date
fishdance;1089443; said:
He's a sailfin gibbiceps... not quite the size of a hypo, but he should reach 18 inches... esp with the rate he's growing. He appreciates krill, but like I said, it results in a lot of floaties.
he's not the only messy one in the tank though. I think I need to upgrade my pump to a quietone 9000.. maybe that would help!
Thanks for all the replies. he loves some off-brand sinking cichlid pellets I found, and the don't make a mess, but half of the "sinking" pellets float. I'll look into the massivore.
Oh and I like the zucchini cooking method! boiling it every time sucks!
I feed mine shredded shrimp, squid and cucumber most of the time. They don't leave any seafood behind.
fishdance;1089668; said:
I'll have to give them a try. Noone else in that tank is large enough to eat them yet, so he should get a nice meal to himself for a change!
cvermeulen;1089490; said:
lol was wondering how advice was being given without knowing what species it is. Well if it's a P. gibbieceps will get bigger than most Hypostomus sp... Should be pushing 2 ft. The massivore pellets are very good, just like the sinking carnivore, only very slightly different in content, and of course BIGGER. Being one of this genus, they eat pretty much anything and everything, dependant on individuals, I give mine almost a 50:50 meat/veggie mix. Veggies include carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, courgette- don't have problems with mess with these, and then mainly worms on the protein side of things, with some cruder protein such as prawns/krill etc (which are a bit messier I admit) as they can take it better than some of the other more carnivorous species in say the Pseuda genus. Usually use the pellets as an addition to the fresh/frozen foods. Oh and there is no need to cook any of the food in the slightest... all it does is degrade the food. Theres a whole load of information in the Pleco dietry thread sticky, in the pleco forum... probably where this should be.
davo;1089868; said:
Thanks! sorry for the misplaced post, I figured it was general enough because it kind of applies to other fish, but anyways. I got the 18in from planetcatfish's profile on the Sailfin Gibby, is this inaccurate? I'd be thrilled if he got to be 2 feet. He's a beautiful fish at 11in, I can't imagine him with his puppydog personality at 2ft!!
The massivore is something I've been meaning to get for a while now... everyone else in the tank is juvy though, so I haven't bothered with the huge pellets yet. As it is he eats a bit of everything that hits the bottom, but his favorite is the zucchini and cichlid pellets. I currently feed the tank a bit of everything:
Crickets (they never make it to the bottom), Earthworms (he won't go near these), Bloodworms, Shrimp pellets, Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, cichlid pellets, krill, and of course zucchini. So he gets a lot of protein.
