Shy PLec

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M

mnmnmikey

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 19, 2006
15
0
0
london
I have a 2 common plecs one fairly big around 8" or so the other not so big at half the size.

The problem is they never come out from hiding, they feed whenever im not in the room even when i give them treats and as soon as i walk anywhere near them they flurry away as fast as they ate the food!!!

Am i doing something wrong? they all very healthy. Mybe i just have shy fish.
 
1) plecos are nocturnal, so not particularly active during the day
2) i have that problem with some plecs, they see me as a big predator and will run away at the sight of me. sometimes over time they will get used to it, especially as they get bigger and bolder. people have had some sucess wearing darker coloured t shirts in dimly lit rooms to make presence less obvious. i'm particularly patient and now quite stealthy approaching and waiting for them to appear. best to feed at night time before you switch the lights out. you could also try moonlights.
 
Attempt one would be to check params, and make sure they are similar to the local waters of the fish. Higher temps than normal, higher phosphates, KH, GH, and nitrates can cause them to be more reclusive than normal. Next thing to try is a higher quality food. I'd recommend live bloodworms or blackworms if available (most species) or zucchinni soaked in garlic gaurd. Finally, if these two fail move to a moonlight, while still maintaining the others. My L200s will come out nearly all day long. However my L046 will not, reason being the phosphates are too high, but this isn't something I can easily fix.
 
im not sure on feeding them in/just before dark. if you do that, you kind of encourage them to stay shy and only come out when it suits them best. I have good experience with half day feeding. By doing so, the fish will have to come out in the light to feed. Obvioulsy it is species specific how they react but most of my species (ranging from common to panaque to pseuda etc) came out after a while to eat. After feeding them during daytime, they were much more active the rest of the day. It is kinda forcing them to come out if they want to eat. Like i said, im not sure it will work with your fish but try it and give them some time. Also, checking up on your fish from close range will help if you throw in food. They will start to recognize your presence with food.
 
thats an interesting point stiff. and i think the problem is them dashing to hide when they see the feeder, not general reclusive?
 
Thanks for all your comments,

Very helpfull, but yes i suppose when i think about it, it is just when i approach the tank once ive fed them and walk away they'll come out and suck around etc....

Just annoying when people come round and you want to show off your pize possesions but they wont play ball! :(

Hey ho

Thanks again
 
things will get better. if they are commons, eventually theyll get so big, theyll be hard to not to notice ;)
 
i dont know davo, mine seem to come to the front when im there cuz they associate me with food... thats the thing imo. when you feed in the the dark, you give them no reason to come during day and thus they will hardly associate you with the food.
 
thats interesting. most of my other animals associate things i do for food too. A lot of my fish understand when i open the lid to the tank its feeding time, but there are still some plecos that are more than wary.
 
Why not just put some food in, pull up a chair and sit still?
 
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