What Should I feed an 11" pl*co? How Much? and How Often?

[jbru70]

I saw a 55 gallon tank on craigslist with tons of accessories for dirt cheap. Being a fish fanatic I had to go get it. It was an old listing and the tank picture looked murky......but oh well the price is right.

Well im not sure when they took the tank picture but when I get there I see this digustingly green tank with what looks like years of algae in it. Im not kidding you could not see into the 4" of water left in the tank.
The guy announces that I can have the pl*co thats in the tank too. He says im pretty sure theres a gold fish in there too.

I look at this fool like he's crazy.

But theres tons of stuff, filters,heaters,nets,food,filter cartridges and media, light hoods and extra super expensive bulbs, the tank , medicines, additives, im guessing close to a 1000 bucks worth of stuff. They are moving and need money fast.

I am visibly disgusted and offer them 40 bucks.

SURE!!!! he say's. They grab the money outta my hand and we start loading this stuff in my truck.

We carry this tank out last. Im thinking theres no freakin way theres anything alive in this muck. Seriously I never saw the bottom even in the sunlight.

So I get home after this tank sloshing 25 miles home. I cant stop thinking of the torture these fish went through before they died. But then I think there might be a 2-3" fish in there????? Who knows. Nawwww its not possible.

I grab my siphon as soon as I get home and decide im gonna clean this tank in the back of my truck. I start siphoning and all of a sudden theres a huge splash. Holy Crap!!!!! There is a fish in this murky 55 degree water. I freakin monster fish.

I siphon down this tank a bit more and there's an 11" freakin pl*co.

So what should I feed it???????

Oh , and by the way there was a Comet Gold fish living in there with this monster

Unbelievable


Additional Details
He wont eat Algae wafers. He might still be packed with the algae from his former home

 

[jbru70]

I saw a 55 gallon tank on craigslist with tons of accessories for dirt cheap. Being a fish fanatic I had to go get it. It was an old listing and the tank picture looked murky......but oh well the price is right.

Well im not sure when they took the tank picture but when I get there I see this digustingly green tank with what looks like years of algae in it. Im not kidding you could not see into the 4" of water left in the tank.
The guy announces that I can have the pl*co thats in the tank too. He says im pretty sure theres a gold fish in there too.

I look at this fool like he's crazy.

But theres tons of stuff, filters,heaters,nets,food,filter cartridges and media, light hoods and extra super expensive bulbs, the tank , medicines, additives, im guessing close to a 1000 bucks worth of stuff. They are moving and need money fast.

I am visibly disgusted and offer them 40 bucks.

SURE!!!! he say's. They grab the money outta my hand and we start loading this stuff in my truck.

We carry this tank out last. Im thinking theres no freakin way theres anything alive in this muck. Seriously I never saw the bottom even in the sunlight.

So I get home after this tank sloshing 25 miles home. I cant stop thinking of the torture these fish went through before they died. But then I think there might be a 2-3" fish in there????? Who knows. Nawwww its not possible.

I grab my siphon as soon as I get home and decide im gonna clean this tank in the back of my truck. I start siphoning and all of a sudden theres a huge splash. Holy Crap!!!!! There is a fish in this murky 55 degree water. I freakin monster fish.

I siphon down this tank a bit more and there's an 11" freakin pl*co.

So what should I feed it???????

Oh , and by the way there was a Comet Gold fish living in there with this monster

Unbelievable


Additional Details
He wont eat Algae wafers. He might still be packed with the algae from his former home

 

[wingate2581]

Nice common pleco you got. It could take some time before it will eat due to the stress of the move and it's new home. Zuchinni, cucumber, sweet potato,and algae wafers are a good start. There is also a sticky on this subject with a lot of good info.

 

[jbru70]

Thanks for the info. I wasnt planning on getting such a sweet fish in this deal.

 

[bongko]

Nice pleco! Already a monster cleaner! He'll definitely start eating soon as long as your water is clean. I would suggest that you don't start dumping food into the tank for a few days so it can adjust.

 

[1LAD]

Haha Pleco rescue ... good job

 

[chesterthehero]

woah... poor lil guy looks skinny... but yeah wingate nailed it with the foods.. my pleco also loves mushrooms (1/2 an hour and a golfball sized mushroom is GONE)..

zuchs and cucs turn to mush after about 30 hours so pull them out before then.. mine will eat (skin and all) about a 1/4 of a "normal" sized cuc/zuch overnight.. if theres a nub left in the morning i leave it and its gone by the afternoon..

be prepared for some serious poop cleanup... when he wants to mine can push out a lil over 24" of poop in a few hours... about a foot of poo is the daily norm... zuchs and cucs will turn the poo a interesting shade of white/green.. but not always...

they also enjoy bits of market shrimp from time to time...and just about anything else i put in the tank including freshly molted wood/bamboo shrimp ($8 a pop... lesson learned)..

to help yours relax you may want to make sure hes got a nice hiding place.. basicly if he cant see you he will be happy

 

[yipp-e]

As above. Nice pick up too!!!! zuccini is the go, skin it and slice it up the guts, so he can have half, once he is done with it replace it. And dont leave it in the tank for more then a day or so

 

[jbru70]

As above. Nice pick up too!!!! zuccini is the go, skin it and slice it up the guts, so he can have half, once he is done with it replace it. And dont leave it in the tank for more then a day or so

I will try putting in the suggested foods at night and pulling it out in the morning till i find out what it likes

 

[jbru70]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! He is eating his Zuchinni . He devoured a chunk 1" x1" x4" last night.