# Pleco feed



## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

I have 3 bristlenose plecos in my tank atm and they're growing heaps because of the algae that was growing in the tank (they didn't even make a dent in it), but I had to move it to an area with much less light because of summer starting. A previous tank in this spot didn't have any algae growth on it, so I've started giving them algae flakes, but they don't seem to like them all that much. Maybe I'm just used to seeing the enthusiasm of by bettas and barramundi when they feed...

I was wondering are there any feed/brands that you guys have used that your plecos loved? or other foods? I plan on trying out some veggies eventually, but I want to have some commercial feed handy as well !


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

I keep a clown pleco and feed her both New Life Spectrum Mini Wafers & Omega One Veggie rounds as her basic diet. I drop the pellets at night with the lights out to keep her tankmates from gobbling them up. 

The NLS wafers are good because they they don't break down and dissolve as fast as the Omega One rounds. So they are best used when I drop a pellet after dark. I also like to place 1/2 of a veggie round a few minutes before the lights go out inside her cave. She seems to really like them but they get a little messy.

As far as fresh veggies go, I've tried everything but she seems to prefer zucchini above everything else. 

And don't forget driftwood, it's essential to a heathly plecos diet.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> I was wondering are there any feed/brands that you guys have used that your plecos loved? or other foods? I plan on trying out some veggies eventually, but I want to have some commercial feed handy as well !


Here's what I feed my Bn Plecos.

Hikari Algae Wafers.
Hikari Loach Wafers ( these are meaty)
Any fish food they find.

Plus something different each day from this list.


 Worms- bloodworms, blackworms, Earth worms ( that I breed )
 Mysis
 Beefheart
 Prawn
 Shellfish- mussels, cockles etc
 Squid
 Silversides
 Spirulina
 Brine Shrimp
 Crustaceans
 Other Insect Larvae
 Fish Eggs
 Krill
 Daphnia
 Chicken Liver
Vegetables (remember to wash all veggies of unwanted bugs and blanching veggetables isn't necessary- it takes away nutrients)


 Cucumber
 Zucchini
 Potatoes (I would soak these for a long time and wash thoroughly as they contain a lot of starch that is bad for water quality, although otherwise a great food source)
 Sweet Potatoes
 Shelled Peas
 Broccoli
 Carrots
 Lettuces
 Cabbage
 Courgette
 Yams
 Parsnips
 Squash
 Suede
 Spinach
 Beans
Others:-


 Melon
 Bogwood
 Mango
 Apple
 Kiwi


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Paigeyy said:


> I was wondering are there any feed/brands that you guys have used that your plecos loved? or other foods?


For commercial foods mine get: 
- Omega One Veggie Rounds 
- Hikari Algae Wafers 

Vegetables: 
Cucumber 
Zucchini 
Spinach 
Lettuce 
Peas 


Animal proteins: 
Bloodworms 
Brine Shrimp 
Mosquito Larvae 
Crickets 
Earthworms 
Halibut 
Salmon 
Fish eggs 

I offer them a pretty big variety :-D


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Out of curiosity what size if your tank? Also be forewarned: if you have at least 1 of both genders, they will put the term "breed like rabbits" to shame once they sexually mature. You'll be disgustingly overstocked with baby bn in no time.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> Also be forewarned: if you have at least 1 of both genders, they will put the term "breed like rabbits" to shame once they sexually mature. You'll be disgustingly overstocked with baby bn in no time.


My pair produce around 20 to 30 babies every 6 to 8 weeks, They put my live bearers to shame when it comes to breeding.

BN's don't eat every kind of algae. If you are having algae issues in the tank it is best to fix the root cause rather than getting fish for it.


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

NickAu said:


> My pair produce around 20 to 30 babies every 6 to 8 weeks, They put my live bearers to shame when it comes to breeding.
> 
> BN's don't eat every kind of algae. If you are having algae issues in the tank it is best to fix the root cause rather than getting fish for it.


I know they don't eat everything, but they sure tried! I cleaned the tank of most of the algae when I moved it, hence the need for more feed supplements.

I'm not sure what gender they are... When I got them they were really small (still are pretty small ~ 1inch), but one is growing faster than the other two, so I'm thinking he could be a boy? he's about 0.5 cm bigger than the other two in ~6 weeks. Not sure if it's because he's male or just feeding better... I'll wait and see though ! 

I'm happy to buy another tank and re-home the babies if that happens. I don't want an endless supply though (I don't want to have to constantly re-home them all the time). Can i keep males together with no females? I know they can get territorial over breeding caves and stuff, but how do they go with other males generally?

Thanks for all the advice ! I'll try cucumber tonight !


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> I'm not sure what gender they are...


 You can determine the sex of them by simply looking at the “bristles” on their heads. Males will usually have larger bristles and they will extend to the middle of its head.
If you could post a photo of your plecos? 



> I'm happy to buy another tank and re-home the babies if that happens.


I trade my baby BN for fish food with my LFS, He especially loves the albinos.



> Can i keep males together with no females?


In a big tank yes, Make sure there are lots of caves for them to hide in.


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

NickAu said:


> You can determine the sex of them by simply looking at the “bristles” on their heads. Males will usually have larger bristles and they will extend to the middle of its head.
> If you could post a photo of your plecos?


I don't really have any photos that show bristles =/ ummm, they don't really have any bristles atm, would they show bristles at 1 inch TL?



NickAu said:


> I trade my baby BN for fish food with my LFS, He especially loves the albinos.


I was thinking I might try that if they end up breeding 



NickAu said:


> In a big tank yes, Make sure there are lots of caves for them to hide in.


Thanks ! I'll make sure there is


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

The two smaller plecos (1 albino & 1 brown) don't seem to have any bristles, but the larger one shows some above the eyes. It was really hard to get a proper look - they're all hiding out on the wood behind moss lol

Heres the best two photos I have - photo of the brown was taken a few weeks ago and the albino photo was taken a couple nights ago


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

Oh i found one of the little bristles ! from a few weeks ago! 

Thanks for your help! From what i've read they take a while to mature though, right?


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

A young male judging by the 2 little bumps on his head. They can breed when they are about 3 inches long.


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

NickAu said:


> A young male judging by the 2 little bumps on his head. They can breed when they are about 3 inches long.


About how long would it take for them to grow from 1 to 3 inches? roughly


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

They seem to be warming up to the pellets i'm giving them plus a bok choy leaf and some zucchini ! It takes them a while to try it and get through it all though


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## Mousie (Feb 16, 2015)

MikeG14 said:


> I keep a clown pleco and feed her both New Life Spectrum Mini Wafers & Omega One Veggie rounds as her basic diet. I drop the pellets at night with the lights out to keep her tankmates from gobbling them up.
> 
> The NLS wafers are good because they they don't break down and dissolve as fast as the Omega One rounds. So they are best used when I drop a pellet after dark. I also like to place 1/2 of a veggie round a few minutes before the lights go out inside her cave. She seems to really like them but they get a little messy.
> 
> ...


+1... best advice you'll get is right there. ^


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## Paigeyy (Sep 4, 2011)

Update: the largest pleco now has bristles around his whole mouth and seems much more possessive over food items than the other two. He's constantly chasing the other two away from his bit of vege especially the other brown pleco. The other brown pleco is smaller, but seems to be developing some more bristles and the albino pleco has almost no bristles at all and is the most timid of the three  

Not sure if i have two males, one late bloomer, and a female, but i'm pretty sure i have one of each and the third one i'm undecided on. 

Very excited to see what I end up with though !


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