# Feeding baby bristlenose pleco



## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I bought the cutest baby bristlenose and I was wondering what I can feed him besides algae wafers?


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Plecos should have a piece of driftwood or bogwood to suck on (i'm pretty sure it aids in their digestion). They're omnivores so cucumber, spinach, zucchini, green beans would be good to feed him.

Congrats on your new fishy friend.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

awe i am totally going to get a bristlenose pleco this week ^-^ sounds adorable!


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

OMG, it is not even an inch long :3


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

heeheeheee how cute :3

idk if i'll get a juvenile or an adult if i had to choose. probably one half grown. but babies are always fun


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Well I had a juvi and she died because I had no algae just fed her cukes, brocolli and algae wafers


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

oh  i have a bit of algae. i hope the one i get will be okay. i'll also give her/him veggies. i need to give my cory cats veggies xD


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I never had cories last more than three weeks. :/


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

I have a baby Bristlenose Pleco as well. They are too cute! He's got some driftwood to chew on. He grazes on the brown algae in my big tropical community tank but also gets some algae wafer every night. I need to try fresh foods. What is really funny is my little guy will chase the other fish away from his wafer.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

He is chomping on the imaginary algae in my tank and refuses to eat the wafer or lettuce. lol


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

I have 4 months worth of algae on my tank that my new Bristlenose is very slowely making his way through. Cucumber and zucchini is popular in the plecs world. Bristlenoses can live decades with the right care and diet is important for them, driftwood is pretty important as its believed to add fibre into the diet because they constantly eat (and poop for that matter so watch params.)


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

my bronze cories like to hide behind my driftwood, but they appear to be doing well. i've got a couple months worth of algae in my tank. mom was washing windows the other day, then was like "oh i'll clean her fish tank to be nice." then she cleaned, and realized it was inside the tank x3 hopefully a pleco will do well on that. my snails have been climbing the sides again recently, but two tiny baby rabbit snails can't do a lot, and one big adult rabbit snail kind of has a big bulky shell. she's a good climber though. still cant wait for plecooo!


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Plecos do a pretty good job at it. Depending on size of tank and how many they have. I baught whickers some cucumber today for a treat.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

How can I grow algae?


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i think plants encourage it. and my mom thought maybe it was the algae wafers in there that really set it off. idk. but hopefully tomorrow i can bring a cutie home :3


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Well, I have a cup of water on my window sill. Maybe I can get an algae culture growing and transfer it?


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## dlambert (May 1, 2012)

i have a 2 inch albino bristlenose.. he's my favorite..  he is with a young jewel cichlid pair and some tiger barbs and i can not be sneaky enough to get a wafer in there for him without the jewels finding it and dragging it into their lair(havent tried a cucumber recently, he might have a better chance).. he has an enormous piece of wood and quickly dispatches any algae that apears.. i really havent fed him since i got him a few months ago, they are just good at doing what they do  i'm sure it wouldn't be hard to transplant some algae (via algae covered items from a healthy tank) into your tank if u wanted to, but it has potential to be a nuisance.. i would say as long as u have wood and he's getting algae wafers, dont bother going out of your way to introduce algae.. it will most likely appear anyway and your new buddy be on top of it when it does.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

Lol, my main tank doesn't have any algae.


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## dlambert (May 1, 2012)

i meant from your LFS or a friend's tank that had algae.. i transplanted 2 shells and a rock from my first tank that had algae on the them but pleco came with them and keeps them clean.. i dont think its ever gone he just keeps the lawn mowed short... now my first tank only has a snail to clean and the algae is going wild.


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I guess the plant I got a few months ago didn't have algae.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

xShainax said:


> How can I grow algae?


Leave the lights on for too long. Light encourages it. Also if you have a moss ball it will stop algae from growing. It took me 4 months to actually get spots of it, then within 2 weeks it was covering one side of the tank completely. I believe it grows better in warmth too. Ideal if you have the tank in near direct sunlight.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

i bought my albino bristlenose pleco today! he's like an inch long. crazy to think that little guy will get five or six inches. he's cute.


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