# Giant Pleco??



## tallball158 (Jul 21, 2010)

I just bought a huge pleco from my LFS (local fish store). They needed to get rid of him cause he was too large for their tanks. I have owned a few pleco's before. and he looked awesome. The owner made me an offer I could not refuse - $10 for a 13 inch common pleco. I have him in an established tank with plenty of algae, but his making quick work of it due to his huge size. The LFS wasn't feeding him anything, he was just eating algae. I have tried feeding him various algae wafers and fresh cuccumber slices. He won't touch any of these things. Does anyone have any suggestions before he polishes my tank clean and won't have anything to eat?


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

Zuchini is another favorite of many plecos. You could also try fruit, like cantelope. I'm sure you can find a fresh veggie/fruit that he likes. Plus, once the algae is gone he will probably learn to eat other things. Adjustment in diet can be tough especially if he has only ever eaten algae.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

Plecos are more active at night too.
At night leave a cucumber slice hooked to something so it sits at the bottom of the tank. If it is floating around mine wont touch it. Hook it to a feeding clip and it doesn't last the night.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

tallball158 said:


> I just bought a huge pleco from my LFS (local fish store). They needed to get rid of him cause he was too large for their tanks. I have owned a few pleco's before. and he looked awesome. The owner made me an offer I could not refuse - $10 for a 13 inch common pleco. I have him in an established tank with plenty of algae, but his making quick work of it due to his huge size. The LFS wasn't feeding him anything, he was just eating algae. I have tried feeding him various algae wafers and fresh cuccumber slices. He won't touch any of these things. Does anyone have any suggestions before he polishes my tank clean and won't have anything to eat?


Larger common plecos, and actually most species of pleco, are not as purely vegetarian as people think.

My personal favourite food for bushynose and common plecos is Tetra bottom tablets with a good algae wafer, the algae in the tank, and frozen foods on occasion like mysis shrimp or for a bigger fish, krill. Larger plecos will often take small pieces of fruit, which is actually part of their natural diet. Don't over do it, maybe once a week, a very small piece of watermelon or banana. Some plecos ignore it.

It might just be that this pleco doesn't want the algae wafer you gave it. Try it with a meatier bottom feeder food and you'll find something it likes. Hikari bottom feeder wafers are really attractive to most fish as are their algae wafers. New Life Spectrum makes a great bottom feeder food "H20 stable wafers" as well. Just make sure whatever you feed it has a good balance and that it's getting enough vegetable matter but don't be affraid of feeding it things that are not herbivorous. It's an omnivore.










Probably end up pretty expensive


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

I just feed my BN plecos NLS.


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## tallball158 (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks Guys!!
I really appreciate the help. Last night I put in a couple bottom feeder wafers and they were gone this morning!! So hopefully he ate them and not my cichlids. I will also try some fruit. Thanks for your help. You guys are awesome!


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## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

If you do any fishing you'll know that most bottom feeding catfish love their meat! They certainly do eat their veggies and algae on the bottom but toss a chicken liver or "stink bait" on a line and see what you drag up! :thumb:

-John


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## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

tallball158 said:


> Thanks Guys!!
> I really appreciate the help. Last night I put in a couple bottom feeder wafers and they were gone this morning!! So hopefully he ate them and not my cichlids. I will also try some fruit. Thanks for your help. You guys are awesome!


One of the things that I have found works great with finnicky cats and bottom feeders, is big longways slices. Like trying to get my Otocinclus to eat cucumber, they didn't touch it until I started slicing it longways in long, thin strips. Now they will eat even the small pieces. Also, IF I put a fruit or other veggie in the spot I normally put the cucumber, they will eat it. I guess it's just something about "registering" it as food, which is why they like those wafers, they have more of a "scent" to them.


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## tallball158 (Jul 21, 2010)

Good advice! Thanks John27. Ill be sure to try that.


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