Successful pleco keeping

[SalmonAfrica]

Hi all

I've never had much success with plecos in the past, maybe because I've never really attempted to meet all their requirements properly.

I'm talking about the common pleco, and maybe some of you can give me some advice so that I can get my plec to a nice size. Right now, he's about 9cm. He's in a five foot tank with an abundance of plants and wood. So far I'm just feeding him cucumber and, once a week, a small piece of prawn.

Is there anything else I can do to get him growing? I might soon add another plec, most likely a sailfin (hi-fin) pleco, depending on what's avaliable.

Thanks in advance
Tim

[wito-zn]

When i had my 2 plecos i just fed them oscar food and a bit of blood worm once a week and they were happy. What i found was that as long as they had a little place for them to hide during the day they were happy, just make sure that it is a dark place. Hope this helps

Steve

[windfire]

i've been wondering if its possible to use the spirulina tabs from a chemist rather than the actual fish algae tabs as i battle to get my hands on those. anyone know if its safe? its awesome watching them chow the cucumber though

[SalmonAfrica]

Check the container of the tablets - what are the ingredients?

[Zoom]

i've been wondering if its possible to use the spirulina tabs from a chemist rather than the actual fish algae tabs as i battle to get my hands on those. anyone know if its safe? its awesome watching them chow the cucumber though

Buy from the professor. EXTREMELY well priced, and even with shipping, it works out worth your while. You may as well get his other foods as well. I promise your fish will thank you for it.

[SalmonAfrica]

I'll go ahead and do this too... but how does one go about it? PM the Prof?

Also, what's so good about them? And can they be used for other fish, or are they primarily for plecos and the like?

[Khalid]

From years of experience I can give you two vital tips.
1.Feed you pleco a minimum of 1 + algea wafer (Varied diet)
at night whilst the other fish are sleeping .
2. A dark secure cave to hide out in.

[Firefly]

I feed mine tetra tabimin or something like that. Trying a new food (can't remember the name, Aqua something)
Can u feed them plain cut cucumber? Sliced in circles about 5mm thick?

[Zoom]

I'll go ahead and do this too... but how does one go about it? PM the Prof?

Also, what's so good about them? And can they be used for other fish, or are they primarily for plecos and the like?

Yes, send him a PM and request his food pricelist, as well as the analysis on the food. He will tell you what food is for which fish etc. His Spirulina tablets will get eaten by any fish in the tank that is prepared to eat off the floor.

What's so good about them...? the price Tim. The Professor doesn't add on commercial tax, rip off tax, inflated tax, and then some...

[SalmonAfrica]

Thanks all :)

My pleco has too many hiding places if you ask me, but he still shows his face quite often. I'll be sure to drop the Prof a PM later, I think my plec deserves some good food.

[SalmonAfrica]

Hey all

Update - he's doing well! Getting some size and being confident! Right now he's eating prawn, cucumber, wood, algae and sinking pellets.

He also got a Sailfin plec tankmate :)

Here's a pic of the common one:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii168/SalmonAfrica/IMG_3966.jpg

[10i]

Good to hear!

[f-fish]

@ windfire ... see http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showpost.php?p=14585&postcount=1

Yeah "spirulina tabs from a chemist" work fine - I have not tried the prof's tabs but do use his flakes.

@ SalmonAfrica (http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/member.php?u=107)
Glad to see the plecs are doing well - eating "prawn, cucumber, wood, algae and sinking pellets." ah can I join for the feast - good varied diet. Is the prawn cooked or normal raw frozen? We are talking the stuff you get at P&P and the like?

Later Ferdie

[SalmonAfrica]

Hey Ferdie

Yup, the P&P frozen, uncooked, unseasoned, unglazed stuff. ALL my fish love it lol. :)

[blairh]

Howzit guys, have any of you heard about feeding them potato and lettuce, my boys/girls love lettuce.. but my one friend recons feeding them potato to grow them quickly.. any body heard of this?

[shakester]

mine is also like that ,very secretive and weird !!

[SalmonAfrica]

Would you believe it? The new hi-fin crawled up onto the same spot that the common plec was in the last picture! :D

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii168/SalmonAfrica/IMG_3825.jpg

[Pistolshrimp]

I had 3 huge common plecos, thrived, where out during the day as well, and kept the tank spotless, where quiet hardy, never had a problem with them, they used to swim upside down and eat whatever i fed the other fish,

[speedz]

Nice to see that your plecos are thriviing. I have ALWAYS had the worst luck with this fish in the past. Problems ranging from aggression towards one another and so on and isolated deaths. I even had plecos swim into crevices of driftwood/undergravel filter that dont make it. Now i am discouraged form buying it anymore, but the only thing i can say is try and eliminate places where they can get stuck. Nice hi-fin you got there!

[Dolphin]

I've always only wanted to keep small plecs and never wanted them to get large so I cant comment about how to grow them...good water and nutrition is the obvious way to go...

As Khalid said, feed them at night.

I have not tried it, but what about Nori - commonly used to feed marine fish and available at most PnP's? I would think that that should be good for the plecs. Other than the wavers and spirulina (be carefull with these - I've lost fish after feeding spirulina tabs for some or the other reason) give them some of the Sera African Cichlid granules.

[Shakes]

Pleco's are the most amazing fish, at one stage I started to collect all the different species I could get my hands on and had from royal panaques to white spotted pleco's, clown pleco's, bristled nose pleco's etc just to mention a few and they all did well. Even got the bristled nose's to breed. I found that they attacked my broad leaved plants and grazed alot on the pieces of driftwood, besides the pellets and cucumber I use to feed them. Your pleco's are looking good Salmon.

[SalmonAfrica]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone :) Yup, I'm going to be feeding them well, and like you suggested Ahmed, I'll be going around my local Pick n' Pay and try to find some other greens - besides Nori, I'm hoping to buy some peas too, which some people say are also a good pleco food.


Pleco's are the most amazing fish, at one stage I started to collect all the different species I could get my hands on and had from royal panaques to white spotted pleco's, clown pleco's, bristled nose pleco's etc just to mention a few and they all did well.

I wanted to get quite a few species, but my favourite species easily come from the Panaque and Acanthicus genera. They also get the biggest too :bigsmile:

I'm quite happy with my common and high fin, though, I often find myself spending quite a bit of time just looking for them to see how they're doing. :)

[Dolphin]

Yep peas are acceptable as well as Zucchini (baby marrow)...just remember to remove any bits that are not consumed.

Have you any thoughts on the Nori?

[SalmonAfrica]

Yup, I said so in my previous post :) If it's cheap enough to have as a regularly used food source, I'll get some. If not, it can be a treat. :)

Keeping my eyes peeled for an Acanthicus adonis and a Pseudoacanthicus histrix - have you seen the size those get to? :eek:

[Dolphin]

Adonis is very nice!!!

[brads]

A really good algae wafer is ocean nutrition ,it lasts very long in the tank and is high in nutrition ,my fish love it especially my corydoras and endlers .
When I had a pleco I also used to feed it cucumber aswell, but mine preffered brochali don't know why !

Oh and
I think dolphin is reffering to sera granu green cichlid pellets ?

Cheers

[Dolphin]

Oh and
I think dolphin is reffering to sera granu green cichlid pellets ?

Cheers


thats the one!