Michigan Cichlid Association

General Category => Non Cichlids => Topic started by: LoveTheFishies on October 04, 2013, 02:44:53 PM

Title: Feeding Pleco
Post by: LoveTheFishies on October 04, 2013, 02:44:53 PM
In researching my new LDA 33 "snow ball" pleco I see mention of them liking sweet potato.  How does that work.  Do you cut the sweet potato thin like a chip and put it in a holder?  Do you need to blanche or cook it first>|?

Oh no, the people at work think I'm turning into a crazy fish person since I told them about it. 
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: linuxrulesusa on October 04, 2013, 03:02:14 PM
If you blanch veggies, they lose some or many of the nutrients. 

I'd do this.  Find a fork you don't care about, tie a string or fishing line to it, stab the sweet potato slice with the fork, and drop it in the tank.  When they've eaten most of it pull the fork out.  This is what I've seen many of the serious pleco keepers do.
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: LoveTheFishies on October 04, 2013, 03:49:15 PM
OK, thanks.  I'll give it a try.
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: four_by_ken on October 07, 2013, 11:53:56 AM
If you blanch veggies, they lose some or many of the nutrients. 

I'd do this.  Find a fork you don't care about, tie a string or fishing line to it, stab the sweet potato slice with the fork, and drop it in the tank.  When they've eaten most of it pull the fork out.  This is what I've seen many of the serious pleco keepers do.

I use the clips and rotate what tanks they are in, as I only have two of them.  I always put in more than what they will eat.  That way I am sure they are getting as much as they want.

But, when I am feeding all the tanks at once... I have also used the fork method.  Sometimes the piece is too big and I have to use the big ol' salad forks!

We did the blanching a couple times at the start, just made a mess for us.  Dont do it at all anymore.

Zucchini is the favorite in our tanks.



Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: LoveTheFishies on October 07, 2013, 05:35:35 PM
Talked to the person who sold me the fish.  They liked the frozen blood worms and romaine lettuce.  She said they ignored the pleco wafers (same here).  Could try spirulina sticks.  She hadn't given them zucchini or sweet potato. 

Trial and error. 
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: LoveTheFishies on October 07, 2013, 08:01:32 PM
Any recommendations where I could get spirulina stick food?
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: Marty on October 07, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
The dollar store sells utensils pretty cheap.
Title: Re: Feeding Pleco
Post by: four_by_ken on October 15, 2013, 08:44:02 AM
The dollar store sells utensils pretty cheap.

Thats a darn good point Marty.

Sometimes I feed pieces so big that even with a normal fork, it still floats.  I have to use a big salad fork.  But yet... the fish still eat just about all of what I put in there.