best pleco food

[Steve]

Wondering whats the best pleco food/treat?

I recently got some juvie plecos at the MCA auction, I was told what was good for them veggie wise, but my memory sucks lol...so just wondering, I hear peas, and zuchuni (sp I know) whats good for plecos? And far as whats good....do you have to actually cook the peas etc?

[Marty]

Zucchini and blanched romaine for the vegetarian plecos.

[Steve]

Do you do anything to them ahead of time? You don't just drop them in right? I've heard people cook or do things to them ahead of time. Do you cook them or?? Whats the standard procedure to do ?

[Ron]

You can cook them to soften them up. If you do that, you want to blanch them. Personally, I find blanching small portions not worth the effort and would just feed cucumber or lettuce without any preparation.

For ease of feeding, I use a mag-float to hold lettuce against the side of the tank. For cucumber I'd rubberband it to a small rock, them attached a small length of fishing line to the rock so I could easily pull it from the tank. I'd normally remove the seeds from the cucumber too because the fish never seemed to eat them and it would just add waste to the tank. Another popular method I've seen is to stab a fork through it to hold it down.

[LoveTheFishies]

I used a vege clip until it broke, now use the fork method.  Mine love zuccini, romaine, and sliced sweet potato.  They destroyed a piece of zuccini last night.

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

Someone recommended Sweat Potatos !   I tried this and WOW - my plecos LOVE it and best of all there is absolutely NO MESS !  Just fork it and drop it in the tank and you are done...

[jamarini]

I tried blanched broccoli stems once and was so surprised at how quickly my plecos consumed it, it's become my go-too food for them now.  They prefer it to all the prepared green flakes or pellets on the market.

[Frontboy7]

Unsalted green beans will work also........

[Maize-N-Blue-D]

Unsalted green beans will work also........

Do you use a fork with these ?   

[Steve]

I think I'll try some cucumber. How long should I leave it in the tank? guessing a couple hours or so?

[gcalvus]

zucchini works the best for me it is gone in a day I also put a rubber
band around it to a rock. I like Ron's idea with the fishing line to pull it
out I'll have to try that.

[four_by_ken]

I think I'll try some cucumber. How long should I leave it in the tank? guessing a couple hours or so?

Zucchini is much better.  Not much nutritional value in cucumber.

[four_by_ken]

To add my 2 cents..

Zuchinni is the best in my mind.  We grow it our selves in the summer.  But, dont let it grow to big or the seeds will make a mess in the tank.  When it is smaller... cucumber size, no mess.

Hard to find this time of the year though.  All I see is zucchini squash... and it tends to cloud my tank.

Havent tried sweet potato, but soon will.

I see no reason to blanch or cook any of it.  Just more time.  Use a clip, my preference.  Using the fork method works too, but then you have to fish it out of the bottom of the tank.

[jamarini]

Ken, if you've ever fed them sweet potato or broccoli stems, you'd realize the fish have a difficult time eating these without first softening them a bit.  I agree with things like zucchini and lettuce.  Green peas work much better also with some parboiling or steaming in the microwave in my experience.

[LoveTheFishies]

My pleco's demolishing some zucchini last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyjO9PCBJx0&list=UU0gvdvBbSa1IdzsUeJhNa2A&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb9ydMMxSWU&list=UU0gvdvBbSa1IdzsUeJhNa2A&index=2