# Do you feed your pleco?



## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

Mine doesnt seem like he does anything

He doesn't eat the garbage and waste on the gravel floor and is scared of my Ps

I tried dropping some algee tabs in there but my Ps ate them

I dont clean the algee off the tank and he doesnt eat that either

He's gonna get flushed soon if he doesnt start doing something

Seems like a leech to me


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

Give me a break.

How can you be so calloused and flush him down the toilet because you deem him a "leech"?

If anything, take him back to the lfs and give him to them.



> He doesn't eat the garbage and waste on the gravel floor and is scared of my Ps


No kidding???? No fish eat the waste by-product of other fish.

I would tell you my opinion on how best to feed him, but I just think it's a better idea you take him back to the lfs.


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## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

I paid $3.49 + tax for him

He's not going back to the LFS, he's getting flushed if he doesnt do something

Much more enjoyment for myself

He just sucks himself on the eclipse filter all day hiding and doesn't do anything

He moves at night but barely (think tree sloth)

If I decide not to flush him im gonna scrape him off the filter and let the p's chomp on him when I hold him down with a stick


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## phishin06 (Jun 11, 2003)

give him some time....im sure your pleco does things when you aren't looking and the lights are out....hes just chillin...let him be


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

> He's not going back to the LFS, he's getting flushed if he doesnt do something
> 
> Much more enjoyment for myself


Yea, that 3 seconds of watching him spin is a h00t!









Do what you want then.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Good think you dont have a puppy.


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## 521 1N5 (Apr 25, 2003)

SonicDark said:


> I paid $3.49 + tax for him
> 
> He's not going back to the LFS, he's getting flushed if he doesnt do something


 dude, that is seriously fucked up.


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## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

grosse gurke said:


> Good think you dont have a puppy.


 Way too much work with a dog

They need to be fed everyday, walked and all that

I clean the tank once a week and dump in a new cartridge every month

Other than that they get 36 goldfish dumped in the tank every 1-2 weeks and thats it

Great pet but the supporting cast (aka pleco) isn't holding up its end of the bargain

I'll check out the LPS for something else when I get a chance and pickup something that does something


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

> Great pet but the supporting cast (aka pleco) isn't holding up its end of the bargain
> 
> I'll check out the LPS for something else when I get a chance and pickup something that does something


Well, good. Since you're going there anyways, take the pleco with you.


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## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

Reckoning said:


> > Great pet but the supporting cast (aka pleco) isn't holding up its end of the bargain
> >
> > I'll check out the LPS for something else when I get a chance and pickup something that does something
> 
> ...


 And do what?

I doubt they have a trade in program or I'm gonna get store credit

I didn't get him at Petsmart, should have since they have an awesome return policy, even on dead fish

I saw some freshwater lobsters that are gonna get tossed in and see what happens


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## Petzl88 (Feb 5, 2003)

How long have you had him?

I had two plecos in my 75 and they stayed behind the powerhead for 3 weeks and didn't move at all. I didn't feed them anything. They didn't clean the algae off my tank at all.

But, alas, they started to move around last week. As we speak, he is chilling on a piece of driftwood. He swims around all of the time now.

Give him a few weeks.


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## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

Petzl88 said:


> How long have you had him?
> 
> I had two plecos in my 75 and they stayed behind the powerhead for 3 weeks and didn't move at all. I didn't feed them anything. They didn't clean the algae off my tank at all.
> 
> ...


 Probably 3 weeks or so

Mine does the same thing, doesnt move, doesnt clean, just sits and doesnt move

I'll give him another 2 weeks before he gets scraped off and held down for my hungry Ps to have a run at him


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

> And do what?
> 
> I doubt they have a trade in program or I'm gonna get store credit


So? Just give it to them. He gets to live. Sounds like a good enough reward to me.

I won't post about it again unless you directly ask me a question, but just wanted to let you know there were other options is all.


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## ncith (Apr 20, 2003)

my pleco dosen't do anything either. but i'm just gonna wait till he gets bigger







don't flush him dude!


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## mantis (May 16, 2003)

That sh*t is too funny!


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## yonderway (Apr 28, 2003)

There are two things I've found that plecos can't resist.

1) Driftwood. OK they can resist it, but they _really seem to like_ chewing on it.
2) Zuchinni. Get a slice of zuke and attach a plant weight to it to keep it on the bottom. All your veggie eaters will go nuts scarfing it down.


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

plecos plecos plecos ,
thats what they do nothing, i have one and have had it for well over a year i did not get it to put to work for me i got it to add to my tank the same reason i bought my p's for enjoyment it swims about and cleans practicaly nothing.
if i want to clean my tank i will do it myself fish keeping is work tanks dont clean themselves (unless your knifeman hahaha ) keep the pleco or trade it DONT kill it
dixon


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

I never feed my pleco anything. They dont do nothing for me so in return i dont do anything for them but the plecos seems to stay alove so whatever they are doing they are surviving. I truly hate my pleco! Sits there and do nothing! I have to scrub the tank!


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

i use to feed on leftovers of my p's food.....worked with no problem ,until they were on the menu


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

thePACK said:


> i use to feed on leftovers of my p's food.....worked with no problem ,until they were on the menu


 I was too busy staring at his av to even know what he said.


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## NIKE (Jan 27, 2003)

i have a 11'' sailfin with my oscars and he chills out all day long till the lights go out. light is what creates algea and they wait for it to build up during the day and then when the lights are out and you can't see him!! thats when he goes to work if you want one to whatch clean then get a chinese algea eater..... i am quit sure any lfs would give you a even trade. and they could last for quite some time as they are verry fast. please don't flush him







and remember your responsibilty is too remove all food not eaten after 2 hours


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## Joker (May 19, 2003)

how can you say your pleco does nothing?? Plecos do nothing but sh*t !! My damn thing is a poop factory running 24/7.


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## mpgleisten (May 16, 2003)

I think it depends on the fish. I have had mine for a few months and it swims around sucks on all the plastic plants. It even once swam up on a dying comet my cariba bit and then sucked on its face til it died.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

My pleco's were very inactive the first weeks as well, but by now the biggest one really loves to raise hell in my tank, racing through the tank like the devil is chasing him, and sometimes even attacking my p's to snatch their piece of food...
Just give it some more time: it will become more active after a while, and when it does, it'll be a very entertaining fish with a lot of personality (or perhaps I'm just lucky)









My pleco's eat left-overs (usually shrimp and feeder parts), but I also feed them algea and bottomfeeder pellets, which they seem to love.

But if you decide to get rid of it, DON'T kill it, but return it to an lfs, give it to a fellow fish keeper, or offer it for sale/free on-line!!! People that kill unwanted fish really piss me off, and clearly should not keep any fish, let alone piranha's, imo...
Just my 0,02....


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## DiSTurBeD (Jun 4, 2003)

I agree pl*cos do nothin till they get about 6-7 inches and are comfortable in your tank; then they become little mosnters







My biggest tears the plants up outta the ground and even goes up to the top to grab a shrimp every once in a while. The one in with my O's is my best cleaner tho; he comes out and cleans even during the day! My O tank requires no glass cleaning but I do vac gravel every week during water changes (pythons kick ass!)


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## Hannibal (Dec 2, 2002)

SonicDark said:


> I paid $3.49 + tax for him
> 
> He's not going back to the LFS, he's getting flushed if he doesnt do something
> 
> ...


 He payed for the fish he owns it, I feel the same damn way sometimes.


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## scarfish (Apr 5, 2003)

Maybe you should rethink having animals in your care. Sure we have pets, but do we "own" them? Of course not, they are living beings. Feed your pleco some lettuce or zuchinni. You paid to have it in your possesion, don't make it suffer.


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## SonicDark (Apr 30, 2003)

Ok well I checked him out during the weekend and at night

I had a lot of algee on the front of the tank but he didnt clean that off either

I'll see if they will give me a algee eater or something more productive

Huge waste of a fish though


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)




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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

I don't give my pleco any special foods, but I would if it was a differant species as many require special components to their diet.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

the only reason i would ever consider getting a pleco is if I had a algae problem. but since my tanks are indoor I don't have algae on them.

I don't know why you guys are flaming him for killing it; its not any higher up on the evolutionary ladder than a feederfish


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Well, it's pretty obvious you have different morals than many others (you're a true Scorpio!), but I think that when people are killing fish they don't want, they just show they're not responsible enough for keeping pets...
And yes, I know it's his fish, and he can ass rape it if he wants to, bla bla bla, but this is just my opinion (and I'm sure I'm not alone in this...)


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

I'm with you Judazzz


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Innes said:


> I'm with you Judazzz


 See......?


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

I think you have to be a fan of plecos to keep one successfully....if you get it just to do work, you will most likely be disappointed.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

Do you really think there's a distinction between killing a 12 cent goldfish and killing a $3.50 pleco? Other than cost, I don't, and if you feel differently about that then please explain.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I buy feeders to have them killed by my reds - that's their purpose, they're bred for that, and that's the sole reason I buy them... If I wanted to keep goldfish as pets, I would buy them a bowl or tank for their own...

I don't buy tropical fish and then waste them because they don't live up to my expectations, aren't compatible or whatever....
A bit of research could have avoided a situation like that.
Pleco's aren't bred to be killed if they don't start doing their 'job' within a week... It's a known fact that pleco's sometimes need quite some time before they are properly acclimatized, and I'm talking weeks here, not just a few days (and I have experienced this first hand...)

Quite a difference...


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## lament configuration (Jun 22, 2003)

The topic has changed quite a bit. But I just wanted to say that I dont feed my Pleco at all. He has been around for 3 months now and he does it all by surviving off scraps and the little algae my tank does grow.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

I dont feed my Pleco.. dont care to. All he ever does is litter my tank with long ass speghetti strings which cloggs up my freaking intake tube on the canister. Im thinking about selling it. Seems like no point in keeping him.


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## NIKE (Jan 27, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> I buy feeders to have them killed by my reds - that's their purpose, they're bred for that, and that's the sole reason I buy them... If I wanted to keep goldfish as pets, I would buy them a bowl or tank for their own...
> 
> I don't buy tropical fish and then waste them because they don't live up to my expectations, aren't compatible or whatever....
> A bit of research could have avoided a situation like that.
> ...


 right on brother!!!!





















i like the research part







no what you are buying


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

OK I have no problem with you discussing whether a pleco should be live food or not, but this is off topic and so mI am closing this thread, I hope that if you really want to discuss plecos as live food then you are more than welcome to start a new thread









but this one is now closed


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