L264 eating protien only

zeebo

Member
Jun 11, 2010
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hi guys, I have tried everything I can think of, putting his protein sticks into a raw zucchini, blanched carrot and green bell pepper . The first two weeks he got the sticks and munched a a little bit of the veggie. Now he removes the sticks (2) and wont touch the veggie.

I am concerned he will get bloat so I dropped se-shelled peas in few times and I can't tell if he is eating them--my guess is no. The rainbows and angel fish eat everything==inc the raw veggies at night in the dark.

Also , I have held back feeding everyone once a week. Any suggestions ??

ps . I don't know the name of the food as it came from the shipper with him, just In s bag.

any advice appreciated.
 

YSR50

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Apr 29, 2009
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I know bloat is a real concern, but I don't think my breading group of L134s has had a veggie in over 5 years. I've tried everything you mentioned and nothing worked so I gave up. Never had an issue with bloat, knock on wood. The closest they come is if they eat any of the spirulina flake that makes it past my neons.
 

bigbird

Pleco Profiles Moderator - RIP FRIEND
Sep 9, 2010
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all in moderation, I find that all of my Ls eat a mixture of everything. sticks, pellets, deshelled blanched peas etc. I also only feed every 2days If I find some issue and this then works. cheers and good luck JK :thumbup:
 
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Bigjohnnofish

Global Moderators
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Apr 15, 2010
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Perth, Western Australia
im still a little skeptical that protein food fed only to L-numbers causes bloat....

had a 397 fry at 2cm escape into zeb tank once and i didnt know till i spotted a big 397 in the tank around 7-8cm... then i had to think back to when i had a frysaver full of 397's temporarily in their tank and that was about 3 months earlier so not only did 397 fry survive it grew very quick too... i still have it and its with its parents in their tank but you wouldnt know it by looking at it now - same size as all other adults...

that zeb tank only ever received brine shrimp , daphnia , bloodworms , and a few other meaty offerings... no veg at all....

i think majority of bloat issues are caused by less than perfect water conditions and bacterial infections within the fish...

my 264's are fed brine shrimp , daphnia , viformo , sera flora flake.... there are a few royal whiptails in the tank also and never any food left in the morning

they look close to breeding too - caving and trapping quite frequently now...

same with common bristlenose never had bloat with them either... what happens when you find an old dead adult in their tank - the other b/n eat it till bare skeleton is left - no bloat follows...

once accidently knocked over a container of carnvor pellets into a b/n tank.... and only noticed it later that evening and nearly all pellets were gone... again no bloat....

i think your concerns of bloat arent warranted purely based on the 264's diet....
 

zeebo

Member
Jun 11, 2010
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humm, that is very interesting....I was going by reading the old posts on bloat, then reading what that particular L 's food recommendation was and it seemed the herbavores were getting bloat more often when fed too much protein, so I have been cautious ,hence trying to train him to eat veggies too.

Well since you have had such good luck, I am probably gonna keep working on the veggie perhaps go back to the veggie with a stick so he has to eat some of it. He is a stubborn little sultan:re:

Thanks for sharing your experience

ps I do daily 10%wc's in that tank and vacuum every Friday so the water is good and they are not swimming in their toilets !
 
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Bigjohnnofish

Global Moderators
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Apr 15, 2010
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the only thing i have bloat issues with is 397 fry - sometimes they come out of the cave bloated before i have even seen them....

all bigger plecs have been fine with protein based foods...

might have to do an experiment one day to prove it... put 10 various fry in a tank x 2 and feed one meaty protein and the other vege based foods... and compare the results...
 

zeebo

Member
Jun 11, 2010
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ct ,usa
hi, bigjohn, I don't have any fry.

I did try something different , I made the holes in the zucchini very deep and shoved 2 sticks way in deep so he would have to eat some veggie to get to the sticks. It worked so far. thanks everyone , I appreciate all your ideas and replies !