Feeding my new bn

[blondeyny]

So I printed a copy of the veg list, and I have a summer squash, a couple zucchinis. I also have algae wafers and shrimp pellets on hand. I keep reading so many different things on the best way to feed him. I also found the DIY recipe on here that cup posted and am looking forward to hopefully making that sometime.

Anyways, I read on this site, 3 days veg then 3 days wafers then one fasting day. Before I was told wafers in the morning during lights out, then a veg at night after lights out, taking what's left of it out when you put in the wafers. I would assume the 3/3 you would alternate veg/wafers, but only once a day after lights out at night? Then remove whatever is left over in the morning, or when you replace it with fresh?

Also, my bn is about 3". How many wafers and how much veg should I be giving him at each feeding? I know he shouldn't be getting a ton of protein. How often should I be giving him the shrimp pellets. Also read somewhere about putting the pellets into the veg like cloves on a ham. Just not sure how often I should do that.

 

[Doodles]

Hiya

You only need to feed once per day and yup alternate veg and wafer days. Most Veg really needs to be removed in the morning although there are some veggies that will stay stable longer, then feed again as normal at night.

I would feed your bn half to one wafer and around 1 inch thick zuchinni, cucumber etc etc.

Shrimp pellets once every 7-10 days


Usually pellets or wafers are added to veg when plecs need encouraging to eat veggies, i would see how he goes first.

 

[blondeyny]

Thanks for the info!!! That feeding sched will be soooooooo much easier than the other one I was told. I already fed him a few too many wafers between yesterday and today so I'll fast him for a day. Then try the veg on him. If I do the recipe that cup posted, that has practically everything in it including protien, I would then just feed a cube or whatever once a day then. Or shouldn't I since that would get kind of boring for him I guess.

 

[Doodles]

You could give him a veggie block once a week and fresh veggies the other two days:dk:

 

[Tony_s]

If this is your first Pleco and now you have a feeding schedule,next should be a gravel cleaning schedule since this guy will leave alot of waste.

:welcome: to the Site

 

[Irene0100]

Hi, I think advice varies a bit because some fish are fussier than others. as long as he is eating something and the tank does not pollute with old food, I am sure you will find a diet that suits you and him! I favour variety so dont have any strict routine. my bns and other plecs get soem of what I am having most evenings, eg if we have peas with dinner they get some of those, or if we are eating green beans....

 

[blondeyny]

Yes I have already noticed he is quite the poop machine! LOL I do a 25% wc every week on all my tanks. I will definitely keep an eye out to see when a gravel cleaning is needed for the tank he is in.

 

[blondeyny]

It's been a week, and I've tried zucchini twice and french style green beans once. He hasn't touched either of them. He still only eats the wafers. Next to try is yellow squash. I know it may take a little bit for him to realize the veg is food, but I'm afraid the poor guy is gonna starve. Does it usually take this long? There really isn't any algae in the tank yet.

 

[Lornek8]

It's been a week, and I've tried zucchini twice and french style green beans once. He hasn't touched either of them. He still only eats the wafers. Next to try is yellow squash. I know it may take a little bit for him to realize the veg is food, but I'm afraid the poor guy is gonna starve. Does it usually take this long? There really isn't any algae in the tank yet.

If he's eating the wafers there's no worry about it starving. There are far more calories in an algae wafer than it'd probably get out of the veggies anyway. The algaes found in aquariums are usually poor replacements (nutritionally) of the wild algaes that plecs normally eat so there should be little concern if your aquarium lacks algae growth (which may in fact point to a husbandry issues anyway).

How are you feeding the veggies & how long are you leaving them in for?
Certain species of plecs like their veggies a certain way. The BN's i've kpet prefer when the veggies get a bit on the soft side and/or go after softer veggies preferentially. On the contrary, the wood eating Panaques i've kept seem to prefer harder veggies such as carrots. You could try leaving the veggies in a bit longer, short of it rotting & falling apart and or try something like cucumbers which are softer than the zucchini. Another trick is to spike the veggies by marinating in garlic juice by crushing garlic & rubbing it on the veggies. Let sit for a few minutes, remove the bits of crused garlic & feed the veggies. Garlic has appetite stimulating qualities. Still another option is to stick the algae wafers it eats into a piece of veggie. As it goes after the smell of the algae wafer it'll have to eat through the veggie. Soon it'll learn to eat the veggies.

 

[blondeyny]

I don't have any algae in the tank yet since it was recently set up and hasn't really had time to develop any.

The zucchini slices I skewered with a bamboo skewer and stuck the skewer into the gravel. I did put them in water and put in the microwave for about a minute to soften them. The green beens, only a couple pieces as a test, were just left on the gravel. They were canned no salt added beans, that were rinsed. Both were left in the tank overnight, so probably in the tank around 8 hours. The platies wouldn't even touch the veg. They do like sharing the algae wafers though.
I was considering the garlic idea, and the wafer idea. I was also planning on using a homemade veg block recipe, but wanted to figure out what veg he would like first. Unfortunately, he hasn't given me any signs. I was going to try yellow squash tonight, so I'll either rub some garlic on it, or spike it with some algae wafer.

 

[Tony_s]

Just be patient,he'll come around...

My guy loves a leaf of Iceberg lettuce...

:yes:

 

[blondeyny]

I did put a piece of algae wafer in the squash slice last night, as well as added some garlic to the water when I put it in the microwave. However one of the platies must have gotten sneaky and pulled the wafer bit out. I saw them nibbling on it before my bn got to the squash. They shared with him though.