I bought some algae wafers today.

[SheepdogLover]

I was at Wal-Mart for...stuff, and I stopped by their fish section (mentally praising them on their good fish care) to see if they had any algae wafers for the pleco. Well, I found some, I took them home, and I threw one in the tank. It's been a while, and the pleco hasn't touched it. One of the sunburst platys and a leopard danio has been eating it. Is it normal for those fish to be eating an algae wafer? Shouldn't my pleco be eating it?

 

[geoffgarcia2]

I tried them to, my plecos weren't crazy about them, so I threw the bag out

 

[dana307]

My firemouth, mollies, and severums love the algae wafers. Pleco eats them too.

 

[geKo]

Most fish will nibble on algae every once and a while. Platys love algae and as for your pl*co not eating it i dunno because my pl*co loves his waffers and eats them right up!

May want to give him time to find it though and if he passes it maby he is just not hungy... I wouldnt worry and i wouldnt throw away your algae waffers either!

 

[catfishmike]

despite what everyone will say about plecos they don't always eat algae.most wild plecos seem to eat algae as a sideline to wood.that is why i hate when people buy plecos as algae eaters.everyone thinks plecos are a cure-all fish to their algae problems.ancistrus(sp)plecos are the most likely to eat algae.the common pleco likes a more varied diet.try sinking wafers wood and algae wafers.and yes it is ok if the other fish eat algea wafers.heck i wish al my fish liked algea wafers.espeicaly if they are wardly algea wafers,those are all vegtable not like other algea wafers witch may contain fish meal

 

[adamj]

catfishmike, wouldn't the time of feedings of pleco's also be important? as i understand, their primarily nocternal. Correct me if i'm wrong

 

[Dogsby]

My pregnant micky mouse platy loves algae, but the other dont. Weird fish
Shawn

 

[Amanda]

My oscar kinda picked at one, however I don't know if the pleco did or not, (wasn't home), with those are you supposed to remove the uneaten part of the wafer, or leave it??

 

[lil_mikey69]

Try feeding at night. If i put one out durning the day it doesnt get touched, sometimes nibbled on by neons and serpaes but not the bristlenose. If I put two in at night, two are gone the next morning at lights on.

 

[steve535]

i have O.S.I wafers the fish (pleco / tropheus) love them.but they cloud my water.try a few rabbit pellets for your vegertarian fish its loaded with alfalfa, great roughage.

 

[Orion]

My large common pleco will eventualy eat the algae waffers, but he is not crazy about them. He preferes some sinking cichlid food that I put in for the cory's, the cory's go nuts for the stuff. Just about all of my fish eat a little bit of the algae waffers. My oscar likes to eat them whole. One bite and its gone.

I think that it is good for fish to be able to eat different types of food. It gives them nutrients that they might need that is not found in there normal food source. So I wouldnt worry about other fish eating the algae waffers.

 

[Amanda]

I put one in at night time last night and when I woke up it was pretty much gone!! Yummy! So feeding at night does help.

 

[madhippoz]

At night is better generally, although you can train fish to eat at pretty much anytime if you're stubborn enough. Also remember, those Algae wafers are HARD! It takes them quite a while to soften up in the water. I have a tiny little 2.5 inch common pleco. He can suck on it, when I first put it in, but that little guy isn't going to gobble it down, it's as big as his head, and he just doesn't have the teeth for it. Put it in when you turn the lights out, overnight it will soften, your pleco will come out as normal, and in the morning, it will likely be gone. You'll never be sure if he's eating it or not, I know my Colombians, well one of them anyway, like chewing on the Algae wafers as they swim around, so they help break it up too. Those Wardley's ones are the ones I use as well.

Most fish don't mind putting on a show for you when they eat, but remember, others like the privacy to munch on something when its dark *shrug*.

 

[Torpedo]

I also heard that a wide variety of pl*cos are omnivourous....can someone please explain what the heck that means.

 

[madhippoz]

The eat both meat and vegetables, they are carnivores and herbivores. They eat it all baby!

 

[cholula]

plecos: have serveral types......
-orange cheek L-095
-vampire
-golden nugget
-bristle nose
-sunshine
-common
-clown
-rusty
All dont like the same thing but I make available
to all the following.... spirulina disk, fish food, zucchini
beef heart and driftwood.... some like different foods
more than the others...but all need a varible diet.

 

[geKo]

Originally posted by adamj
catfishmike, wouldn't the time of feedings of pleco's also be important? as i understand, their primarily nocternal. Correct me if i'm wrong

They will eat whenever. Day or night it doesnt matter as long as their hungy!

 

[cholula]

my common, sunshine, and rusty love beefheart....
feed it to them at least once a week.
I have many more plecos of different types...
and I offer them not only beefheart, but tomatoes
(caps), zucchini, canalope rines, spirulina disc,
driftwood, etc......

 

[SheepdogLover]

i think plecos are supposed to be nocturnal, but for some reason mine is odd...he comes out during the day and while the tank light is on and he swims around and checks everything out. i think i just have weird fish. LoL.

 

[fishaddict]

I have a question, how can you tell when a pleco is eating. Mine comes up to it seems to suck at the wafer for like 10 minutes playing with it i guess. Swims away and comes back. He even smaples the other two i put in the tank. Is he actually eating or just tasting? It seems to dissolve in like and hour or two and for some reason i think most of it goes in the water not in his mouth.

Thanks