What Do Plecos Eat? A Detailed Guide to Keeping Them
The pleco gets its name because it likes to eat leftover debris and waste, and it is easy to keep alive and easy to raise, which has made it popular with fish keepers. So today, the editor will introduce to you what do plecos eat? How do you keep them? Let's take a look together!
1. What do plecos eat?
The pleco is an omnivorous fish that grazes on algae, benthic animals and debris in the water, and it can also swallow large numbers of fish eggs and fry, so when keeping plecos together with other fish species you should put in more aquatic plants for cover. In an aquarium, plecos often attach themselves to rocks and glass to steady themselves and graze on algae, and they also search for benthic animals (such as tubifex worms). For small pellets of food floating on the surface, they will suck them up by turning their bellies up against the water surface, and their mouths work like vacuum cleaners, drawing fish feces and green plants alike into their stomachs, while they also hold a bubble in their mouths; this bubble contains oxygen and lets them stay underwater for a long time.
2. How do you keep plecos?
1. Water quality
Water quality is the most basic part of keeping them, and for captive plecos the water should be soft or low in hardness, with a pH that is preferably slightly acidic or neutral. If it is too acidic, plecos will have difficulty breathing and grow slowly; if it is too alkaline, the fish's gill tissue will be corroded.
2. Changing the water
For a partial water change, use a siphon to draw out the feces, leftover food and other waste from the bottom of the tank. The amount siphoned out should preferably be 1/4 of the water volume in the tank, then add the same amount of new water at the same temperature that has been left to stand or chemically dechlorinated. The frequency of topping up the water should preferably be 2 times per week in autumn and winter and 3 times per week in spring and summer. For a full water change, remove all the equipment from the tank, take out the aquatic plants and fish and place them in another container at the same temperature as the original water, wipe the tank walls and bottom clean with a sponge, and change the water once every 3-4 months.
3. Water temperature
The suitable water temperature for plecos is 20-24 degrees, and during the breeding period the water temperature should preferably be 25-28 degrees; the temperature difference between day and night should preferably not exceed 4 degrees.
4. Oxygen
When keeping plecos you should plant a certain number of aquatic plants in the tank, because aquatic plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis, which increases the oxygen content in the water. At the same time, removing waste promptly and changing the water frequently can also increase the dissolved oxygen in the water.
5. Light
Keeping plecos requires a certain amount of light. If the tank is placed in a room with sunlight, it is best to receive about 2 hours of sunlight each day. If the tank is placed in a room without sunlight, the aquatic plants should be illuminated with lamplight, using a 60-watt incandescent bulb or a 40-watt fluorescent lamp for 6 hours a day.
6. The fish tank
Plecos do not stay small as they grow, so it is recommended that the tank used for keeping them be over 50 cm. It is an omnivorous fish, and for ordinary home keeping you can use bloodworms; if it is a relatively good pleco variety, you can use prepared food, and it also eats other foods such as tubifex worms, as well as the algae, moss and aquatic plants on the tank. In addition, plecos also like decorations such as driftwood, so if possible buy one and put it in the tank, which will help it adapt to the environment even better.
7. Stocking
For people keeping plecos for the first time, the lower the density the better, and an air pump also needs to be added. If your keeping skills are more experienced, you can use a somewhat larger tank for keeping them.
The above is a summary of what plecos eat and how to keep them. I hope it can help you!