How to keep a pleco? Master these breeding methods
The pleco is the top choice for mixed-species aquarium keeping. This aquarium fish does not quarrel with other fish, and just like its name suggests, it is easy to keep and easy to raise, and it mainly feeds on debris in the water, which to a certain extent can help purify the water quality. Now let us take a look at how to keep a pleco!
What food does a pleco eat?
The pleco is an omnivorous fish, sucking on algae, benthic animals and debris in the water, and it can also swallow large quantities of fish eggs and fry. In an aquarium it often attaches itself to rocks and glass to steady its body and graze on algae, and it also searches for benthic animals (such as water earthworms). For small pellet feed floating on the surface, it will suck it up by pressing its belly against the water surface, its mouth working like a vacuum cleaner, drawing fish feces and green plants alike into its belly. It also holds an air bubble in its mouth, and this bubble contains oxygen, allowing it to stay underwater for a long time.
How to choose a pleco?
1. A healthy pleco has an intact body surface, with a grayish-black or light brown body, black-and-white patterns on the body surface, a flat belly, and left and right pelvic fins joined to form a round fan-shaped sucker.
2. When choosing a pleco, it is best to buy from a professional, highly reputable aquarium shop, and you can also invite a professional acquaintance to go along, so as to pick a healthier pleco.
3. The pleco likes to cling to aquarium walls or aquatic plants to devour algae and moss. When choosing a fish, you can also observe whether the pleco has this habit.
How to keep a pleco?
1. Water quality: Tropical fish kept in captivity require soft water or low-hardness water, with a pH preferably weakly acidic or neutral. If the water is strongly acidic, tropical fish have difficulty breathing and grow slowly; if it is strongly alkaline, the gill tissue of tropical fish will be corroded.
2. Water changes: A partial water change means using a siphon to draw out feces, leftover bait and other debris from the bottom of the tank, with the amount of water drawn out preferably 1/4 of the tank's water volume, then adding the same amount of new water at the same temperature that has been sun-dried or chemically dechlorinated. The frequency of water changes is preferably 2 times per week in autumn and winter, and 3 times per week in spring and summer. For a full water change, remove all equipment from the tank, scoop 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 to 4 months.
3. Water temperature: Tropical fish are extremely sensitive to temperature, and if the temperature is unsuitable they will soon die. Different species of tropical fish have different water temperature requirements. For most tropical fish, a water temperature of 20 to 24°C is suitable, and during the breeding period a water temperature of 25 to 28°C is suitable. The temperature difference between day and night must not exceed 4°C.
4. Oxygen: A certain number of aquatic plants should be planted in the tank, because aquatic plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis, increasing the oxygen content in the water. At the same time, promptly removing debris and changing the water frequently can also increase the dissolved oxygen in the water.
5. Light: If the tank is placed in a room with sunlight, it is best to give it about 1 hour of sunlight each in the early morning and evening when sunlight is weak. 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. Light can make tropical fish grow faster and make their bodies more brilliantly colorful.
6. Fish tank: A pleco will not stay small as it grows, so it is recommended that the tank be 50 cm or larger. It is an omnivorous fish, and for ordinary home keeping you can use bloodworms; if it is a better pleco variety, you can use special-purpose feed for plecos, and it also eats water earthworms and other feed eaten by other fish, as well as the algae, moss and aquatic plants on the tank. In addition, it likes ornaments such as driftwood, so if possible buy one and put it in the tank to help it adapt to the environment.
7. Stocking: The stocking density for tank-kept tropical fish depends on the size of the tank. For first-time fish keepers, the lower the density the better, and an air pump should also be added. Peaceful fish cannot be kept together with aggressive fish, and large fish cannot be kept together with small fish. There are many choices of feed for tropical fish, such as fish worms, red worms, or packaged feed suitable for different species of tropical fish, etc. Both raw bait and live bait must be washed clean to control sources of disease.