clown pleco question (about eating)

[johnpeezy]

Well my little clown pleco is eating wood......
lots and lots of wood, he seems to be permantly affixed to the bog wood I stuck in the tank(not really he move around on it, but you get the idea). For the past two days i have introduced a piece of zuccini and a mango to the tank. Since he is PETRAFIED of light its hard to tell if he chewingon them since i have to go in and check on it in the middle of the night. I haven't seen any noticble marks on the fruits and veggies I stick in there and I'm afraid hes only eating the wood.

1.)Is that okay?
2.)How long can i leave the fruits and veggies i put in the tank?
3.)How often should I put in a fuit or veggie in the tank?
4.)Should i give him algae pellets? if so how often?

He loves his stick, I mean LOVES it. He has claimed it at his teratory and chases any fish that come within his space its hilarious (him being afraid of light and all) he chases the fish off and BOLTS back to the comfort of his stick.

[Trixie]

Well, he's eating, and that is a good thing. I wouldn't leave the fruits/veggies in there too terribly long as they would start to deteriorate and add to the bioload. A few hours at the most, I would think.

[OrionGirl]

Depends on the veggie. I've left zucchini in a tank for three days or more, and never seen a spike--but that was in a very established tank, with lots of plants. The firmer the veggie, the longer it can soak--carrots, for example, are good for a long time.

Lots of people worry about they fish not eating. Here's the thing--if you are offering foods appropriate for the fish, in sizes appropriate for the fish (which you are), and the fish doesn't have a sunken belly, it's probably eating just fine. There are definite symptoms of a fish that isn't eating, but since you are seeing him eating the algae sticks, and you know he's on the wood, I wouldn't worry.

[johnpeezy]

Yeah should I even feed him algae pellets anymore?

I mean he has his stick and I give him veggies you think he still needs it?

[joephys]

I would even if for only this one reason. Vegetables that we eat aren't part of their natural diet. Algae is. You need to be careful with the algae wafers you get though, some their main ingredients are soy or corn. Look for ones that list an actual algae as the first ingredient. I prefer wardleys or omega1. I don't care for the hikari algae wafers.

[akapaul26]

NLS also has an excellent wafer! NLS H2O Stable wafers.

[Trixie]

Originally Posted by akapaul26

NLS also has an excellent wafer! NLS H2O Stable wafers.

I got some of these wafers in a bag o' fish food at the fish club auction last month. Everybody loves them! Well, the fish, shrimp and snails love them. That is the fastest way for me to find out how many snails are actually in my tank. I drop one in and a little later there is a pyramid of snails on it.