Can my Pleco get too fat???

Question

I love my Pleco "Carl"...and I have noticed as he gets larger (he is just over 9" long now)...he seems to keep getting fatter! His belly is QUITE rounded!! (He is in a 60 gallon, freshwater, community tank.) He scavenges, eats algae...and I feed him algae disks every night. (usually 3 of them...because the Corrys eat some of his food too) Can he get overfed? Does his swollen, rounded belly sound normal??

Answer 1

all fish can be over fed

><>   <------normal fish

>(-)-)-)>   <------FAT fish

Answer 2

a pleco usually does get long in length if carl is nine inches long, that's normal but they usually are not supposed to be that round around the belly area they are typically flatter there.

so you might be over feeding him, but im sure its nothing that dangerous.  

Answer 3

A rounded belly is normal for a healthy pleco. The only thing to watch is too much high protien food, it causes constipation, a really swollen belly and usually a dead fish.

Try feeding him chunks of fresh vege, like zuchini and cucumber. It will fill him up without overfeeding, and the fibre keeps his digestion working normally.

A mix of algae tabs, fresh veges and occasional meaty treats + whatever leftovers it finds makes a good diet for large pleco.

Ian

Answer 4

I have 2 plecos in my 51 gal community.  One is about 3 years old and about 12in long and the other is about 1 1/2 and about 6in long.  I haven't noticed them getting fatter only longer, but I am sure that like anything else  it can happen.  I have 6 cory cats and 6 upside down cats and I feed them Shrimp pellets and my plecos algae wafers every night.  Well I give each pleco a wafer and then 6 or 7 shrimp pellets to the cats.  At first the cats ate the wafers, but now they do not even look at them..  this is just my experience, so it may be different for you.  Do you have alot of algae and waste for Carl to eat or do you gravel vac regularly?  Maybe try feeding less.  Hope this helps..