Feeding plecos cucumber

Question

I was told putting a chunk or cucumber in my tank will help the growth of my common pleco, does anyone know if its true?

Answer 1

Cucumbers or zucchini's cut in 1" slices and lowered to the bottom of the tank.  I suggest going with a firm zucchini since it can stay in the tank for a few days  (usually it doesn't take that long for them to eat it )

I would also warn against canned veggies or frozen veggies if you plan to leave them in the tank for more than a day.  Canned veggies tend to have large amounts of sodium as well as added preservatives and are not very "firm".  Frozen foods get mushy very quickly and add muck to the tank.

Answer 2

tanks marcus great idea thumbs up mate. try the tomato mine loved it

Answer 3

Pretty much all fish will have a nibble at cucumber, but plec's will make a meal out of it.

The Common plec is an omnivore that prefers greens, most green vegetables will be eaten, you have to weight down cucumber, but blanched peas, cabbage leaves etc will all be eaten.

Don't be afraid to experiment, put a blanched cabbage leaf in overnight; if it hasn't been touched in the morning, take it out and try something else. They are quite fond of tomato by the way, but don't eat the skin, so you have to fish that out :0)

Answer 4

It's true that it's a good idea to supplement the diet of your pleco with some fresh, steamed or frozen veggies.  A pleco cannot really survive and be healthy on algae alone.  Cucumber is one of the things they can and will happily eat, but it's not one of the most nutritious options.  Zucchini is better.  Most will also happily eat squash, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, peas, spinach, lettuce and broccoli.  Plecos should also have some wood in the tank to chew on to aid their digestion.

Answer 5

i feed my pleco (my firemouths and tiger oscar also join in) romaine lettuce  

Answer 6

Generally there's not enough algae in an aquarium to feed plecos, so cucumber slices are often place in a tank as a supplement.  Other vegies are also good.  Well-rinsed, canned, sliced green beans are readily eaten,

Answer 7

cucumber is ok the best thing to do is cut about a 2 inch lenth then cut this in half and take the seeds out you can then use a plant weight to hold it down

Answer 8

Cucumber chunks as well as peas are good  for a pleco.  I find frozen peas, soaked for a few minutes in hot water and then drained, skin easily (My pleco won't eat a whole pea only the squishy inside) Just hold the pea in your fingers and pop the skin off. Feed depending on the size of your pleco.  For one about 15 cms I'd use about 5 peas.  My pleco is +- 30cms and 6 years old.

Don't overfeed or your water will go murky.