[Prev][Next][Index]
Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #546
> From: Shenaenae at aol_com
> Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 14:57:36 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: do plecos eat plants?
>
> do plecos eat plants? I think that mine have discovered the tender leaves of
> my plants. I have two Amazon swords and two plecos about 3" and 4". It
> seems that they have eaten the outer layer of the leaves and left the leaves
> transparent-ish.
Plecos can damage plants, but your situation doesn't sound like pleco
damage to me. To really get at a plant, a pleco needs to lean into it,
and large floating leaves don't afford much of an opportunity for that.
My 9" pleco routinely makes a mess of the base of any grassy plant he can
get at, however. I've found that the solution is to carefully landscape
with stone, such that getting at the base of the plant is inconvenient or
difficult for the pleco. Also, get some wood in there. They like to
grind on it, and the won't go after your plants as much for organic
matter. Thirdly, try feeding cichlid pellets. Yes, the floating kind;
plecos will come to the surface for pellets, and it's fun to see them
drift down while desperately clinging to a pellet with their mouth parts.
You have to sit still, however. Plecos are very timid -- the bigger they
get, the more cowardly they are. If you feed pellets, or wafers, and then
keep bobbing around your tank seeing what's going on, the plecos won't
touch a thing. Then, when you leave, they'll snack on what's left: your
plants.
Would you rather I be pointed, or blunt? -- Edziu