# Something other than peas for a constipated pleco?



## Blackmoons

My pleco looked like he was getting a bit constipated so I did the 3 day fast, and tried putting in peas last night but my pleco was less than interested and all were left this morning so I fished them out. I was going to put the same ones in again tonight to see if I can't convince him... but if that doesn't work is there another food I can give him that will help?

I don't think he's just not eating... I'm certain if I drop an algae chip in there he'll gobble it up, I think he is just very anti-peas.


----------



## AquariumTech

He could be eating other algae or something else in your tank you might see or see him eat. Are you sure that hes constipated? I know it is a fairly easy fish to tell on because mine have always pretty much just non-stop ****************, seriously non-stop. Anyways I cant say Ive ever heard of this problem. Doesnt fiber help them poop? If so maybe put a piece of driftwood in there. Not sure if its the common as your avatar, but certain plecos actually need wood in their diet and can actually digest it. Those belonging to the panaque genus need it such as royals or clowns. Anyways when I have had driftwood in tanks with plecos, I see them munching on it all to often, even if its just a common or a bristlenose. Just something that might help in your situation, like I said Ive never even heard of this.


----------



## emc7

Did you cook the peas and skin them? You can also try an all spiriulina food.


----------



## Blackmoons

Well I do have mopani wood in the tank which I def have heard him munching (he NEVER lets me see him, lol... he is super shy and any light at all makes him swim away and hide). 

And yes, I did skin and cook the peas. I think he may have eaten a couple last night but I wont know for sure until I scoop them out and count them. 

It does seem quite strange to have a constipated pleco, as you are right, they do poop CONSTANTLY. But for a day or two the poop was totally clear and had air pockets which were making it float upward. Constipation seemed the likely culprit since it didn't seem like an internal parasite would have that effect.


----------



## Blackmoons

and yes, my avatar is a picture of the pleco in question... a common pleco I've have always assumed.


----------



## Bettawhisperer

Are you sure it's constipated and not just a female full of eggs. Is it pooping at all? That is a good way to tell if it's constipation. Look for the poop.


----------



## Blackmoons

hmmmm. I guess I never considered that "he" might be a "she." It looks there there is poop as well. I will vacuum it out and then see if there is more tomorrow just to be sure. 

So I guess now the question is: What is a female version of the name Linus? haha


----------



## FishMatt

Plecos are not the biggest fan of peas in the first place. I believe that if you look at your fish store you might find Algae wafers with Spiriulina in them. Which might help. And my plecos tend to poop more after they have had veggies such as, Cucumber, and Zucchini. Have you been feeding veggies?


Matt


----------



## Bettawhisperer

My 13" pleco gets a large long strip of Zucchini every day.


----------



## Cam

FishMatt said:


> Plecos are not the biggest fan of peas in the first place. I believe that if you look at your fish store you might find Algae wafers with Spiriulina in them. Which might help. And my plecos tend to poop more after they have had veggies such as, Cucumber, and Zucchini. Have you been feeding veggies?
> 
> 
> Matt


Not true at all, most plecostomus species love peas and anything green and crunchy. I have had zucchini work pretty well for me as far as "getting the crap out" goes. Just make sure the peas are skinned and cooked, the microwave works miracles. D you have wood in your tank for it to eat off? That usually helps digestion as well.

It is possible it is full of eggs as well, is this plecostomus a new addition, or have you had him for a while?


----------



## Blackmoons

Well, I've had my pleco about 4 years now but just moved him into my new much larger tank and have been monitoring him (or her) a lot closer than I have in the past now that he is my primary fish and now has a tank where he will be the focus. I would not be the least bit surprised if I simply missed possible eggs in the past. 

And no, I've never fed veggies before although I plan to start! Really, now that I've done more research on fish keeping, I realized how much I didn't know about plecos. I added mopani wood in this new tank just for him and was shocked that I'd never realized how important that could be in the past. I'm learned that I was a pretty bad pleco mom in the past. Fortunately, he's given me time to correct my mistakes. 

The peas were a definite no-go but I think I will try some cucumber this weekend.


----------



## SGT Z

My pleco likes zuccini and cucumber. I've tried lettuce and carrots but he didn't touch them. You'd think he'd get tired of the same food all the time.

For the pleco experts, are there many different types of common plecos? The one in Blackmoon's avatar does not look like mine. It has rounder fins than mine.


----------



## emc7

IME, zuchs get eaten faster & more completely than cucumber. But try a few things and see what the fish like.


----------



## lohachata

i would rule out the "egg" factor unless your pleco is more than 18-20 inches long...even at that size i am not sure it would be mature enough to breed...not to mention that they are mud cave spawners..
look for a softer driftwood and feed more spirulina.


----------



## fishloverzj

The female version of Linus would be Lucy...


----------

