# how to feed Pleco



## X-Pande-R

Hey guys i have a problem feeding my pleco i drop food down to the bottom while feeding my cichlids on the other side of my tank so they won't grab the food for my pleco, darn it's mission impossible they take it out every time... Plus the pleco takes it's time finding it's food.Any advise?


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## svolk

I use the pellets that are made for catfish and bottom dwellers. They are hard and look like a pill. Drop one in after you turn off the lights for the night. Some of the other fish usually try to eat it, but it's too hard and too large, at most they push it around for a bit and then give up. But the pleco comes out right away after I drop it in, and he finds it without a problem.


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## BobC

Regardless of what you feed them, always feed them after shutting the lights off. Their keen sense of smell will lead them right to the food. Other fish will have problems finding it. I alternate between algae disc, spirulina discs, and zuchinni.


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## osteoporoosi

A good way is to stick a slice of cucumber or zucchini into a teespoon, and drop it in the tank. like this the cichlids aren't able to move the cucumber, and the pleco is allowed to eat.


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## fishfreaks

BobC @ Tue May 03 said:


> Regardless of what you feed them, always feed them after shutting the lights off. Their keen sense of smell will lead them right to the food. Other fish will have problems finding it.


thats what i was going to say, we feed algae pellets, hikari sinking nutritional pellets, and cucumber, and yes our other fish munch on it too, so we make sure we put enough in and shut the lights out


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## blakeoe

slice of cucumber dropped to the bottom and mine is laying ontop of it for hours. They love that stuff. Also agree with the shrimp pellets they don't get soft till there on the bottom so most others don't eat them.


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## Cichlid Man

Can't beat the old cucumber trick. :wink:


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