Plecos are vegetarians. They eat algae out of the tank, of course. They also like raw lettuce, cucumber or zuchini. You can also buy algae wafers at the store, and feed him a couple at night before you go to bed. They eat best at night. The algae wafers are great, because then you can clean the tank without worrying about getting rid of all his food, and you don't have to leave a light on to grow algae all the time. They also need a piece of drift wood in the tank, on the bottom. They rasp on the wood with their "teeth" and ingest bits of wood. This helps them digest their food properly.
Plecos get HUGE, so plan on buying him a larger tank, if he is in a fairly small one now. My friend has one that is almost as long as her 55 gallon tank. She has to put on welding gloves and grab him to take him out of the tank to clean it. Plecos are a very ancient species of fish. They haven't evolved much in eons. They are cool.
"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam
"We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."- P.S. Beagle
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
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