I've been reading just about everything I can over the past few weeks about plecos and have recently purchased a BN pleco. Right now, he's in my 10 gallon QT tank. Inside the QT tank are an array of plants, lots of green algae, and a medium sized piece of driftwood. As I'm typing, he is happy attached to the side of my tank working away. I'll be moving him into my regular 30 gallon tank after a few weeks (I really like to quarantine them for a long time). Here's a photo of his "final destination":
Here are the water parameters of both tanks:
10 gallon QT tank - PH 7.2, Nitrates 10 ppm, Ammonia and Nitrites 0 ppm, temp 76
30 gallon - same, except nitrates are at 5.0 ppm
As you can see from the photo, I have a nice large piece of driftwood in the tank. There is not much algae growing in the 30 gallon, but there are some plants. So, I plan to supplement his diet with algae wafers and other things. My question is about what "other things" I should be feeding this guy. I've read that you can feed them blanched zuccini and cucumbers, which are both more readily available for me than other veggies (except spinach, which I've never seen recommended as fish food, so I'm not planning to feed it). I do not want this ugly little guy to die, so I'd really like to make sure that I'm doing everything I can to keep him happy. I've ordered some sinking shrimp pellets for the common goldies he's sharing the tank with (you can see them in the photo -- they're the little gold blobs). Will he eat those too? Will they be a good supplement to his diet?
When it comes time to transfer him from the QT tank to the 30 gallon, what is the lowest stress method of doing that for my situation? Both tanks are in the same room, about ten feet from each other. Also, other than regular water changes, good diet, hiding places in the tank, and steady temperature in the mid 70s, what else should I be doing to keep him happy?
Here are the water parameters of both tanks:
10 gallon QT tank - PH 7.2, Nitrates 10 ppm, Ammonia and Nitrites 0 ppm, temp 76
30 gallon - same, except nitrates are at 5.0 ppm
As you can see from the photo, I have a nice large piece of driftwood in the tank. There is not much algae growing in the 30 gallon, but there are some plants. So, I plan to supplement his diet with algae wafers and other things. My question is about what "other things" I should be feeding this guy. I've read that you can feed them blanched zuccini and cucumbers, which are both more readily available for me than other veggies (except spinach, which I've never seen recommended as fish food, so I'm not planning to feed it). I do not want this ugly little guy to die, so I'd really like to make sure that I'm doing everything I can to keep him happy. I've ordered some sinking shrimp pellets for the common goldies he's sharing the tank with (you can see them in the photo -- they're the little gold blobs). Will he eat those too? Will they be a good supplement to his diet?
When it comes time to transfer him from the QT tank to the 30 gallon, what is the lowest stress method of doing that for my situation? Both tanks are in the same room, about ten feet from each other. Also, other than regular water changes, good diet, hiding places in the tank, and steady temperature in the mid 70s, what else should I be doing to keep him happy?
