L66 King Tiger Pleco

[Pleco]

Hi guys.
I won two L66 plecos at the GAAS meeting. Any care tips? How big does it get, can I feed it zucchini?

[weedkiller]

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/pleco/tiger.php

hope that helps

[lohachata]

L-66 are primarily carnivorous...meaty type foods..algae wafers...driftwood...don't bother with zuchini ; it lacks the needed nutrition....
they need a few caves..males tend to take to the caves while the females tend to hide under the driftwood...max size is about 5" standard length..tip of nose to base of tail..tail is not included in measurement....you will rarely see them as they hide a lot..\
you are very lucky....these fish normally go for $40-$60 each on aquabid...they usually are not sexually mature until they are 2-3 years old..i have 3 of them right now..2 older males and one younger one that i am hoping is a female...as they age the white lines tend to get thinner and thinner....
when you go to the akron meeting look up jeff plazak and ask him about my foods...
i have sent food to the club several times for their auctions...

[Pleco]

Originally Posted by lohachata L-66 are primarily carnivorous...meaty type foods..algae wafers...driftwood...don't bother with zuchini ; it lacks the needed nutrition.... they need a few caves..males tend to take to the caves while the females tend to hide under the driftwood...max size is about 5" standard length..tip of nose to base of tail..tail is not included in measurement....you will rarely see them as they hide a lot..\ you are very lucky....these fish normally go for $40-$60 each on aquabid...they usually are not sexually mature until they are 2-3 years old..i have 3 of them right now..2 older males and one younger one that i am hoping is a female...as they age the white lines tend to get thinner and thinner.... when you go to the akron meeting look up jeff plazak and ask him about my foods... i have sent food to the club several times for their auctions...

So could you give me some examples of the foods they eat?
I really am lucky...any easy way to sex them?

[Charlie1]

Shrimp pellets and blood worms are usually a good choice for carnivorous plecostomus

[lohachata]

just like us human beings and almost all creatures ; fish need a varied diet of high quality foods..
blood worms are good every once in a while but not too often.they have been linked to many fish deaths...
shrimp pellets..planktons..earthworm..brine shrimp..krill..and other good meat based foods....spirulina and veggie sticks or bits and algae wafers are also good and very important to them....
i wouldn't bother trying to sex them until they mature ...males will have odontodes along the leading edge of the pectoral fins and along it's sides on the back half of the fish...and as i said earlier , the males tend to stay in caves and the females under the wood..

[Pleco]

Originally Posted by lohachata just like us human beings and almost all creatures ; fish need a varied diet of high quality foods.. blood worms are good every once in a while but not too often.they have been linked to many fish deaths... shrimp pellets..planktons..earthworm..brine shrimp..krill..and other good meat based foods....spirulina and veggie sticks or bits and algae wafers are also good and very important to them.... i wouldn't bother trying to sex them until they mature ...males will have odontodes along the leading edge of the pectoral fins and along it's sides on the back half of the fish...and as i said earlier , the males tend to stay in caves and the females under the wood..

But...aren't they carnivorous? Do you think this food is good?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4267

[lohachata]

fish are not strictly herbivorous nor carnivorous...they all need a varied diet...but they just get their nutrition differently than most folks realize...
carnivorous fish often eat animals and other fish that mostly eat plants....and plant eaters will often eat small fish , worms and bugs....

just think of how sick you would be if all you ever ate was chicken....

that food would be ok ; but why not buy veggie flakes and spirulina plus regular algae wafers....that way they get a variety of good healthy foods...

[Charlie1]

Where did you hear that blood worm affects health issues of a pleco? I thought that it only included discus/african cichlids.

Also, lohachata is correct, do not feed the plecos one thing, you can feed the plecos such food, but suppliment their diet with other things as well. This could have health affects later on too. Think of it like this, a pleco is in the wild and can get a varied diet- he can eat worms, algae, a decaying fish, etc. However in captivity, a pleco does not have such a pleasure and relies on you to keep them healthy.

Also, I was looking at your signature to see a scary number of fish in that tank! I hope that the ten gallon is only temporary, because that is a lot of fish for a ten gallon. First off, who said a common pleco can go in a ten gallon? Additionally, one pleco alone has a large bioload, let alone four... in a ten gallon. Just warning you that that your tank can easily collapse on you if you are not careful.

[Pleco]

Originally Posted by Charlie1 Where did you hear that blood worm affects health issues of a pleco? I thought that it only included discus/african cichlids. Also, lohachata is correct, do not feed the plecos one thing, you can feed the plecos such food, but suppliment their diet with other things as well. This could have health affects later on too. Think of it like this, a pleco is in the wild and can get a varied diet- he can eat worms, algae, a decaying fish, etc. However in captivity, a pleco does not have such a pleasure and relies on you to keep them healthy. Also, I was looking at your signature to see a scary number of fish in that tank! I hope that the ten gallon is only temporary, because that is a lot of fish for a ten gallon. First off, who said a common pleco can go in a ten gallon? Additionally, one pleco alone has a large bioload, let alone four... in a ten gallon. Just warning you that that your tank can easily collapse on you if you are not careful.

Charlie, I'm planning to do something with the Common Pleco. I'll be getting a new tank soon.

[Lorne]

As far as the food goes check out Repashy fish food on line it's a high grade good food for pleco's they have everything from meat to greens that you make up into a gel it's good right from fry to adults and there is about 6 different ones I raise rare pleco's and feed them high quality food only as I have L046 , L066 and L411 pleco's all fancy rare pleco's