For the most part yes you can feed your plecos vegetables. There are a few things you need to watch out for so you don’t hurt them.
First I would feed your plecos organic or at the very least vegetables that have been washed extremely well. This will help stop them from being poisoned by the pesticides used to treat the veggies you feed them.
Also depending on the type of pleco you have they will love vegetables or veggies. The trick is finding out if the species of pleco is a carnivore, omnivore, or vegetarian.
Most plecos are omnivores or vegetarian and a fresh vegetable will be a great treat or meal.
2 Comments / Articles, Plecos / By Bryan Dinkel
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Do I need to prepare or blanch the vegetables for my plecos?
Do I need to prepare or blanch the vegetables for my plecos? Our plecos to get food and nutrition altering it you are in my mind defeating the purpose.
Second, I’m lazy. I’ll come out and say it. It’s an extra step to feed them and it’s unnecessary. I’ve never had any of my plecos struggle to eat raw vegetables.
Third I don’t blanch them because it makes them break down in the water faster and messes with my water parameters. Which means extra water changes. My least favorite thing to do for my fish.
Can I feed my plecos squash?
Yes, you can, plecos love eating squash and I would say the most common vegetable to give plecos is some form of squash.
My preferred type of squash is zucchini. It is cheap and available year round due to its ease of growth.
Because zucchini often grows like a weed it isn’t uncommon during the summer for my neighbors to leave it on your doorstep or in unlocked cars. I don’t mind because it’s free food for my fish and is great in a stir fry.
After that, I like using yellow squash. Similar to zucchini but a little more gourd-like and has a thicker skin.
I like to cut zucchini or yellow squash into 1/4 inch thick disks and use feeder clips to hang them on the side of the tank. I like this method because it forces my plecos to come out of their caves where I can see them for a short time.
The most common way to prep it is to cut the squash long ways and weigh it down with something. Most people will use a fork. My wife doesn’t approve of me stealing her silverware so this isn’t really an option for me.
Most people blanch their squash but I usually feed it raw. I find that most of my plecos have no problem demolishing all the squash I give them during the night.
Can I feed my plecos cucumbers?
Yes, cucumbers are similar to squash so you can feed them to your plecos. Since cucumbers have a similar shape and density to squash they can be prepared and given to your plecos the same way.
I personally go with squash because it seems more dense. Cucumbers tend to be more watery from my experience which in my mind translates to less nutritious. Even though it is probably just as nutritious as squash. I usually don’t use it.
Can I feed bell peppers to my plecos?
Yes, you can and I would say the next most popular vegetable to feed your plecos is bell peppers.
It is also available in most places year around and while it’s not as cheap as squash it is fairly affordable.
The bell pepper is a great vegetable to feed especially when you have multiple plecos in the tank. The natural way to cut bell pepper gives it a larger surface area. This allows plecos to feed together with less threat from one another.
Another benefit is that bell peppers usually sink when in water. So you don’t have to use any tools or accessories to make it stay in the water.
Can I feed plecos mushrooms?
Surprisingly yes you can feed plecos mushrooms. Now I rarely give my fish mushrooms because I love eating them and rarely make it a day or two in my refrigerator.
Some people will argue that mushrooms are not a vegetable, but that mushrooms are a fungi. One of them being my wife but that’s beside the point.
It is fun to watch plecos down a mushroom in record time. This is a veggie I would never suggest being blanched. It is already quite soft and just gets slimy after any cooking.
One fun thing I’ve seen done is to make a mushroom shish kabob to hold them down for multiple feeding areas. So while you are preparing for your next barbeque make a veggie shish kabob for your plecos too.
Can I feed carrots to my plecos?
Yes, you can but it’s not one I feed very often. I just don’t see them eat very much of the carrot when it’s in the tank.
Now for most plecos, the carrot is too dense and hard for them to really eat but any pleco that has wood as a main part of their diet will have no problem munching it down, and can be a great way to add variety to their diet.
Can I feed asparagus to my plecos?
While you definitely can feed your plecos asparagus I wouldn’t. It just generally is liked by most plecos I’ve seen it offered to.
I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because it is a really woody vegetable and isn’t easy to digest or it’s because asparagus gives off a strange smell. Who knows.
This is one vegetable though that I would always blanch before feeding just to make it easier for my plecos to eat.
Helpful tools for feeding your plecos vegetables
There are some other tools or equipment to hold your veggies down. There is one that is called the screwcumber. It is a piece of twisted stainless steel metal that makes it easy to twist your veggies onto it while it makes the veggies sink.
Or there are veggie clips that you can use to hold the vegetables in place for easier consumption. It also keeps the vegetables off the ground and closer to the top of the tank so it’s easier to remove old vegetables from your tank later.
Regardless if you are feeding your plecos vegetables for a snack or as a staple in their diet your plecos will love you for it.
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Looking forward to more of your articles. Good stuff!
Thanks. That means a lot. Definitely more articles in the future soon.