food questions

[Amy]

I have a few questions I hope someone can help me with.

In a few days I am getting a new L046 baby zebra. I know about the bloodworms and don't feed them anyways as I am very allergic to them.

What I would like to know is, can I feed the Hikari Sinking Wafers?

They are small rounds in the orange bag with a clown loach on the front of them. My L134 and my LF Albino BC just love them but will a baby zebra choke on them?

Peas, how do you cook these for plecos and will a baby zebra eat these or should I not feed it till its older?

:hi:

 

[Lornek8]

The Hikari sinking wafers should be fine. They will probably just scrape off what they need as the wafers are too large for them to eat whole. Should be the same with the L134 and BN.

Peas can be blanched and the outter shell (both the green casing and the clear sheel on the individual peas) removed before feeding. Or you can simply take a frozen pea, defrost, remove the clear shell and feed. As with the wafer, or any food actually, the plecs will tend to rasp/bite off what they need rather than swallow the whole item.

 

[Amy]

Thank you for the reply. I was just worried about the size of those Hikari ones as they are small and don't want any choking to happen.

I cannot wait for my new little pleco to arrive, hopefully this week if the weather holds up.

:clap:

 

[Zebra Pleco]

For Zeb fry, upto adult hood, feed them Tetra Prima, cannot fault the stuff, also things like earthworm tablets, cucumber or zuccinin (start them early on veggies, if left late they just won't touch it in adulthood).

Once about 6 months, live foods or frozen foods. Lobster eggs are a must if breeding and to bring out the colours.

The fry won't choke on the food, the reason bloodworms are bad for fry, is that they have tiny little barbs on them, once the bloodworm is swallowed and if too big, they cannot re-gurgitate them back up becasue of these barbs and choke to death.

All tablets or wafers will be safe, they will disolve or break up, before the fry chokes to death.

If your fry are really young, under 3 months or an 1 inch in size, give them a little helping hand and break up the food for them, with stuff like tetra prima, simply, crush it in your hand and it will sink to the bottom of the tank.

If your fish are young, consider a bare bottom tank for a month or so, this way you will see what they eat or don't. Remove all uneaten food after a few hours, with high temps needed for zeb tanks, the food goes off quickly. Also with a bare bottom tank, check for poo's, if there pooing, there eating.

 

[Amy]

Thanks for the great info. I am only getting one baby zebra, I don't plan on breeding just want a nice display of a couple plecos. The cost of them is so great I am lucky to get one. I have two other plecos one is an L134 the other a albino long fin bn young one. So that will be the room mates along with a couple of neons.

We don't have Tetra Prima here, but I do have Tetra cycolopeeze granuels that are really small would these be okay?

I don't have my new addition yet, hopefully tomorrow waiting to hear though. Size is 1 1/2" to 1 3/4"

Thanks again

 

[Lornek8]

Tetra bits/color granuals are, I think, the North American version of Prima.

A baby zebra might not be a good idea with a L134 or with many other plecs for that matter. They can be rather timid and don't necessarily compete well for food. L134 can be one of the more aggressive plecs and could pose a problem for the zebra.

 

[Amy]

Oh no that is not what I wanted to hear, I was told by the breeder and a few other pleco people it would be fine with the ones I have. I guess I will just have to really watch and make sure nothing happens to it and be prepared to move the little one.

Thanks for the food info that is what I thought they might be as well, those we do have here.

I know the breeder is feeding NLS Grow that we also do not have here and I would have to order that in too.