How can I make sure that my Plecos get enough to eat?

My pleco looks identical to yours, and PetSmart listed it as a common pleco. ;) As for feeding, I agree with Pytr. I rarely see my plecos eat, except when I put tubifex worms in the tank, they come out wherever they are to devour them. lol My plecos sweep their favorite foods into their cave at night, to keep it from the Bettas. I usually overfeed them initially and then watch them for ten minutes in the dark, so they actually come out. Whatever they don't snatch or eat, I vacuum up.

once or twice a week put in a strip of zucchini , monitor how much gets eaten within the day or overnight and adjust the size accordingly so that you don't have rotting zucchini in the tank. tying the piece to something might keep it available to the pleco. note: the oscar will eat anything it can, so you may have to use larger pieces and remove the uneaten bit the next morning. and often if you put the algae wafer in after the tank lights and the room lights go off, the pleco might be more likely to get it. EDIT: how about doing me a favor and holding a peach or pear for your oscar someday and telling me what happens. I've never tried fruit, but I'm told it is something they'll jump out of the water for. Second EDIT: note: an oscar or pleco can crap the tank up something awful if you overfeed veggies. I've come in the next day and the tank was covered with a green gelatinous slime when we overfed lettuce, zucchini etc. OK, third EDIT: there are clamp things with suction cups for holding sheets of algae/nori seaweed, usually used in salt water tanks, but they are not strong enough to hold anything from a pleco or oscar, so don't bother trying that. Either fishing line or rubber bands might work for securing veggies to a heavy rock. OR, put the veggies in a cave that is too low/too deep for the oscar to get at. Jeez, fourth Edit: try overfeeding the catfish by using a turkey baster with bloodworms etc and eventually other meaty foods like earthworm or butter worms, and they may grow enough to not end up as oscar food.

once or twice a week put in a strip of zucchini , monitor how much gets eaten within the day or overnight and adjust the size accordingly so that you don't have rotting zucchini in the tank. tying the piece to something might keep it available to the pleco. note: the oscar will eat anything it can, so you may have to use larger pieces and remove the uneaten bit the next morning. and often if you put the algae wafer in after the tank lights and the room lights go off, the pleco might be more likely to get it. EDIT: how about doing me a favor and holding a peach or pear for your oscar someday and telling me what happens. I've never tried fruit, but I'm told it is something they'll jump out of the water for. Second EDIT: note: an oscar or pleco can crap the tank up something awful if you overfeed veggies. I've come in the next day and the tank was covered with a green gelatinous slime when we overfed lettuce, zucchini etc. OK, third EDIT: there are clamp things with suction cups for holding sheets of algae/nori seaweed, usually used in salt water tanks, but they are not strong enough to hold anything from a pleco or oscar, so don't bother trying that. Either fishing line or rubber bands might work for securing veggies to a heavy rock. OR, put the veggies in a cave that is too low/too deep for the oscar to get at. Jeez, fourth Edit: try overfeeding the catfish by using a turkey baster with bloodworms etc and eventually other meaty foods like earthworm or butter worms, and they may grow enough to not end up as oscar food.

Put the algae waffers in before you go to bed. Plecos are nocturnal. So are Pictus and red tailed black shark but Ive never seen them eat waffers. Oscar should miss them falling to the bottom if his tank is dark.

Put the algae waffers in before you go to bed. Plecos are nocturnal. So are Pictus and red tailed black shark but Ive never seen them eat waffers. Oscar should miss them falling to the bottom if his tank is dark.