# Gold Nugget pleco



## bemdh8 (Apr 18, 2007)

I just got a new gold nugget pleco to go with my bristlenose pleco. I was wondering what the best vegetables were to cut up and put in the tank for them to eat, and should I partially boil these before placing them in the aquarium?


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## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

Man, I had so much trouble with gold nugget pleco's, maybe I just wasnt ready for them. Id like to try again


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## Darth Sensei (Apr 24, 2007)

I've never tried them as they are ridiculously expensive here.


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## bemdh8 (Apr 18, 2007)

I got mine for $30. It is about 3 in. long and in very good shape.


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## Jessica (Mar 1, 2007)

Zuccini, spinach.


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## rmc (Dec 6, 2005)

Golden nuggets like to have a chunck of driftwood to suck on. You can also try some spirulina flakes.


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## triple red (May 27, 2005)

there are many different vegies you could try....zuccinni, peas, spinich, ...and yes, you patially boil them first


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## retoid (Jan 2, 2007)

My LFS wants to sell rare plecos for $50 and up. By rare I mean anything other than a common pleco.


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## rodney (Apr 10, 2007)

Ha 

You can get a 2 incher at somethingsphishy.com for $29.95

Im thinking about getting one...


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Gold Nuggets do not eat wood. They like to eat the slime film that grows on objects in the tank. They also can eat algae. Keep in mind, they are omnivorous also. My GN loves Hikari sinking carnivore pellets, among other foods, such as FBW, zuchini, frozen peas (skinned), etc.


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## ILuvMyGoldBarb (Jul 15, 2006)

I had 2 of these for a while. Gold Nuggets are omnivores but they don't really eat a lot of algae, their favorite food is bloodworms.


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## Galactic Doug (Apr 14, 2006)

I would try a combo diet of "Algae wafers", and "French cut" Green beans, both placed in the tank just after the lights go out for optimum fish/food get together.

Important to get "FRENCH CUT" this cutting allows the fish to access the softer inside of the bean without going through the skin to get at it.

I have kept MANY species of algae eating fish in the past and they all love those 2 items without hesitation. The wood idea is fine for the algae you can grow on it but GN's are not prone to eating wood like bristlenose's do.

If the food stuffs work you'll see a lot of green colored feces in the morning on the bottom of the tank and attached to the filter intake...:smile:


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## ILuvMyGoldBarb (Jul 15, 2006)

I forgot to ask one important question; Which Gold Nugget Pleco is it? There are 3 different fish that go by that common name. L18, L81, and L177 are all Gold Nugget Plecos. L18 and L81 have almost identical diets whereas L177 is slightly different. L18 and L81 both like a high protein diet consisiting of Bloodworms and Blackworms and Forzen Prawns, but will also accept Zuchinni and cucumber as well. L177 is more of a veggie eater than it's 2 cousins so less frozen foods and more green foods for them. Distinguishing the 3 fish can be rather difficult, especially as juvis. The biggest difference between the L18 and the L177 is their max size. L177 maxes out at just under 8 inches while L18 will top 14 inches.

One other important piece of info to note is that Gold Nugget Plecos can often be slow to accept food and as such other bottom feeders can easily out compete them for the food.


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## bemdh8 (Apr 18, 2007)

Thanks for all the info.

He is swimming about very actively. I see him going up and down the driftwood, rasping off algae, and he seems to be getting along well.

I placed a piece of zucchini in the tank for 1 night and the following day, and nothing touched it, so, I think that idea might be out. But I might try it again at a later date for good measure. He may not have been accustomed well enough to the tank at the time.


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## dodgefreak8 (Aug 27, 2005)

honestly I have had the best luck with mine feeding high quality flake foods and making sure to keep driftwood in the tank. The vegies have very little nutrition when compared to flake foods. Also you would be suprised if you dropped some frozen krill in the tank, they will gobble it up. Don't mistake them for vegitarians.


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