Sucker Fish Food

Sucker fish are also called suckermouth catfish, common plecostomus or Hypostomus plecostomus. They were originally from freshwater streams in South America. They enjoy a wide variety of foods but mostly are vegetarians.

  1. Main Diet

    • A sucker fish's main diet in the wild is algae and rotting vegetation. In captivity, they can eat algae wafers as well as the algae that grows in aquariums and ponds.

    Significance

    • Plecostomus catfish can help control the algae population in a pond or tank. If algae grows out of control, it could rob the water of oxygen that the fish or live plants need.

    Misconception

    • Although referred to as "cleaner fish," sucker fish do not eat fish wastes. They also cannot entirely exist on the algae that grows in a fish tank. They need supplemented food.

    Treats

    • Sucker fish enjoy many types of fresh or canned vegetables including green beans, green peas, blanched zucchini, cucumber and lettuce. Make sure all fresh vegetables are well washed so they are free of pesticides before placing in with the fish.

    Meat

    • Sucker fish will eat the carcasses of any dead fish in the tank. They also enjoy some meat treats such as bloodworms, shrimp pellets, fresh shrimp (not battered) or fish flakes. These should be given as occasional treats.