Best Pleco Food For An Optimal Diet Reviewed 2023

Feeding your plecos the right food types is essential for them to live a healthy and happy life. The thing is, it’s not as simple as visiting your local fish food market and grabbing any random canned fish food that comes in your way.

Plecos (being omnivorous bottom feeders) need a specific set of nutrients to flourish, which they can only get if the food contains the right ingredients.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the dietary habits of different types of plecos and even help you pick the best pleco food you can find on the market.

TLDR – Top Picks For Best Pleco Food

For herbivore plecos, New Life Spectrum Alagemax wafers and Respashy Soilent Green Food is best.

Carnivorous plecos love New Life Spectrum and Omega One Veggie Rounds, and finally wood eating plecos would do great on Repashy Morning Wood and New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

How To Pick Quality Pleco Food

Plecos are omnivorous scavengers that eat a huge variety of things. From algae and wood to biofilm and small crustaceans, plecos’ diet is quite diverse. Not to mention, they also feed on dead organisms like fish, shrimp, and snails. Some plecos also feed on wood (yes, wood!).

On a side note, don’t believe the hype that all plecos eat algae. There are many species that predominantly eat meaty foods.

Always Check the Ingredients

Before picking a specific food for your plecos, make sure to check the ingredients because not all pleco foods have the same nutritional value. 

Even famous fish food brands like Tetra actually contain lots of fillers. Many “algae wafers” marketed for plecos have little to no algae in them and are made from low-quality, crap ingredients.

Low-Quality Ingredients to Avoid

Fish Meal

Fish meal is a big no-no for your plecos. Commercially-prepared fish meal is basically a mix of fish waste, like eyes, guts, scales, and skin. It adds zero nutritional value to your plecos and may even cause them to get sick.

Fillers

Fillers, like wheat or any other non-aquatic products, should also be avoided at all costs. Most fish types can’t even digest such ingredients, which means more waste and fewer nutrients.

Soy

Similar to fillers, fish, especially plecos, aren’t really adapted to eating soy. Soy isn’t as bad, though, because it contains protein, but it makes your fish produce more weight and might even hinder their growth if consumed in large quantities.

High-Quality Ingredients You Want

Whole Fish

Whole fish is an excellent food source for your plecos due to its high protein content and omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for skin health. It’s OK for fish to be ground up into grain-sized particles that are suitable for your plecos to eat.

Krill

Krill are similar to shrimp when it comes to their shape and nutritional value. So, what makes krill suitable for your plecos? Well, it’s the high Carotenoids content, of course! 

Carotenoids are pigments that enhance the skin color of your plecos. Krill get them from their algae-rich diet. They contain a wide variety of pigments, including red, yellow, and orange pigments.

Spirulina 

Spirulina is an alga that contains a high amount of protein and vitamins, making it a great ingredient for your plecos, especially the herbivorous ones.

Since spirulina is basically a blue-green alga, it naturally enhances the color of blue and green plecos.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae

Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent protein source for your plecos because they don’t have exoskeletons, which highly facilitates the digestion process.

Worms

Just like larvae, worms provide your plecos with the protein they need to grow. Oh, and they’re very easy to digest, too.

Provide A Variety of Foods

Plecos need a variety of foods to ensure they get all of the nutrients they need. Even carnivores need veggie foods like algae and spirulina, and herbivores need proteins from animal sources.

It’s good to have commercially prepared foods as the staple diet. It’d also be preferred if you mix in frozen foods and some veggies, like frozen peas. 

As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to mix up your plecos’ diet between 2 or 3 foods.

5 Best Pleco Foods Reviewed

1. Omega One Veggie Rounds

Omega One Veggie Rounds contain high-quality ingredients that make them an excellent choice for most plecos. For starters, these rounds are full of Omega 3 & 6 HUFAs that strengthen your plecos’ immunity. They even have a great mix of meaty and plant-based foods. 

What’s more, the Omega One Veggie Rounds are loaded with spirulina that cleanses the internals of your fish from pathogens and harmful bacteria. Not to mention, the rounds are insoluble, ensuring that your fish tank’s water isn’t polluted for less frequent cleaning sessions.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein min. 35%
• Crude Fat min. 10%
• Crude Fiber max. 4%
• Moisture max. 8.5%
• Ash max. 9%

Feeding Instructions

Feed your plecos one or two rounds per day or as much as they can eat within 4 hours.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

2. Northfin Kelp Wafers

The Northfin Kelp Wafers contain a big chunk of key ingredients like organic kelp, whole Antarctic krill meal, and spirulina. The formula provides a balanced diet that would suit most plecos. It’s free of fillers, bi-products, and artificial pigments, ensuring that your plecos get the nutrients they need without causing them any health problems.

On top of that, the food is protein-based, which makes it easier for your plecos to digest and produce less waste to keep your fish tank’s water pollution-free.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein min. 33%
• Crude Fat min. 4%
• Crude Fiber max. 5%
• Moisture max. 9%
• Ash max. 12%

Feeding Instructions

Feed your plecos as much as they can eat in a 5-minute period.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

3. New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers

There are lots of reasons why the New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers would be an outstanding snack for your little plecos. It contains key ingredients like algae, chlorella seaweed, kelp, spirulina, whole Antarctic krill, and giant squid, just to name a few. 

These ingredients provide your plecos with everything they need to stay healthy, including vitamins, protein, Omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber.

This food is primarily intended for herbivore plecos, but omnivores can eat it, too.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Protein min. 32%
• Fat min. 5%
• Fiber max. 10%
• Ash max. 9%
• Moisture max. 10%

Feeding Instructions

No specific directions (feed your plecos as needed.)

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

4. Repashy Morning Wood

I didn’t make the name up; I just laughed at it. The Repashy Morning Wood is made specifically for plecos that love to eat wood. 

But just because it’s wood doesn’t mean it’s not full of nutrients. This food has a wide array of ingredients that are essential for the growth of your plecos, including protein and healthy fats. It also contains lots of fiber that is great for wood-eating plecos.

Additionally, the food is non-soluble, so it doesn’t foul the water in your fish tank. It’s simply a gel food powder mixed with hot water and sets up like stiff jello.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein min. 20%
• Crude Fat min. 3%
• Crude Fat max. 5%
• Crude Fiber max. 50%
• Moisture max. 8%
• Ash max. 17%

Feeding Instructions

To prepare one cup of the New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers, follow these steps:

• Blend ¼ cup of powder into ¾ cup of cold water
• Put the blend in the microwave until it boils (should take 2-3 minutes)
• Remove the cup and stir it again

Another way to prepare the product is to get a bowl of water and boil it on the stove; then, after getting the bowl off the stove, add the powder and stir thoroughly. After that, put the blend in a mold or container and store it at room temperature until it solidifies.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

5. Repashy Soilent Green

The Repashy Soilent Green is a gel food powder mixed with hot water and sets up like stiff jello. It’s non-soluble, which means that your fish tank’s water won’t be polluted.

Repashy promises to deliver a meal that’s similar to what plecos naturally eat in the wild, like algae. It’s an excellent choice for plecos that eat mostly biofilm.

Guaranteed Analysis

• Crude Protein min. 45%
• Crude Fat min. 8%
• Crude Fiber max. 8%
• Moisture max. 8%
• Ash max. 12%.

Feeding Instructions

The Repashy Soilent Green is prepared similarly to the company’s other fish food product (Repashy Morning Wood).

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Which Fisf Food Is Best For Plecos?

Choosing the best food depends on what kind of pleco you have. 

If you have herbivore plecos, consider getting them the New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers and Repashy Soilent Green food. On the other hand, if your plecos are carnivores, the New Life Spectrum and Omega One Veggie Rounds would be your best choice. 

Finally, wood-eating plecos would definitely love the Repashy Morning Wood and New Life Spectrum Algaemax Wafers.

It’s worth noting that getting two or three of these foods and rotating them around for feeding would provide an excellent and varied diet for your plecos. As we’ve mentioned, a varied diet is always best, even for plecos too.

Last update on 2023-09-23 / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API