Clown Pleco tanks must have wood: Myth or Reality?

[PoseidonCichlid]

I know it's part of their natural diet, but is wood necessary for keeping clown plecos healthy in captivity? If you provide the algae wafers, vegetables and occasional protein that is considered the typical pleco menu will their nutrition suffer or will they fail to breed? There are many live insect feeders that most aquarists have converted to other foods that have equal nutritional value, is the same true for clowns or will they still be missing something crucial?

 

[brennae]

Everything I have read and been told says they require wood. I don't know why. My mom's hangs out on the driftwood almost all the time and he gets plenty of veggies and algae and different foods.

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[44Paps44]

Believe the wood fibers aid their digestive systems.

 

[Brookster123]

Wood is good, they rasp on it,as mentioned before it does in fact aid in some pleco digestion.

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[PoseidonCichlid]

Does cholla wood work or does it have to be a hardwood?