do plecos need driftwood?

[BHBowhunter]

i have to huge pieces of artificial driftwood, (not real wood)

does he need driftwood or him stiing on the fake stuff and up against the tank walls is good enough.


thanks as always

 

[William]

They need the wood from the driftwood to aid digestion IIRC

 

[lmw80]

I would get a real piece of driftwood for your pleco. Driftwood is a very important part of a pleco's diet, and it also helps them in the digestion process.

 

[BHBowhunter]

ill get some tommorow should i boil the tannis out of it? or just throw it in there?
this is what he looks like


http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loricari/liposarc/88_12.htm

 

[William]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=34


and the picture you linked to shows a common pl*co, refer to the other topic about how this fish is to large for your tank

 

[TankGirl]

I would soak the driftwood until it does not stain the water, and until it sinks, which depending upon what type of wood you get could take quite a while. I just pour boiling water over my driftwood because the pieces are too large to boil and I think boiling breaks down the wood fibers and shortens its tank life.

It will probably take a while for the pleco to reach its full size, but after it gets about 4-5" or so (sometimes less) it will stop eating algae and start eating regular fish food, and ultimately they do require a larger tank. The wood definitely is necessary, as the lignin in the wood aids in their digestion, and once you have it in there you will see the pleco spend a lot of time on the wood.

 

[TankGirl]

Ok I just read the post about what to feed the pleco and learned that it is not a little juvenile, so feeding is a different issue now. At 9" it will eat cichlid pellets or really anything you put in there, but not algae. It is a huge waste producer as well, so watch your water parameters.

 

[BHBowhunter]

ok so if im going to go the zucini route how ogften shoud i put a piece in there?

and if i give it ciclid pelets just get the ones that sink right?

 

[TankGirl]

I would do the zucchini maybe twice a week, but see how much is consumed to get an idea of much the fish likes it. Sinking bottom feeder pellets would work, and try the sinking algae wafers, too.

 

[ferret]

I want to just make one note. Large plecos still eat algae. It merely is no longer their primary diet. They're true bottom feeding scavengers once adult, and will eat any food that makes it to the bottom. If they can't find any, they'll gladly suck the algae up. My 9 inch pleco eats cichlid pellets all day, yet the tank is still algae spotless. Same for the 8 inch that lives with the oscars (He gets a LOT of food, if you've ever seen how oscars eat)

 

[TankGirl]

My pleco I used to keep with my oscar completely quit eating algae when he got large. He would go to the surface and snag floating pellets, but did not touch the algae.