Driftwood for pleco?

[woodsplace1]

Do you have to have driftwood for a clown pleco. I have a mini clown pleco and I have heard I should get driftwood for it? We have gravel and also a shark that he sits in and gets on top of alot. Is there a reason for the driftwood that I don't know about? Thanks...

 

[shaunakadub]

I don't know exactly why, but for some reason Pleco's LOOVVVEE driftwood. I also have a clown pleco, and about 20 minutes later of adding a piece of malaysian driftwood, he found a brand new home!

Also, driftwood grows a good amount of beneficial algae that the plecos love to feast on.

 

[woodsplace1]

thanks so much...someone also said to add algae tabs if you don't have too much algae, he seems to feast pretty good on the bottom at night, but has cleaned up the algae very good. I have decreased my light source to 8 hours, but will prob. increase it so I can increase the algae a bit...any ideas about algae tabs?

 

[Purrbox]

While not all Pleco sp. need driftwood, a large portion of them do. They rasp on it's surface slowly wearing it away. Algae tabs are a good idea for a lot of them too. Many also like fresh veggies that have been blanched. Checkout PlanetCatfish.com get more information about your specific pleco's needs.

 

[PBirdsong]

Plecos can actually get their source of fiber from "sucking" on the wood. It's very good for them.
That is the only scientific reason I know of for adding wood for your plecos. Other than the plecos, your tank can benefit from driftwood as well by stabilizing your PH. It's also a great source of nutrients for some plants that will root themselves to the wood.

HTH

 

[woodsplace1]

excellent...I have been having a hard time decreasing my pH...I will get the driftwood today and let you all know the results of his "feast"! Thanks so much for the help!