Question about wood for Plecos

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Loricariids (specifically panaque) don't actually digest wood. They do ingest it while grazing and some claim it to help the digestion process for auwfuchs eaters. The surface of the wood is a host to lots of small animals , insect larvae, diatoms, algae but the wood itself passes undigested.

The wood serves as a surface for these things to grow on and a structure for plecos to hide under, but they actually don't digest the wood.

http://german.bio.uci.edu/images/PDF/PFK_Interview_online.pdf


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Jc1119 said:
Loricariids (specifically panaque) don't actually digest wood. They do ingest it while grazing and some claim it to help the digestion process for auwfuchs eaters. The surface of the wood is a host to lots of small animals , insect larvae, diatoms, algae but the wood itself passes undigested.

The wood serves as a surface for these things to grow on and a structure for plecos to hide under, but they actually don't digest the wood.

http://german.bio.uci.edu/images/PDF/PFK_Interview_online.pdf


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Yes they do ;) j/k jc. Good info there. Thanks for posting that.


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Just to add some better info to this thread, a blue panaque isn't actually a panaque at all. Its actually a baryancistrus species. I know it makes no sense to me either, but this does mean he doesn't technically "require" driftwood. I went by the books with panaque species for years, keeping tons of wood with them. Then I read the article that John posted last year and it blew my mind. I still keep manzanita in my tanks but only because I love the look of it.
 
Cueball703 said:
My water tests have been coming out almost perfect: PH between 7.0 and 7.2. Hard water clean. Nitrites near zero. Ammonia at zero. The only thing a little high is my nitrates (fluctuating between 80-160), and I know that can be attributed to the Pleco's waste. Once I clean the tank, the nitrates drop back down again. All my other fish seem to be thriving in the tank (2 Angels, 2 Gold Mollies, 6 Fancy Guppies, 8 Zebra Botias). My next tank cleaning and replacement of the water is in 3 days. I'll do the water tests before the tank cleaning, to see if wood addition affected the water at all.
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Update on my water tests. So far, the addition of the piece of wood I added to my tank has not affected the water in any way noticeable. After 1 full week, there's been no changes in my water test results. Everything checked out perfect today except for the nitrate level (as I already mentioned). This time I drained out an extra 15 gallons of water as I was cleaning the tank, so I ended replacing almost 30 gallons of water when I was done. Hopefully, that should reduce my nitrate levels a little (until they start to build up again). I didn't change anything in my filter (as I'm not due to do that for another 3 weeks).
 
Cueball703 said:
Update on my water tests. So far, the addition of the piece of wood I added to my tank has not affected the water in any way noticeable. After 1 full week, there's been no changes in my water test results. Everything checked out perfect today except for the nitrate level (as I already mentioned). This time I drained out an extra 15 gallons of water as I was cleaning the tank, so I ended replacing almost 30 gallons of water when I was done. Hopefully, that should reduce my nitrate levels a little (until they start to build up again). I didn't change anything in my filter (as I'm not due to do that for another 3 weeks).
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Maybe add some floating plants to help absorb the nitrate? (Or do you keep this tank in very low light?)
 
Linus_Cello said:
Maybe add some floating plants to help absorb the nitrate? (Or do you keep this tank in very low light?)
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I have 2 small bunches of Live Plants in the tank. I keep them tucked into the gravel (so that they don't float). As for the lighting, I have 2 settings on my lights. One is a low setting (and sort of a blueish tint), and the other is a normal bright setting. I usually keep it on a low setting when I am viewing the tank, and the rest of the time, I keep the lights off (of which it has a very dim blue color (for a night time setting)).
 
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