Driftwood sealing

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Not sure if my logic is correct,

Glass cleaner scrapes the 5 grams of algae, 5 grams of algae goes to filter.
Pleco eats 5 grams of algae, something like 3 grams is converted to energy, 1 gram for growth, 1 gram goes to filter as poop.

Not exactly. Poop is the smallest portion of waste a fish produces.

Algae (e.g., spirogyra) is roughly 75-80% water, 10-15% carbs, 5% protein, 5% fats. Urine is 95% water and 3% urea. Most of the algae the pleco consumes (~80%) is excreted as urine.

(That's what most fish do. Waste in land animals is handled differently mostly as feces or uric acid; in aquatic animals it's mostly urine because urine is the most efficient method of nitrogen disposal in water. Indeed, land animals had to evolve a very inefficient method of disposing of poisonous nitrogen so that they could survive outside of the water.)

So, of the 5 grams of algae, 4 grams is going to become waste if it's consumed. A very small amount will be used for growth. In other words, it's going to the filter anyway unless it's scrapped off and removed by the owner.
 
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Polyurethane would degrade in the water and flake off eventually. If ur set on coating it I would use a 2 part clear epoxy. You would need to continually rotate it to avoid runs and drips but it may work. I did fishing lures like this and attached them to a rotisserie to rotate them til they hardened.
 
As was already stated polyurethane would eventually be undone due to submersion and likely poison the tank.If you are so hung up on this driftwood you might as well get rid of the pleco and reduce your lighting so that algae will not be an issue.
 
A website I go to for a lot of tank decorating is called universalrocks.com. They have some awesome very realistic driftwood modeled after actual cypress and various woods.They are a little pricey is the hang up but they wont put any tannins or bacteria in the water if that is your concern and can clean simply by hosing it off. MY plecos love it. Anyways just a suggestion for you.
 
A website I go to for a lot of tank decorating is called universalrocks.com. They have some awesome very realistic driftwood modeled after actual cypress and various woods.They are a little pricey is the hang up but they wont put any tannins or bacteria in the water if that is your concern and can clean simply by hosing it off. MY plecos love it. Anyways just a suggestion for you.
My 3D background is from Universal Rocks but I think this guy is sold on what he already has.
 
Yea sounds like it. Figured I'd atleast throw the idea out there . Yea got a really cool cypress tree stump from them myself.
 
Do your plec a favor and rehome it with somebody that understands how to care for it
 
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