Plecos that DON'T eat wood?

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Jamesy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 13, 2012
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I like (Actually, LOVE) Gold Nuggets but I heard they eat wood, I want to keep my wood in good condition. I heard Green phantoms DON'T eat wood? Any other species. I'm sure this topic has been covered before...
 
Nearly all plecos will rasp on wood, that's just what they do. The main groups of plecos that actively consume wood are Panaque/Panaqolus and some Hypostomus species (the Hypostomus cochliodon group). But even with those classed as 'wood eaters' your wood isn't going to disappear overnight. I've had pieces for years now, they just get gradually worn down.
 
Nearly all plecos will rasp on wood, that's just what they do. The main groups of plecos that actively consume wood are Panaque/Panaqolus and some Hypostomus species (the Hypostomus cochliodon group). But even with those classed as 'wood eaters' your wood isn't going to disappear overnight. I've had pieces for years now, they just get gradually worn down.

What kind of species would be classed as 'Non-wood eaters'? I just want my wood to look good and stay in tact for as long as possible.
 
They're not really going to destroy the wood. I've had my pleco and the same piece of wood for 6 months and he's on it all the time and it looks untouched.


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They're not really going to destroy the wood. I've had my pleco and the same piece of wood for 6 months and he's on it all the time and it looks untouched.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

I just thought since I read somewhere here that someones pleco tore their wood to pieces?
 
What kind of species would be classed as 'Non-wood eaters'? I just want my wood to look good and stay in tact for as long as possible.

Like I said, nearly all of them.

I just thought since I read somewhere here that someones pleco tore their wood to pieces?

That was probably Oddball's giant Panaque schaeferi. That fish would been several orders of magnitude above anything else.
 
Ive had the same 3 pieces of dw with my panaques for over 3 years. The dw looks almost untouched. Its not so much "eating" the wood as scraping of layers as they eat. Like a slow erosion of the wood. Unless you have 12"+ panaque/panaqolus...or you are borrowing fish from phil you should be fine.
 
yeah don't get discouraged by the eating wood factor. They don't eat the whole dw. They graze on it occasionally I've had my driftwood the same one for 6yrs now and still the same intact and it's missed very small pieces to even notice the difference some missing pieces might even be due to my carelessness in handling the dw during water changes. They feed on algae and shrimp pellets. So don't be discouraged your drift wood will be fine. GN is my fav too so i know what your thinking but trust me it's not like you think.
 
yeah don't get discouraged by the eating wood factor. They don't eat the whole dw. They graze on it occasionally I've had my driftwood the same one for 6yrs now and still the same intact and it's missed very small pieces to even notice the difference some missing pieces might even be due to my carelessness in handling the dw during water changes. They feed on algae and shrimp pellets. So don't be discouraged your drift wood will be fine. GN is my fav too so i know what your thinking but trust me it's not like you think.

Thanks, I might buy a gold nugget in a few weeks, Cheers! :)
 
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