Royal Pleco and driftwood

[LiuHsi]

Is it necessary to have driftwood in the tank for the pleco?

Thanks

 

[WyldFya]

For royals... Yes. It is a must.

 

[fishcatch22]

from what I have read and heard, they do need driftwood, yes.

 

[loach43]

Yes! Don't worry, they'll give it all back to you quickly!
But seriously, yes!

 

[Oddball]

Panaques (and other Loricaridae) derive nutrients from the simple sugars that are excreted by bacteria inhabiting the surface of the driftwood.

 

[LiuHsi]

ok, i had a wood in there, but it starts getting a white stuff on it.. what is it any one knows?

Thanks

Sean

 

[Oddball]

The wood wasn't fully aged/cured. The white gunk is a fungus that is feeding off of the cellular material of the wood. Chuck it in lieu of a properly cured piece.

 

[LiuHsi]

ok, so how do i properly age or cure the wood.. i only have 1 small piece on hand.

I do have an alkaselzier type of food for the pleco, would this do?


Thanks

Sean

 

[WyldFya]

No you need the wood. Go to your LFS, they should have aquarium wood, or malaysian wood to be specific. This works very well IMO.

 

[Oddball]

You can't really age the piece without dropping it in a stream for a couple of years. If it's "green" enough that a visible fungus is attacking it, you can't get away with boiling the piece. Boiling will only cause the green wood to break down even faster in your tank. Per Wyldfya's advise, get a proper piece of wood for the royal. Alka-seltzer? (I guess you mean algae wafers) food alone won't give the royal all that it's looking for.