Algae Wafers

[ronald0127]

thanks guys
i went to both of my local fish food places,wallmart :[ and petsmart but couldnt find anything for him.
the wafers i have to feed him is hikari.i did buy a cucumber from wallmart and will blanche it and throw a piece in tonight
after the light goes out.does anyone have a tip on where to get the bogwood and the food with the wood in it.
the very young lady at petsmart was sweet and said they sold clown pleco's but no bogwood or food.
ron

 

[Akasha72]

I know some people blanche the veg but I never have. I just wash it well under the tap, push a plant weight through it so it sinks for him and pop it in the tank. My ancistrus has always been fine with it like that. It doesn't last long as my SAE's like to eat cucumber and Courgette too but if he's not eaten it in 24 hours or so I'd remove it. I've not found any water issues coming from veg but it does tend to go a bit mushy and make a mess after a bit.
 
As for bogwood - it should be readily available at your lfs - it's one of the main woods used for decoration. As I'm in the U.K I'm not able to advise any further - sorry

 

[Byron]

thanks guys
i went to both of my local fish food places,wallmart :[ and petsmart but couldnt find anything for him.
the wafers i have to feed him is hikari.i did buy a cucumber from wallmart and will blanche it and throw a piece in tonight
after the light goes out.does anyone have a tip on where to get the bogwood and the food with the wood in it.
the very young lady at petsmart was sweet and said they sold clown pleco's but no bogwood or food.
ron

 
Petsmart used to carry a wood called Malaysian Driftwood.  It is very dark brown, heavy so it sinks without having to be waterlogged, and often has tunnels that many fish like.  I only use this type.  You can also get it online.  Pleco seem to find it very suitable.

 

[ronald0127]

thanks guys
not having any luck with finding food with wood in it, i did find this piece of wood that at one time was in my 55 gal.
ron

 

[Akasha72]

that piece of wood looks like bogwood ... bogwood is one of the softer woods so he might like rasping on that

 

[ronald0127]

thanks
the under side or bottom looks charred or burnt.
will that matter ?

 

[Akasha72]

I don't know in all honesty. If You've had it in a tank before without any problems then possibly but maybe wait for another opinion

 

[ronald0127]

thanks
will do.i may not have had this in my tank.i was cleaning it and another piece of wood ive had and it floats so i will have to add some weight if i put it in my aquarium.i found another piece thats much darker and heavier.
i'll post a pic after i get it cleaned up.
ron

 

[Akasha72]

I've always soaked any new bits of wood in boiling water but I've read recently that that isn't a good idea (I can't remember what the reason was) It seems to me though that boiling water will sterilize it and once the water has cooled you can give it a good scrub, empty the water and re-soak again in hot water. I also found that the hot water helped it to sink 

 

[ronald0127]

thanks
i agree with sterilizing i dont put anything in without doing it.if thats the wrong thing to do i wont add them i'll try to find some food with wood in it.
ron

 

[Byron]

I personally never boil wood.  This would (or should) kill pathogens on the surface, but it would do very little to nothing internally.  Any toxins adsorbed by the wood at some point in the past willnot be removed by boiling, and can still leech ouot months and years from now.  I know, I've gone through this.
 
Soaking in hot water overnight is the most I have ever done.  And this with wood bought in a fish store.
 
Ronald, you're in the US so you can find places online that sell Malaysian Driftwood.  I would buy a few pieces, the "small" sized will be OK, several of them.  You cannot have too much wood when dealing with these fish.
 
Byron.

 

[ronald0127]

thanks
that probably the best thing to do. im really not sure where they came from or where they've been. i guess the boiling things is an old habbit that came from helping people who could'nt keep fish alive in an aquarium.
ron

 

[sawickib]

Hi! Dr.Foster and Smith is a good place online to order wood, ive ordered around 50 lbs of Malaysian and Mopani wood, Mopani sinks much easier and is a harder wood, however they leak A LOT of tannins, my tank (180 gallons) turns brown every week after a water change, and has been doing it for a year, but i dont mind that much. 
 
As for blanching, i never do this, i just take a fork and either put carrot, zucchini or potato on it, and my L25 naws on it whenever he wants. However mine is primarily a large, carnivorous pleco, so i feed him mostly a meaty diet, but he still enjoys greens for a well rounded diet, but you have to find a balance.
 
As for your tank size, hate to be a negative nancy, but do you know all the fish you have with in the tank? It may be over stocked or have fish not compatible for the tank, i think clowns are ok in a 10 gallon for the most part though.
 
Boiling i have heard also breaks down the wood a lot faster, meaning it could fall apart in your tank as well.

 

[Byron]

I think you might have the sinking aspect mixed...Malaysian sinks immediately due to its solid weight.  Mopani that I have had took forever to become waterlogged sufficiently to remain down.

 

[sawickib]

I think you might have the sinking aspect mixed...Malaysian sinks immediately due to its solid weight.  Mopani that I have had took forever to become waterlogged sufficiently to remain down.

hmmm, it was the opposite for me, the Malaysian sank but it took about a day