Do Plecs Need Wood?

[Le Sorcier]

I am looking for a small Plec to go in my Juwel Rio 180l.

As decor I have live plants, a large artificial wood root, 2 artificial pots and one terracotta "cave".

Could a Plec live in there without any natural wood or slate?

Thanks

 

[Curiosity101]

Depends on the specific plec in question.

Some are wood eaters and therefore need wood to be healthy.

Which one were you thinking of?

 

[scatz]

Depends on the specific plec in question.

Some are wood eaters and therefore need wood to be healthy.

Which one were you thinking of?

most plecs gain some level of benefit from having wood in the tank, some need it for their diet, others simply need places to hide under/behind (the artificial log is fine for this), many though will graze on aufwuchs, tiny organisms that live beneath the layer of algae that can grow on wood in an established tank.
but again, its down to individual species as to wether you should have wood or not

 

[Amunet]

Great question! What kind of wood is best for the plecos that need it?
Sorry to hijack but figured it'd be best to have the questions in the same thread heh.

I have 2 pieces of mopani, and then another piece that I'm not sure what it is. It's softer than the mopani, and I actually had to weigh it down to waterlog it, but I'm not sure if it's the type that the pleco needs.

 

[scatz]

Great question! What kind of wood is best for the plecos that need it?
Sorry to hijack but figured it'd be best to have the questions in the same thread heh.

I have 2 pieces of mopani, and then another piece that I'm not sure what it is. It's softer than the mopani, and I actually had to weigh it down to waterlog it, but I'm not sure if it's the type that the pleco needs.

for those using it as cover, grazing algae/aufwuchs etc, any wood is fine, for those needing wood in their diet, it needs to be the softer "proper" bogwood

 

[Le Sorcier]

Depends on the specific plec in question.

Some are wood eaters and therefore need wood to be healthy.

Which one were you thinking of?

No idea. Just wanted a small one to add to my community but don't really want to add real wood?

 

[scatz]

Depends on the specific plec in question.

Some are wood eaters and therefore need wood to be healthy.

Which one were you thinking of?

No idea. Just wanted a small one to add to my community but don't really want to add real wood?

just wondering why you would be against adding real wood?

 

[Le Sorcier]

No reason,

Just got my tank how I like it

 

[Jonathangerous]

I recall reading somewhere that hemicellulose made up the vast majority of the digestible material in lignivorous diets. If that was the case, I'd say probably not. That being said, it is still always a good idea to give panaque et al. wood products to feed on. Keep in mind that the words hardwood and softwood are more or less taxonomic, and are not indicative of the brittleness of the wood itself.

Besides that, wood is a great place for awfuchs feeders to graze on and is great for growing prodigious amounts of microflora/fauna, not to mention it is a great medium for housing timid fish. Might as well add it anyways.

 

[Le Sorcier]

I recall reading somewhere that hemicellulose made up the vast majority of the digestible material in lignivorous diets. If that was the case, I'd say probably not. That being said, it is still always a good idea to give panaque et al. wood products to feed on. Keep in mind that the words hardwood and softwood are more or less taxonomic, and are not indicative of the brittleness of the wood itself.

Besides that, wood is a great place for awfuchs feeders to graze on and is great for growing prodigious amounts of microflora/fauna, not to mention it is a great medium for housing timid fish. Might as well add it anyways.

Thanks for the help, even if I couldn't undestand half of what you were saying :stupid: lol