Wood Necessary For Bn?

[paw-paw]

Hi!
 
 
I am just about to get two longfin BN plecs (young ones) to put in my tank. They will live with female-only platies in a mildly heated tank.
 
This is the first time I will be having BNs, I had a common pleco a while ago, before I was educated enough on how big they grow (he/she is now in a publuc aquarium - I was very lucky to find him a good home)... 
 
I do not have any driftwood in the tank - only stones, rocks and live plants...I read somewhere that they rasp on wood - but is this 100% necessary for them to have wood? The reason I am asking is because I am getting the fishleys on monday, however,  cannot buy wood prior to this date...
So if I feed them pleco tablets and buy the wood in a few days to a week time - would that be OK, or do I need to urgently get wood by monday?
 
 
They are quite small (young) - cannot tell the sexes yet...
 
Thanks!

 

[sawickib]

It isnt required for BN plecos, but it will benefit them, making their colors brighter and giving them something to chow on and i even think its good for their immune/digestive system but im not sure on that. Be careful and make sure you dont get 2 male BN plecos they will fight constantly in the tank.

 

[techen]

I agree with what was said above, You need to sex them soon. Two males is a bad mix, What size is the tank?

 

[fluttermoth]

They do need the lignin from bogwood in their diet, but they'll be okay without it for a week or so until you can get some.

 

[paw-paw]

Thanks for your quick replies! OK, so it is not that extra urgent than. I am glad because I won't be able to go to a pet shop before monday
 
I have a 30 gallon and understocked...
 
But I didn't realize that it would be a problem having two males together...Hm....Would they fight even without the presence of a female? If I am honest I wish for them to be females  But they are too young to be sexed so I am not sure what to do about it now....Do you suggest to only take one for now?
Where I live I have never seen a longfin BN available in the shops, but have now the opportunity to get them from someone who bred them at home...So if I only get one I am not sure I will ever be able to get another....But than again - fighting isn't what I want as I know have a very peaceful tank (Only platy females - very colourful) - I opted for all female platies because I knew males can be aggressive and now I head BN males can also be aggressive. What is it with the males 

 

 ....

 

[TwoTankAmin]

 
Have you watched the wood in your aquarium gradually being turned into sawdust by your plecs? Dr Jonathan Armbruster tells us about wood-eating catfish.
Which genera or species of loricariid catfish are known to eat wood?
Panaque (including Panaqolus) and the Hypostomus cochliodon group are the only fish known to consume wood almost exclusively. Wood found in the guts of other loricariids is probably incidental.

from http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3619&utm_source=PFK_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February_11_2011&utm_term=Do_some_catfish_really_eat_wood?&utm_content=html
 

 


Re: Wood eaters
by dw1305 » Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:59 pm
Hi all,
They are technically "xylophagous" (just means wood-eating) <http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylophagy>, a couple of years ago Donovan German published the work that Mats is referring to, and we had a discussion on this forum.

German, D. P. (2009). "Inside the guts of wood-eating catfishes: can they digest wood?" . Journal of Comparative Physiology B 179 (8): 1011.
<http/www.springerlink.com/content/30179842g1315q6h/>

To "cut to the chase" Dr German found that although Panaque species had a specialised dentition to rasp wood, they didn't have a specialised gut microflora, or gut structure, to allow them to digest the lignin and cellulose in the wood. In this they differ from true "xylophagous organisms" like Termites, Bark Beetle larvae or Beavers which have these adaptations. His research suggested that they gained their carbon from the organisms in the partially degraded wood.

The "Basidiomycota", the group of fungi that includes the mushrooms we eat, are some of the few organisms that can degrade lignin and their hyphae are probably a major source of food for these fish.

cheers Darrel

from http/www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34240&hilit=wood+eaters

 

[fluttermoth]

Well, I stand corrected (again, lol)

Thanks for the info, TTA