Plecs + Driftwood/Bogwood

[Fawke]

Hi there,

Hope y'all had a good weekend...

I am wondering. I have a Plec (see sig) who is doing really well in our tank. He is growing pretty quickly also.... which is nice. He should max out at around 6-7".

I have heard that plecs need wood to aid their digestive process.
Now, i dont have any real wood in my tank (which is why im asking).
Is it essential to plecs to rasp on wood? If so what type of wood? - i have Mopani (is that a type of bogwood???) Wood in a cupborad on standby.
How large would the wood need to be?

Thanks in advance ppl

 

[Phantom Thief]

I believe some species need bogwood to munch on, but i am not sure on which species exactly.

P.T.

 

[Aquascaper]

I'm pretty sure all plecs need some sort of wood to rasp on to remove the lignin.
Any piece of wood will do as long as its tank 'safe' and size really doesn't matter as they take a long time to eat it

IMO the bigger the better

 

[Cheese Specialist]

It's usually beneficial for plecs to have wood, not only to rasp but for a home. Some plecs including clown plec need it. Mopani is not really good for this IMO because of the texture of it, bodwood/driftwood would be good.

Both my plecs (2 different kinds) use bogwood to live on and under.

I always think it looks great in tanks too.

 

[Fawke]

Thanks for the replies ppl....

I aggree, natural wood looks great, and i will buy some Tank Safe bogwood/driftwood at the Lfs next time im there.

My plec has a fake piece of wood he calls home for the mo. Its a upright hollow log that he lives inside. But he's quite active for a plec

Thanks for the advice!

 

[rvm]

Certain types of Plec do better with wood of some type, and others like Royal plecs simply have to have it!
I have 2 pieces of Mopani in my tank, and my Royal Plec loves them. He's slowly munching his way through one of them, so if your plec does need wood, I don't see that Mopani is no good. I always thought it was just a name for it, and bogwood/driftwood/mopani were the same, just waterlogged wood!!!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Certain types of Plec do better with wood of some type, and others like Royal plecs simply have to have it!
I have 2 pieces of Mopani in my tank, and my Royal Plec loves them. He's slowly munching his way through one of them, so if your plec does need wood, I don't see that Mopani is no good. I always thought it was just a name for it, and bogwood/driftwood/mopani were the same, just waterlogged wood!!!

Nope mopani is different:

Mopani:

Underside:

Bogwood:

I am not sure about the difference between driftwood and bogwood but I know mopani is different.

I just though that driftwood would have been better because it would be easier for them to eat.

 

[rvm]

the top of my wood looks like the top pic, and the underside of it looks like the bottom pic!!! when I bought it it was labelled as mopani. But I definately see a difference between that and the wood in my other tank which is like the bottom pic all over. The 2 plecs (candy stripe and bristlenose) I have in that tank love that wood as well, so I would think that as long as it is wood, the plecs will rasp/eat it!!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

the top of my wood looks like the top pic, and the underside of it looks like the bottom pic!!! when I bought it it was labelled as mopani. But I definately see a difference between that and the wood in my other tank which is like the bottom pic all over. The 2 plecs (candy stripe and bristlenose) I have in that tank love that wood as well, so I would think that as long as it is wood, the plecs will rasp/eat it!!

See the underside pic of mopani that I added. Bogwood is like the pic all the way round.

I think plecs could only really rasp the underside of mopani and even then it would be hard because of the texture and markings IMO.

But you say your plec eats it, so they must be able to.

 

[tear-scar]

doesn't it make little sense to use driftwood in a tank? It's called "driftwood" because it . . . "drifts"? Anyway, people call the wood you find on the beach driftwood, and I have to say you CANNOT get that stuff to sink . . . on the other hand, it's bashed clean and smooth by the waves . . . I probably wouldn't risk putting it in fresh-water because of its exposure to salt . . .

anyway, different species of plec have different levels of need for wood. Researching the original habitat for your species should give you an idea of its wood needs. It is true that some species (like the aforementioned royal) do absolutely need it . . .

 

[Cheese Specialist]

The wood will sink, it just needs to get water-logged.

 

[rvm]

May well be that because it's a Royal Plec and has "teeth" to rasp the wood that he's ok with Mopani then? But IME Plecs do like wood regardless. before I had them, all my wood was furry, and since adding plecs, the wood is as clean as you could get it!! I would say it's a benefit for them whatever type of plec it is!!

 

[SirMinion]

My Blue eyed plec, Micky seemed to be glued at the lips to his piece of bogwood. He hardly ever leaves it when I'm in the room.

 

[smithrc]

one other thing.... your Hypostomus Punctatus will not stop at 6-7" - try 12-15".

 

[Cat]

I never knew that about wood for plecs,we got 1 2two weeks ago,only not sure what type of plec it is

Going to have to find some pictures.