FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have a 5 inch pleco (I've had him for 3 years)

and I was reading in a book that they need bogwood is this true?

They don't need it, but they like to rasp on it & i've read somewhere that it's good for their digestion.

What type of Pleco do you have?.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

Only certain species (panaque, panaqolus) of loricariids CAN actually digest lignin. Because it is such a readily available food source, these species of ancistrids have developed a symbiotic relationship with certain species of bacteria to digest said wood into simple carbs which the fish itself can thereby further process.

butterfly(I think)

Dekeyseria do not need bogwood. I had a short love affair with brachys, I never even saw them touch the stuff.

I have read that BNs like the driftwood to aid in their digestion, however, I know that people have kept them without wood with no problems. Fresh veggies would add a lot of natural fiber to their diet.

Ancistrus do not really have the teeth suited to chew on wood, although lignin and other natural fibers do clear the gut. Admittedly, I've never seen my ancistrus chew on the stuff, but it is not unheard of, despite unsuitable dentation.

Even if they're not actually adapted specifically as wood feeders, Loricariids will appreciate suitably chosen pieces of driftwood as being close matches for the kind of furnishing that would occur in the natural environment. Even those species that don't specifically eat wood utilise bogwood root tangles and fallen bits of tree in the wild, as hiding places and nurseries for spawn/fry. Heh, even my 'humble' Otocinclus appreciate the provision, partly because rasping algae from a wood surface is easier for them than rasping glass, and they appreciate my providing them with nice caves into the bargain.

Bogwood provision, of course, becomes all the more important for those species that are adapted for wood feeding. Which betray their adaptation for this purpose quite nicely if you get to see them suck on the glass. Wood feeding Loricariids have fewer teeth than feeders upon other food sources, and the teeth of wood-feeders have a characteristic 'spoon' shape to them. in fact, I recall sending Cup_of_Lifenoodles a nice scan of an article in which this feature was very plainly manifest.

Oh, and choosing the right kind of wood is important too. Wood feeders tend to like their wood relatively soft. Bogwood sourced from hardwood trees is a bad choice. This isn't too critical for those species that simply use the wood for a hiding place or spawn repository, but IS pretty important for the dedicated wood-feeders.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

My BNs and sailfin seem to like wood, but I think it's more for the algae that's on it than the wood itself.

I'm getting a clown plec this week, apparently being a Panaque this one will enjoy wood like Cup said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean