Langy

hey guys,

I have heard that BN plecos need to have wood in their diet, and so i was wondering what type of wood I should feed my BN. Is there a certain type? hope you can help,

cheers!

MissMTS

Bogwood is their favorite, but if you can't find it, any driftwood should do the trick

Langy

okay thanks. so basically i can go and grab a piece of wood from outside, boil it for a while and put it in there?

MissMTS

I would not use wood from outside. Driftwood is the only wood that is okay to use in aquariums. Regular wood has sap and other things in it that could harm your fish. I would go to the LFS and get a piece of driftwood. You can usually find a good 10 inch piece for about $10

Langy

okay then, so how is driftwood different from other woods? has it been treated to remove the sap and other stuff. Is there anyway of treating outside wood to be okay in an aquarium?

MissMTS

Driftwood is wood that has been in water for a long period of time. There is no way that you could treat other wood so that it would be safe for your tank. It would literally have to soak for months and months.

Langy

hmm in the link you gave me it says the following......

Driftwood :
are old tree branches that are used in aquariums for decoration. It is important to sterilize or "cure" the driftwood before using it in your tank. You can boil it (for a couple of hours) or simply let it soak in an aquarium use only bucket for several weeks. Boiling is quicker and you can usually get it ready after a few hours of boiling. Driftwood will release tannins that can soften the water and also cause a drop in pH.

it talks about being able to make your own? just by boiling it?

MissMTS

Sorry if the link confused you That refers to sterilizing driftwood that you buy at the LFS so that it is safe to use in your tank. Boiling it will remove any tannins in the wood and keep it from turning your water brown. This process cannot be used to make driftwood out of regular wood. If you go to the beach and collect some driftwood and boil it, you could potentially boil it and use it in your tank, but regular wood won't work.

Langy

okay i'm getting the picture now. but what would potentially happen if you used a piece of wood from outside, and had boiled it for hours. i don't see why that wouldn't be the same as drift wood. isn't drift wood just wood? not arguing here just intrigued that's all....

Jonah

DriftWood is just that wood that has drifted in water over a long period of time and has undergone changes in its make up.

You could not recreate the conditions by simply boiling a branch from the tree in your back garden for a couple of hours.

You would not be able to mimic the actions of all the micro and macro organisms that inhabit and alter the state of the wood while it sits in the water in all sorts of temperatures.

Langy

okay then. i understand. but i could possibly boil down a piece of driftwood from the ocean?
and another question. what about a piece of wood that is old and weathered and is water logged but not rotten? would that possibly be a substitute for driftwood. or is there none? Am i just being stupid? lol. what effects would putting a piece of old, boiled wood from outside actually have on the water? sorry if i'm annoying, i'm just interested. sorry about all the questions. guess its off to the LFS then to get some real stuff.

Jonah

riftwood from the ocean would be ok If you could boil long enough to remove the salt from it.

The old wood from outside if its been in a pond then yes boil, and boil, and boil, and then once you boil it it should be ok.

Langy

okay, thank you very much for answering my persistent questions.
does this piece of old wood have to have come from a pond? is the key here submersion in water for an extended period of time?
cheers!

Jonah

yeah its the immersion in water and the action of the organisms that convert the wood.

But Perversley you have to then boil and boil the wood to kill all the organisms so that you do not introduce diseases and parasites into your tank

Langy

okay then, i might just start the boiling process.how many hours should i give it? at least 3 i'm guessing.