What Wood For A Clown Pleco?

DoubleDutch mentioned in another thread that MopanI is probably too hard of a wood for a Clown Pleco and I'm planning on adding one, maybe two, Clowns to my stocking on down the road so I'm curious as to what commercially available woods are best for this fish. Also, does the wood need to be in the tank for some length of time so that it acquires a bit of "flavor" before the fish is added?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

My knowledge is they maI ly feed on softer / partly softened (old) wood.

MopanI is quite a fresh hard wood (roots from Namibia) which isn't easy to eat for them.

 

Get drift wood. Easiest to digest and find.

 

Would Maylasian driftwood be suitable then? Is it actually a driftwood?

 

I'd say that is better / softer.

Would Maylasian driftwood be suitable then? Is it actually a driftwood?

 

Would Maylasian driftwood be suitable then? Is it actually a driftwood?

Never tried that kind with clowns. Is it dried?

 

Good deal. Does it need to "age"?

Never tried that kind with clowns. Is it dried?

Don't know much about it, it's sold as aquarium driftwood on most websites that sell that sort of thing. I just ordered some this morning from Drs Foster & Smith so I'll know soon enough I guess.

 

Would this kind of driftwood be recommended? It doesn’t specify what kind it is exactly.. I also saw cholla wood?

 

That looks a good bit like the Malaysian driftwood that I ordered but can't be sure. Cholla from my understanding doesn't last terribly long in an aquarium because it is fairly soft so I'd guess it's okay as far as being edible by Clowns.

We need some Clown people to chime in on what they have for their fish.

 

Mine love Manzanita the best. Over the last ten years my two have whittled down two 3" diameter branches into toothpicks. I really need to order more.

Grapewood is another favorite, although some people worry about it rotting too quickly. It's cheap though and you can get some gorgeous pieces

Mine would not touch Malaysian driftwood, I removed it to save on space.

MopanI is probably too hard for a regular diet, but mine do regularly rasp at it. They just don't do any damage!

They also eat algae growing on all surfaces, and of course any meaty fish food they can get!

 

Malaysian should be fine. Mine also gets spiderwood and cholla. I found her favorite is the one I collected from a river at low tide. Lots of available pieces covered in aufwuchs and algae then. I just give them a good rinse with a hose or under a faucet and drop them in. This way you don’t have to wait for the wood to “age,” since nature has done the work for you already through years, not months. People are going to warn you about contamination and diseases, but I think they’re just being overly cautious. If anything, you’ll probably have snails, but my assassins make short work of them.

Edit: MopanI wood will be fine after it’s sunken in for a while to soften up. I had one in aged for months, and I found I could literally scrape flakes of it off with a fingernail.