# Calling Ameekplec! (pleco help)



## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

Hey guys, well since both my keyholes died just over a week ago I've decided too add more fish. I added another 3cory cats (total of 5) and two clown plecos which I may ad I've only seen once since I brought them home  . Any who I'm 99% positive these arnt algae eater but of cource with fish theres 4information sites all contradicting each other, one says they eat only algae the others say veggies like cucumbers and carrots.

Thanks for the help every one


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Clown plecos like to chew wood, as they are from the Panaque family, all of which can subsist on wood, as they have symbiotic gut bacteria that helps to break down the cellulose in the wood.

They will need older driftwood, as new driftwood (Mopani, Malaysian drift wood) will be very hard and difficult to rasp off, but it's better than nothing.

They will also like veggies. Zucchini is a particular favourite of almost all herbivorous plecs. My plecs also like peppers (not the hot kind), carrots not so much, but potatoes and yams were liked very well.

If you don't see them for the first while, don't worry. Most plecs are very shy when first introduced, and gradually will become more accustomed and come out more.


Also, I hope you have good filtration. Plecs are poop machines!

For more info on plecs and corys and any other catfish, check out planetcatfish.com


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I have driftwood I collected, would need soaking, but I have baked it.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> I have driftwood I collected, would need soaking, but I have baked it.


And how does one server baked drift wood? Sprinkled with icing sugar or topped with raspberry syrup?

I truly apologise in advance for the above post but I just couldn't resist...


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

no no no, with a chain saw, maple syrup and a side of fresh termites.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> no no no, with a chain saw, maple syrup and a side of fresh termites.


I'm more of a purist....I like it with a hand saw, and nothin but good old smoke flavor.

Oh yeah, make sure the driftwood if you choose to pick it up is completely 'drfitwooded'; fresh pieces of some conifers (pines) can leach toxins to kill all your fish.

Some hardwoods are particularly good; any fruit tree wood will be appreciated - just remove the bark first.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> I'm more of a purist....I like it with a hand saw, and nothin but good old smoke flavor.
> 
> Oh yeah, make sure the driftwood if you choose to pick it up is completely 'drfitwooded'; fresh pieces of some conifers (pines) can leach toxins to kill all your fish.
> 
> Some hardwoods are particularly good; any fruit tree wood will be appreciated - just remove the bark first.


Learn something new every day...

How does the North American driftwood compare/stand up to the Malaysian or Mopani?


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Cory_Dad said:


> Learn something new every day...


Yes it's true, we do learn something new every day, and sometimes it's actually useful.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Cory_Dad said:


> Learn something new every day...
> 
> How does the North American driftwood compare/stand up to the Malaysian or Mopani?


Actually, I think the plecs prefer the local hard/soft woods over the malayssian or african ironwoods. When I had panaques, they definitely ate the most off of the locally collected stuff. I think the reason for this is that malaysian and mopani driftwood isn't actually driftwood - it's actually just super dense wood that sinks because of it's density. It also makes them largely termite proof.
But locally collect wood (even fresh fruit wood) is far less dense so it I think is much more easily rasped off by the plecs, thus preferred. Hence using older wood that has had time to be broken down a bit is beneficial.

Even with the older mopani or malaysian driftwood though, the plecs prefer the local stuff here.

In any event: have wood, plecs happy.


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Clown plecos like to chew wood, as they are from the Panaque family, all of which can subsist on wood, as they have symbiotic gut bacteria that helps to break down the cellulose in the wood.
> 
> They will need older driftwood, as new driftwood (Mopani, Malaysian drift wood) will be very hard and difficult to rasp off, but it's better than nothing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the help eric!, I bought two decent sized pieces on slate stands today.. Cooking up drift-wood as we speak.. For a while I though my pleco was dead as he has only move about an inch all day!

Btw has my letter shown up yet? 



Sunstar said:


> I have driftwood I collected, would need soaking, but I have baked it.


Thanks sunstar. But I purchased drift wood today, and just out of random curiosity how much do yah got and what yah lookin to get?



Cory_Dad said:


> Learn something new every day...
> 
> How does the North American driftwood compare/stand up to the Malaysian or Mopani?


Which ones stands up longer


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I can always get more driftwood... and I am interested in mosses....other than java or weeping. if you need any, tell me and I'll go looking, and bake it.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Tanked said:


> Which ones stands up longer


If you want one that last, Mopani is definately the better one. They last much much longer than NA wood ... although I think it's not much different if you compare them to red wood, but then again, I've yet to see a red wood-driftwood. And besides, red wood dont' turn and twist like the mopani does. So it's much more pretty to put a mopani wood in a fish tank.

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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

The african (Mopani) and malaysian woods are resistant to decomposition( softening) because of two factors: 1. their density, and 2. They have a high tannin content (the compound that stains your water brown), which is a natural antibacterial compound that aids in the wood's resistance to decomposition.

NA woods are generally low in tannins and are less dense too.


My preference has always been the malaysian for aesthetics, but that's because I hadn't found a piece of mopani that I really liked...until now 

Nope, no envelop yet. I'll check today when I get home


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

Weird, canada post doesnt usally take this long  altho its been a while since I sent a letter


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Nope...nothing but my paystub today. Letters can take a while.

Are the clown plecs coming out more now? 

If you feed veggies, remember to wash it really really really well. You can weigh it down by sticking it on a fork that has dull tines.


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Nope...nothing but my paystub today. Letters can take a while.
> 
> Are the clown plecs coming out more now?
> 
> If you feed veggies, remember to wash it really really really well. You can weigh it down by sticking it on a fork that has dull tines.


Nah.. They are just hiding behind the cave all day. I put a small slice off cuecumber and wedged it under a rock but it has yet to be touched


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

it takes a few tries to get them to eat anything. I put in a piece of zucchini in with the flash plecos 4 r 5 times before they learned to eat the damned thing. After that whenever I put a piece in, it would be gone by the next day.


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> it takes a few tries to get them to eat anything. I put in a piece of zucchini in with the flash plecos 4 r 5 times before they learned to eat the damned thing. After that whenever I put a piece in, it would be gone by the next day.


Alright, I'll get a zucchini tomorrow!. Should I just leave the cucumber in until tomorrow evening?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Take all veggies out in the morning, put them in at night. If you leave it in too long, it'll spoil your water and give you an ammonia spike.


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Take all veggies out in the morning, put them in at night. If you leave it in too long, it'll spoil your water and give you an ammonia spike.


Alrighty.. Thanks for the help Eric, my plecos and I appreciate it.

I only have one more question.. I bought mounted drift wood on slate and The screws in the bottom of the wood arnt stainless steal.. Now I'm Not even sure if stainless is ok for an aquarium even tho it wont rust??


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

You might want to replace it with a stainless steel screw....but I had an old piece of mounted driftwood for years and years and it was definitely rusty when I took it out, and my inverts had no ill effects or anything.


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## Cory_Dad (Apr 18, 2008)

Also, the iron is good for the plants. But there's better ways of getting iron into the water...


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

You can add a dab of silicone on the screw head for added protection.


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## Tanked (Sep 9, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> You might want to replace it with a stainless steel screw....but I had an old piece of mounted driftwood for years and years and it was definitely rusty when I took it out, and my inverts had no ill effects or anything.


Alright.. I put it in with regular screws but I'll be sure too replace by the weekend.. I just didn't want more dead stock on my hands



Cory_Dad said:


> Also, the iron is good for the plants. But there's better ways of getting iron into the water...


rusty penny? 



Calmer said:


> You can add a dab of silicone on the screw head for added protection.


Thanks for the tip Calmer 

Hey fellas, Added my wood today and my water is now hazy brown. Is this normal? Thanks for the help.


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## Dennis (Jul 10, 2008)

Tanked said:


> Hey fellas, Added my wood today and my water is now hazy brown. Is this normal? Thanks for the help.


It is normal. The driftwood is releasing tannins which could lower the ph of the water, here is an article about it...

What driftwood does to water

Boiling driftwood will have remove much of the tannins contained in the wood. What are tannins? Tannins are a natural compound contained in the driftwood and they are released into your tank water as the driftwood soaks. Tannins will stain your tank water a light yellow color or when concentrated - the color of tea. The amount of staining depends on what type of driftwood and how much wood driftwood you are using. Boiling driftwood can be thought of as placing a bag of tea in a hot cup of water. The longer the tea is in the water and the hotter the water is, the more tannins that will be released.

Soaking driftwood in a container will also help release the tannins before it is introduced into the aquarium. This process can take quite a bit of time. It can be weeks or even months before most of the tannins are released.

In all plants and trees, tannins are used as defensive compounds that counteract bacteria and fungi by interfering with their surface proteins. There are rivers in the Amazon that are so filled with tannins that the water is stained to the color of tea and very few organisms can actually thrive in this water. These rivers are called "blackwater" habitats. It just so happens that many fish from the "blackwater" habitats of the Amazon seems more susceptible to disease. Coincidence? We don't think so.

The most common question most cichlid keepers have about driftwood is "how will it effect my pH?" Answering this question is not easy, but there are a few things to consider. Since driftwood contains tannins (which is also referred to as tannic acid) it will try to lower your aquarium's pH. Your pH may drop if the buffering capacity of your water is low (low mineral content). If the buffering capacity is high, the chance of a piece of driftwood causing a pH swing is minimal.

Driftwood will also tend to soften your water. This is great if you are keeping softwater fishes like Discus, Satanoperca daemon or Uaru Fernandezyepezi. It's not so good if your water already has a low buffering capacity and you are keeping fishes from Lake Tanganyika.

Source: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/driftwood.php


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