Does pleco fish eat driftwood? Advantages of driftwood in aquarium
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Lots of new aquarists keep pleco fish in their fish tank and then they think that their pleco fish is eating driftwood. But that is not completely true.
Among all the pleco fishes, the clown pleco and the xhylophagy are of such types of pleco fishes that eat driftwoods in the tank. Bristlenose pleco eats driftwood a little bit but it eats the algae on the driftwood. Other types of pleco fish only rasp on the driftwood but don’t eat driftwood generally.
But driftwood is not the only food of pleco fish. Pleco fish can eat lots of things
Food habits of pleco fish
The diet of pleco fish depends upon species to species. But in general pleco fish is an omnivore and it loves to eat algae wafers and live algae. Besides the driftwood, cucumber and zucchini twice a week are the great option to feed pleco fish. Brine shrimp and raw vegetables can be used also.
Read more:- Best foods for aquarium fishes to grow faster. Don’t miss it
What are the advantages of driftwood keeping in an aquarium?
There are tons of advantages to keeping driftwood in an aquarium. If you are planning to keep pleco fish in the aquarium then driftwood is a must to keep. But for other aquarium fishes, you should not skip this also. Adding driftwoods to the aquarium provide lots of advantages. Let’s discuss it.
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Driftwood is used as a hiding place
An aquarium needs lots of hiding places for fishes. Fishes feel safe if they get hiding places. If you add driftwoods to your aquarium then it will work as hiding places for fishes. If any fish is bullied by other strong fishes then it can take a rest under the driftwood. During the pregnancy period, fishes are not able to be active all the time. So during this time span fishes need a safe place to take a rest. Driftwood helps in this very well.
Read more:- The growth rate of pleco fish with proper charts and graphs
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Driftwood is good for the environment
If you want to make your aquarium good then driftwood is a must. Driftwood adds so much positive environment to the aquarium. Your fishes will be much happier if they get driftwood in the tank. Fishes will live a much longer period of time when they are much active and driftwood helps to do that. Basically, driftwood helps to provide a natural environment in an artificial fish tank.
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Driftwood increase the aesthetic view of the tank
Driftwood helps to increase the aesthetic view of a fish tank. If you have a fish tank that has only fishes then it will not be so eye appealing. But when you add driftwood then it will become so natural and will give an aesthetic view. Not only that, but you can add plants to it also. Adding plants to the aquarium is the best method to keep the aquarium alive and fresh.
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Driftwood helps to thrive some beneficial algae
Bacteria are important for an aquarium. Without bacteria nitrogen cycle will not be completed. The nitrogen cycle is the most important in a fish tank. The nitrogen cycle helps to turn hazardous N-compounds into less hazardous N-compounds. Driftwood helps those bacteria to make colonies on it. This way driftwood helps to maintain water quality.
Read more:- How to keep driftwood from rotting. With cost analysis
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Driftwood can be used as food for some fishes
Like clown pleco, lots of other fishes are there that rely on driftwood as food. These fishes eat driftwood with the other foods. But not only the driftwood, but fishes eat algae also. Driftwood helps to grow algae on it. Some pleco fishes only love to rasp on it.
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Driftwood helps to change the pH level
This is one of the main advantages of adding driftwood to a fish tank. Driftwood leaches tannin. This is an acid and helps to reduce the alkalinity of the water in the tank. So if you are facing a problem with the alkalinity then driftwood can help you in this case. After a while, driftwood stops to leach tannin but when pleco eats the topmost fiber of it then driftwood starts to leach tannin again. The main drawback of it is the color of water turn to be brown.
Read more:- Importance of pH in a fish tank. Know how to control it
Conclusion
From this discussion we’ve known that two types of pleco fishes love to eat driftwood. So if you are planning to keep clown pleco then you must consider keeping driftwoods in your tank. But keeping driftwoods in the tank will give your so many benefits. These benefits are also discussed in this article.
If you have any doubts about it then please let us know and if you want to know more about this kind of interesting topic then please comment below and let us know.
So best of luck & happy fishkeeping 🐟
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