driftwood for pleco

[wolf13]

I know many species of Pleco require driftwood to gnaw on, but do they require specific types?

I have access to a lot of northren IL driftwood (and i suspect at least one local shop sells it as driftwood) and I don't like the idea of shelling out $40 - $60 for wood I can get myself if it will do the same thing. (and yes, i'd be boiling it, drying it and soaking it in ammonia before i ever put it in my tank)

 

[TML29]

I never bought any driftwood from the stores. I would just go down to the river and look for them and my pleco isn't exactly complaining. I know for sure that if I get driftwood from a river, there is a good chance it's not fresh wood that still has sap in it. Also, the prices of some driftwood are just ridiculous

 

[drgold]

try to find hardwood (not pine - especially cedar), but yeah, it's all esentially the same. softer woods are usually preferred (balsa vs. oak), but you shouldn't notice a big problem. Just make sure the wood isn't contaminated with chemicals and you'll be fine. I would NOT soak it in ammonia. Boiling it will be enough to kill anything nasty. Wood being porous will likely leech ammonia into the tank, which is bad for your fish. When I collect wood, I just sandpaper it off, boil it (when possible) and then drop it in the tank. It's not rocket science. Have fun collecting!

 

[SmallFishi]

My new Clown Pleco Loves the Malaysian Driftwood I have in my tank from my LFS, I did have some Geo System wood but it took up too much room so I'm not sure if he would have liked that or not..
The Malaysian has lots of knooks for him to hide in and for food to fall in which makes it more entertaining for him i'm sure.
He's always on it my BN likes it too but not as much as the Clown.