Bog wood...

[johnpeezy]

Is there any sever things like parasites that my tank could get from bog wood?

I know its gonna mess up my water balance a little bit but it should be nominal since the piece im getting is so small. but what about disease?

I want a clown pleco, so apparently he need specifially bog wood because its like softer or something. Oh and it said soemthing about blanched fruit but I'm not exactly sure what "blanched" means, i got the fruit part.

[johnpeezy]

Oh i found that AMAZING site called PlanetCatFish and identified the pleco i want its one of these little guys sp(l206) panaque There marked down for quick sale at petsmart and im grabbing him up when i can. but I a little worried about the bog wood Effing up my tank.

[Trixie]

Where did you get the bogwood from? Some driftwood/bogwood is fine and the water chemistry changes are quite minimal, if at all. Some wood, such as grape wood (sold for reptile tanks, I think) is unsuitable. This wood tends to develop an icky white fungus when submerged. If the wood is suitable for aquarium use, most of us boil it to get rid of possible contaminants.

[johnpeezy]

The bog wood is going to be from the LFS, boil it got it it looks like a burnt orange color if i rember correctly

[joephys]

If its true bog wood, it should be perfectly safe. I have never seen a fish store try and pass off fake bog wood, its pretty unique looking if you know what your looking at. It shouldn't need to be boiled or baked or anything. It shouldn't have too much of an effect on your water chemistry, but it may make it look like tea.

The key with other types of wood is to make sure its fully dried throughout, and comes from a clean source.

[johnpeezy]

So i got the clown pleco and the bog wood now,

i boiled and boy an i glad i did it darkened up the boiling water almost instantly. After it was cooled and dired i place it in the tank and it looks great cost me all of two dollars (a very small piece).

[johnpeezy]

Okay on the a question about sp(l206) panaque my new little clown pleco. He seems to almost "crawl" across the bottom of the tank. its like he using his fins as feet.

The worker at petsmart was pretty rough with him while he was getting stuffed and i mean STUFFED ( stupid lady) into his bag. Is the way he "walks" along the bottom normal behavior or do you think he may be injured.

He chomped down an algae pellet the night I brought him home and looks healthy but he just moves around the tank in what i would consider a funny way

[DirtyDawg10]

That is pretty much how plecs move. They crawl on their fins on the bottom. They also suction their mouth to the glass and shimmy up the glass with their mouth.

[sarcare]

My plecs do that too, they are cute little things, scootching across the bottom with their mouths. nom, nom, nom

[mostlycichlids]

I have 3 clown plecos they are great! I rarely ever see them eating on the wood in my tank but they love NLS H2O wafers.

[johnpeezy]

MAn my little guy seems to be doing great, hes just REALLY shy. His colors have really birghtened up since he has been here, and chomps down about 1/2 an algae pellet a day (night time)

Anyone know how often to feed him things like fruit and veggies?

and I haven't a clue what blanching is (thats what i was told to do with the fruit)

[johnpeezy]

Originally Posted by johnpeezy

MAn my little guy seems to be doing great, hes just REALLY shy. His colors have really birghtened up since he has been here, and chomps down about 1/2 an algae pellet a day (night time)

Anyone know how often to feed him things like fruit and veggies?

and I haven't a clue what blanching is (thats what i was told to do with the fruit)

okay so here is what i found,

1.)Prepare food that is to be blanched by rinsing and trimming, if necessary.

2.)Bring a pan of water to a full, rolling boil.

3.)Gently place the prepared food into the boiling water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

4.)Drain; rinse the food in cold water immediately.

apparently this help loosen the skins of things like tomatos and peaches, I guess the skins of fruits retains pestacides and chemicals ussed when growing so when feeding fish (MANGOS!!!) peel them, then blanch them.

[Trixie]

Sometimes with a slice of zucchini I use a plant weight poked through and around the rind. It will stay on the bottom for the bottom feeders that way.

[Roan]

I just put the food in water and nuke it for two minutes.

You just want to soften it.

Roan

[RTR]

I use freeze/thaw to the same end.

[johnpeezy]

So my pleaco has been firmly attach to his two dollar hunk of wood for the greater part of two days now. Hes a pretty cute little bugger but so shy hes impossible to get a picture of.

Maybe he'll warm up to me in a week or so and i can nab a snapshot of him