I have a clown pleco they say drift wood in the tank is good for them to suck on and hide since they are timid.
What kind if drift wood would use and how to prepare it for the tank

I'm not 100% positive clown plecos need driftwood, but if they do, it must be real. The main reason plecos need driftwood is because it is part of their diet to stay healthy

Real driftwood does have its cons though...if you do not have a high kH, it could cause a pH crash. If your kH is high enough, you should get the driftwood though. Boil it in a pot to sanitize it. It will leach tannins out in the pot water so less will leach into the tank and dye it tea colored.

Thanks Kissy

I might wait a while and see how they do with out it

All plecos need the cellulose in wood to properly digest their food, so you do need some in there. There are different kinds; I found mine preferred the softer Malaysian wood. It will dye your water a nice tea-brown so be prepared for that. Other than that, I just rinse mine and then put it in the tank.

Thats what I thought, but then I remembered the rubberlip doesn't need driftwood. Is it not really a pleco?

Kissy I LOVE your new sig photo!!

I believe it is all the catfish in the Loricariid family who need the wood. The rubberlip might not be in that family; I cant remember off the top of my head right now.

Thanks, its a mudskipper

Kissy is right clowns do not need driftwood. they just need hidy places like all the others do

Actually...I jsut did some research and most sites said that clown plecos did need real driftwood. Some sites didn't mention it, but none ever said that clown plecos don't need it. I'd get your little plec a peice of driftwood quickly if you haven't already.

Boil the driftwood before you put it in his tank. This will leach out most of the tannins and kill any parasites or pest snails.