Do blue phantoms eat wood?

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jd_7655
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Do blue phantoms eat wood?

Post by jd_7655 »

I'm wondering if blue phantoms eat wood? I have one in a tank without wood and it seems to like meaty foods. I've seen a couple plecos over the years that didn't want anything to do with wood like my L75.

Just curious if anyone has an answer.
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Shane
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Re: Do blue phantoms eat wood?

Post by Shane »

The only actual wood eaters I am aware of are members of Panque and Panaqolous. There is also at least one fish in Lasiancistrus (tentaculatus) that is a true wood eater and several members of the former Cochliodon consume wood, but will also eat other foods.
The above said, many species consume some wood incidentally while scraping driftwood for plant and animal matter. It may add some extra fiber to their diet but they are not wood eaters.
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Re: Do blue phantoms eat wood?

Post by MarcW »

I've kept blue phantoms for several years, and never noticed the characteristic sawdust waste, that I see from my Panaqolous.

As a side note my do seem to ingest and pass a lot of wood, when I catch them on the large pieces of Oak in their tank they do seem to be lazily grazing, so likely looking for morsels of other food. The volume of wood coloured sawdust type waste from them does seem to be significant though.
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