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I found some Yuca root at (of all places) Walmart here in Oklahoma. My only issue is that it seems to be completely covered in wax!

What should I do to prepare the Yuca Root before I give it to my Panaque? Has anyone had experience "de-waxing" a tuber before?

I imagine you could carve it all off, similar to peeling a potato. I don't know why it's worth the effort, though, when there's plenty of waxless wood to be had.

This is like a potato not like a piece of wood. There is also plenty of wood available. I'm just looking for other "treats". I think it would probably start to go bad in the aquarium overnight, and should be taken out.

Should I just peel it? Or is the "good stuff" in the peel?

I would worry more for my Panaque getting any bad stuff than loosing some good stuff
Doesnt it have directions as to how you get rid of the wax coating?

I've never found a vegatable to come with instructions

I cut off a small piece, boiled it (the wax came right off) and put it in the tank last night under his favorite piece of wood.

It doesn't look like he's touched it....although the snails like it!

Not unusual - fish often take a few days to figure out that this new stuff is actually food.

--
Mats

I'll probably take that one out tonight and boil another small piece. From what I've been reading lately though, it doesn't seem that extra vegies are really needed as long as sufficient kinds and amounts of wood are present.

I feed my L190 raw sweet potato and it loves it. Give it a try!

I thought they were selling it packed or something...Thats why i said about directions...
Hope your Panaque likes it when he finds out its food...
My Panaque likes really much papaya...When i put it in the aquarium,he is immediately out and going for it!!! In just a few hours,the piece i had putted has dissappeared...

Thanks Kostas. I'm going to try again tonight with another piece. If he doesn't go for it, I'm not going to worry though, I'll just concentrate on making sure he was a wide variety of wood available.

Heheh....I snuck in on him last night with the lights out and snapped these two pics of him munching on the "yuca"



[IMG:650:333]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/see ... oyadfs.jpg[/img]

Well done!!! He seems to like it...Is it considerably smaller this morning?

By the way,you have a beautyfull L191 there...Take good care of him

Kostas wrote:Well done!!! He seems to like it...Is it considerably smaller this morning?

By the way,you have a beautyfull L191 there...Take good care of him

Thank you, there were certainly grooves chewed out of the piece.

I try to do my best with my Panaques ( I also have a P. maccus). I struggle between wanting to give them only woods and feeding them vegetables and tubers. Currently I have quite a few different kinds of woods available and have been also giving veggies like the "Yuca" and potatoes. Currently, the P. maccus and L191 are housed together with a school of 9 Corydoras trilineatus. I understand that eventually the L191 will need a larger home, although judging by reports of their growth rates I believe this is still a few years in the future. Feedback is welcome.

Thats very good Seedy Keep up the good work! He deserves it...

All big Panaques are slow growers and L191 is no exception...They grow around an inch per year or little more if you offer perfect conditions like rotting wood and many water changes...I dont know how big is yours(seems around 12-15cm...but maybe i am wrong...) neither at what tank you keep him,but i too think that you have some more years till you have to buy him a bigger tank...But of course,buying a bigger tank from now,doesnt hurt...

Thank you for the kind words. He's actually quite smaller than he must appear as he certainly less than 10 cm total length (including tail fin.

As far as buying a bigger tank, my Haplotaxadon trifasciatus are probably most pressed for space and I need to put a real effort into acquiring a large (hopefully 240g/1060L) tank for them 1st.

Yeah,wrong i guess... L191s always seem to me larger than they are...
Anyway,you have around 4 years till 20cm...Wish you to be able to buy your really beautifull Haplotaxadon trifasciatus the big tank they need soon so than you will be able to buy another one latter for the L191...

Oh yes, tanks will be acquired as they are required.

I also added the following today:

Coconut cave
Dried Chola Cactus
Willow Bark
Maple Bark
Willow branches

and removed the fake resin "rock"...

What I had before:
Unknown sold as "bog wood"
Malaysian drift wood
Swahala/Molpani root
Maple branches
Oak twigs
Oak branches
Pecan branches
Pecan twigs

I was also horribly tempted to buy one of the largest and nicest P. nigrolineatus I have ever seen today It was a male about 12+ inches long, wonderfully full bodied, perfect fins and huge spines...but the store also wanted a $100 USD for him, and he wouldn't fit in any of my current tanks. A wonderful specimen, I wish I had taken pictures.

I would say go for it...Even if you currently havent got the best tank for him(but of course have at least a 1 meter-1,5meter with suitable tankmates...),i am sure that very soon he will have everything that he needs...You know,more people are willing to buy such a fish than have the tanks and sometimes even the knowledge required to keep this fish...If it has got you,go for it...I doubt it will have a better owner if you dont buy it yourself... But then again,you will need a tank withing this year...

Kostas, here is the end result of the tank for you to see.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=21067