I still new to BN, and wanted to know why is it important for BN to have driftwood in the tank.. i have 23cm driftwood, luckily it has stopped leaching sinced i left it out in 3days of 40degree heat wave we had last week, than boiled it which stopped leaching..Coming back to the issue Why do they need it, what benefits are there for them?

there are a few different theory's why BN use Driftwood

but i believe it helps them with there Digestive System

Very possibly a digestive issue , IMO they just like eating the goo that grows on the wood.
And it looks great in a tank
J

i heard it helps with there digestive system. but also as some say, some species may not need it either.

the main plus for bog/drift wood is digestion so its quite healthy to have in the tank especially if you tend to feed a variety of foods....
On a negative side it can change the colour of your water but this is a plus for bn's as most bn's come from blackwaters and dark river's so its good for spawning purposes....

Its all so been said that bn's will eat it whilst grazing so its a diff source of food also.....
You can also get some really cool looking peices so it looks great in the tank...

Not to mention some pieces could make a little cave for them, so spawning is a possibility
My big bit has a lovely natural cave in it, gives good shelter! (well, to the male thats claimed it )

like ive said before in a diff post spreebok my male albino is currently fanning away in a very small hole in the bogwood....

I've also heard it helps with digestin, but I also placed a large piece in the 55 gal tank and my daughter's 3 ginormous commons love it as well!

Eaglehorsesmom