Clown Pleco / Driftwood

Question
Hello:  I was referred to you through AllExperts and I had a question please:  
I bought a small Clown Pleco to help with alge in my 120/gal.  Some articles on them (but not all) say it's essential to make some driftwood available to them.  Do you agree that it's necessary, and if so, would you trust that  driftwood purchased from a local fish store  is "ready to go" into an aquarium or should it be treated/processed somehow first?  

Thanks for your information/opinion.
Chris James

Answer
I have never heard that any fish NEEDS driftwood. However, adding driftwood to the tank will cause no problems for the fish or the system. If you purchase driftwood from the fish store, it should be ready to go. Some types will need to be weighted down until they become water-logged, and all should be given a good rinse before adding them to the tank. Driftwood collected from the wild will need to be disinfected before adding it to your aquarium to prevent infection. I'd recommend soaking collected driftwood in a bleach solution (1 cup to 5 gallons water) for a few days. After that, it should be rinsed thoroughly, and adding de-chlor to the rinse water will also help.
Keep in mind that adding driftwood to the tank will discolor the water a tan/brown color. This is not harmful, but the colored substance (primarily humic or tannic acids) can lower the pH slightly.
I'd also recommend a larger species of plecostomus for your large tank. Bristle nose pleco's get a bit larger (6-8inches vs 3-4 inches).
Hope this helps,
Good Luck