FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I have had bad luck with natural driftwood. The large piece in my 55g never waterlogged enough and I've had to buy another piece. Also the piece of Malaysian DW I put in my 10g obviously made a major drop in pH.

I am seriously thinking about getting some artificial DW for my 29g. It is cheaper and I know it will sink. Does anyone have it in their tanks? I would much rather prefer real, but I don't seem to have luck with it.

Does moss and plants anchor to it ok? Does it look real at all?

*Kristin*

just tie rock to it

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

I don't think there's a viable substitution for the real stuff. Fake driftwood just isn't convincing, IMO. Most hardwoods release tannic acid relatively slowly so the pH shouldn't be a BIG issue, especially if you have softwater favoring species.

I have never used the artifical DW. What I have seen it is just that artifical. Unless there are some upmarket pieces to me it just looks like a very cheap copy of nature.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/profile.asp?userid=6741" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] for my tank info

[link=Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/Betta%20desktop%20tank/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Hi,
The artificial drift wood that I've seen has been porcelain
that was molded, and painted, to look like drift wood but
somehow it never quite pulled it off. And, over time, it
lost some of its paint (chipped off).
I don't know that you will be happy with it, and I'm not
sure how well plants will attach to it.

Obtaining drift wood from a LFS is probably the best way.
Many will take trips and bring branches home or pull it
out of a nearby stream, but there is no way of telling
how long it will take for that stuff to cure, settle
to the bottom, and not make any difference to the tank
water. Over time the tannic acid seeps out and a depleted
area forms ( a kind of rind) that prevents more from
seeping out, but it takes time and most folks don't want
to wait. Wood from the LFS is treated and will probably
make the least impact on the tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Why don't you be patient &amp; wait till the natural wood get waterlogged &amp; then you can use it in your tanks.

Natural Driftwood is better then artificial.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/
http://www.deathbydyeing.org/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

GG,

I like mopani wood as a natural, quick sinking driftwood. It's heavy and can be expensive. It will also tint your water for up to a year.

You may want to find a PetSmart and look at their Top Fin resin tree roots for the aquarium. I have a friend who uses the gray resin units with his discus to great effect. A sample picture of the "natural" color is attached...

Bob Wesolowski attached this image:


__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I am not patient at all. :%)

I ordered some Swahala DW from ebay and it should be here today. I will see how that goes. They also sell it on Drs Foster and Smith website and say it is dense...so it should sink. I am going to soak it for a couple weeks though so it won't turn the water brown. I am also going to monitor the pH of the water I put it in.

I am not 100% convinced that the Malaysian wood dropped my pH that much (from 7.6 to 6.4)...but I don't know what else would have. I didn't add anything besides that to my 10g. It didn't even turn the water brown and I thought when it did that it was releasing the acidic tannins.

I like the look of Mopani wood. I don't want brown water though.

I will see how the Swahala DW goes. I will probably end up getting a smaller piece for my 29g.

Thanks everyone. I really like the look of natural alot better. I will stick to that. I don't want a fake piece that will flake off. I am convinced that real is the way to go and hopefully my experience this time will be good.

Last edited by GirlieGirl8519 at 10-Jan-2006 12:47

*Kristin*

I, personally, dont have a problem with artificial driftwood. I have used it in several of my tanks. Some of the stuff you get at PetSmart actually looks pretty good. If you do decide to continue with REAL driftwood, try screwing some stainless steel screws into the bottom of it and attach some suction cups to the screws. This should help it stay in place. Hope this helps!

Fish CAN fly!

I use Natural DW in my tanks never had any problems with it! knock on wood I would never think about Fake DW in a tank. When you get DW you should soak it for sometime before putting in the tank first to waterlog it and second you said you had problems with pH! if you soak it a longtime before you put it in the tank you will not have a problem with pH. I buy my DW from one place only for my tanks and all the peices I have gotten from them never needed to waterlogged I could place it directly in the tank and it would sink but I soak it just the same to make sure it does not lower my pH. If you want I can give you the link to place were I get my DW from. Good Luck

Last edited by Barb_Fan2 at 15-Jan-2006 14:20

have u tryed painting a non toxic varnish on the drift wood that should help to not change the PH

I have decided to go with real DW. I have a piece of Swahala DW soaking now, for my 55g. It is pretty dense so I think it will sink, but I am soaking it to get the tannins out. So far it hasn't affected pH. I checked the pH of my tap water and then after the wood was in there for a day and it didn't change. Hopefully this is a good kind of wood. I have another piece coming this week for my 29g. I like the look of this wood much better than the other kinds I have.

Here is a picture of the piece that is soaking:


I got the piece in my 55g, that won't sink, from Big Al's. I did soak it for about 3 weeks before placing it in my tank and it never waterlogged...even after being in there for a couple months and being attached to slate. I still have to have a rock holding it down.

The pH change came from the Malaysian DW I put in my 10g. I soaked it for a week so it wouldn't turn the water brown, but it still affected pH. Guess I didn't soak it long enough.

I have not tried varnish...maybe I will look into that if I ever try the Malaysian again. It is the only kind I have had that problem with.

I just got a 38g and may use the piece in my 55g for the new tank...so I will try the suction cup idea if I use it. [/font]

*Kristin*