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Hey, i was curious if all driftwood, after like a month of being in the water, getsto be liek play-do and peel off. Both of my driftwood logs completely polluted my tank making the water a yellowish brown color. Little chips of the mushy wood would sit get all over and pile up in and on the gravel. I took the wook out and i could scrape tons of soft wood off with my fingernail.

Does anybody know if it was just my driftwood, or is it always like that.

†Aquapickle†

Did you presoak the driftwood to make sure the tanins were out? You should almost always presoak driftwood in a bucket because it will leak tanins into the water. Then take a soft brush and scrub the wood to get rid of all the loose material.

-Josh

Soak the dw for a bit so that most of the tannins (stuff that causes the brown water) comes off.

My dw has a soft feel still in the water where the surface feels soggy that i think is normal. i just give it an occasional scrub just to clean it off.

Eventually the brown colouring in the water will disappear.
i beleive adding carbon to your filter will help remove it from the water.

---

Truth doesn't always win friends but it influences them

I have cactus skeleton wood in my tank. I didn't presoak mine either & it discolored my water a light yellow. I didn't mind cause my fish like softer water anyway. A bunch of water changes will take care of that though. My wood is naturally soft & has been in there for a couple of mo. but it's not doing what you say yours is. Years ago I had a tank with a huge log type driftwood in it & it never disintegrated like you say yours is doing. If I were you I would change driftwood types.

It could be that the wood you are using isn't suitable for aquariums. What kind of wood is it, and where did you get it?

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

You would have to know the species of timber you are using to start off with.
I have one piece in my tank that will possibly still be perfect in 50 years it is an extremly hard timber that basically grows in or very close to water and depends on floods to survive. I also have several others which will have to be replaced within two years as they are rotting down very fast. Different species omit tannins some more than others.

If it is a soft spieces and omits a lot of tannins nothing will stop it.

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Keith

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I did pre-soak it, i didn't know what all the soft brown pieces were and i didn't scrub them until just recently. The scrubbing did not seem to help. I barely scrubbed the wood, and it just kept peeling off. It was soft like a 1/4 in. deep. I am guessing it is really soft wood, i have two different kinds, but i got them from the same LFS. For now i just took them out stuck them on the wall and hung up some fihsing lures on them. I found some different structures (big rocks) to take there place for now, and i will keep my eye out for some harder wood.
What kinds of driftwood would you suggest i find?

Thanks for the info.

†Aquapickle†

I am in Aust and would have no idea of what you can buy where you are.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

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Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

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?
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Just incase this link is still alive. I usually get my dw from a LFS and most of the time it is in one of there tanks.

I have also picked up some good pieces of DW at a LFS in one their tanks.
That way you can be sure the tannin has leached out and it is water loged and will stay on the bottom.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

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

I live in FL about 15 miles from the Gulf and 2 miles from and estuary so it is easy for me to get woods and here are a few ideas you may like to consider.
1) I use presoaked bogwood, and when I mean presoaked it was halfway in the muck when I "rescued" it. If there are any bogs or streams near you, try that. Just remember to scrub off the trash first because you never now what you might introduce into your tank.
2) There is quit a bit of drift wood around here, especialy right after a good strom. The drift wood from the Gulf (due to its salinity) is completely free of oils, saps, and acids. You just need to water log it and there you go.
I hope these 2 ideas come in hand for you.

"There is also a Clown Pleco in this tank some where. I am telling you, HE IS IN HERE."