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hey there just wanted to know what is a good wood to put in a tank.. i have had drift wood in my tank but it has made the tank water a lil yello.. this is normal right? whats a good wood that is recomended and what should been done to it b4 it is put into the tank?

I like mopani wood or wellaby wood. It is sold locally at a petstore so it is easy to get. What's nice about it is that it is knotty, darker on one side than the other, and sinks all on its own. For smaller tanks, I just boil it - err, actually simmer it for like 5-6 hours. I keep adding water to the soup. What happens is the heat brings out the tannins that make the water turn color. It accelerates the process.

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Last edited by Cory_Di at 16-Jan-2005 22:37

r0b3y

Take the wood out give it a good scrub strong clean brush (preferably new) safe that way. Place it in a container and replace the water regually. It it continually makes the container a tea colour, sounds like you a species of wood that produces a lot of tannins. If I did not have a good filtration system my tank would be a very dark colour, reason being I have a lot of drift wood all diferent species.


Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 17-Jan-2005 22:56

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Hey that's my LFS Cory_Di .

Not to go against the simmering idea, but I've been told that it will cause the wood to break down faster (which makes sense if you think of it from a cooking standpoint). I prefer to just soak in hot but not boiling water, changing the water as it grows dark.

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Maybe it depends on the wood, as far as breakdown. I've had two pieces of Mopani Wood in my tank that simmered 5 hours and both are in tip top shape and I don't have orange water. You can still see a slight tinge, only when you do water changes using a white bucket. It's like a light yellow, otherwise it is not visible in the main tank.

I tried simmering for just 30 minutes and did a test. I put the small piece of wood in a 5 gallon tank with clean water. The very next day, the water was orange. That's what led to the long simmer. It went down like this:

After 30 minutes: Tea
After 2 Hours: Strong Coffee
After 5 Hours: Pure Espresso, baby, foam and all

i boiled my drift wood yesterday.. after about 4 hrs i had espresso.. lol

how about rock.. can u just get any rock from a lake or creek? .. and what should be done to them to get rid of any nasties..

r0b3y

Now rock from a creek - that would definitely simmer a few hours (rock soup).

There are many nasties that can be brought in to an aquarium. Some parasites, bacteria and viruses can survive heat, drying, freezing, among other processes. I'd not only boil it, but use another method, such as drying.

Always test rocks from the great outdoors to make sure it does not contain elements that can raise hardness and ultlimately pH. You can do an acid test on the rock, when clean and dry. If it has multiple veins, try it on those areas as well, especially light colored ones. Use just a drop of white vinegar in the areas you test, then look very closely for any fizz action. If it fizzes, you don't want it in your tank unless it is something like a cichlid tank, where they like it buffered up high.

r0b3y

The answere is Yes and No
That is if they are safe to use and come from non poluted areas.

No if you even suspect any thing wrong certainly not worth the trouble.

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

well the creek does smell pretty badz dont know if it is poluted though.. dont noe if i should then.. what about those hardware shops that sell garden pebles etc.. they fine?

r0b3y

They should be OK also check out any garden suppliers or places thgat sell sand & screenings. Do a test on them, then give them a real good washing.

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

Hey there

Something about rocks: Cory_di is right about the fact that some bacteria survive heat. However, that is only to a certain degree, literally. What I do is first clean the rocks, boil them for a bit (makes them easier to clean) and then put them in the oven for an hour or so, 200 degrees Celsius, no bacteria or spores will survive that

Baked rock! A grand idea.

I think the preboil is good because I think certain sediments will break apart easiest with the hottest water. I brought home these "pagoda" stones sold at the lfs. They apparently were caked in dried clay or something. It made the biggest mess of my tank and cost me dearly to get it cleaned up. The water clouded miserably as the sediment dissolved. Even a Magnum 250 with a polishing sleeve couldn't clear the powdered cloud. Anyplace the water splashed it left a powdery residue. It finally took the purchase of the Whisper Diatomagic diatom filter and it was sparkling in 15 minutes. I had to run it every time I did a gravel vac or water change as it had become embedded in the substrate. Once stirred, the tank would cloud again. This went on and off for about 3 months. I love the diatom filter, but to me, you can't be too clean when it comes to rocks

Good driftwood does tend to turn the watter a little yellow. This is due to the Tannic acids that the driftwood releases. Now this is both, good and bad. It is good because it lowers the pH. However, it is bad only because it tints the water, where this is only bad for us looking at the aquarium.

Activated carbon removes a lot of the coloration out of the water. When the water starts to turn fairly yellow, that is when you know you need to replace your carbon because it has lost it's effect.

Sometimes the carbon isn't enough, but it will help.

HTH

~Jorge