Adding Driftwood

[monching]

Good Day SD and all the good soul herein,
Just want to ask the best way to add a driftwood. I have this large piece of Driftwood that I got from a nearest river from my house.
It measures 2' long x 16"wide x 20"height and been soaking it for about a month now. I'm in no hurry to put it in until I'm sure that most
of the tannins are taken care of. My worry is the stress it will gives my fish.
Should I take all the fish out first before adding the driftwood? Or add it in one of my water change and just try to be as slow as
possible so as not to spook the fish. Plan to add it by December fully saturated/waterlogged.http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k233/monching44/Mobile%20Uploads/20150617_173826_zpsmrtfef8v.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/monching44/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150617_173826_zpsmrtfef8v.jpg.html)

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http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k233/monching44/Mobile%20Uploads/20150617_173849_zpstmup4lsw.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/monching44/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150617_173849_zpstmup4lsw.jpg.html)

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Inputs will be highly appreciated.

[rickztahone]

I can not see the pics but there should be no problem adding the DW in with the discus in the tank. Be careful not to hit the sides of the tanks with the driftwood or the discus will start darting like crazy. Do it slowly is all and you will be fine. Make sure you boil that piece first however, soaking it alone will not get rid of hitchhikers.

[miguelnight]

I use driftwood--but purchased from a local fish store. Using river driftwood not endorsed for discus/fish use would make me a little nervous. You never know what kind of toxic elements are in it. At any rate, the driftwood that I purchased, I boiled for an hour, weighted it down with rocks, then submerged it in the tank. The fish will be stressed initially, but will eventually adapt to the new scenery. Good luck!87775

[Altum Nut]

Ramon...did that piece come from the Humber River?
I would not use it having it sit in water alone. It looks like it may fit in a 45 gallon plastic barrel. If it does, you can soak the entire piece with hot water and bleach solution and repeat the process. Later I would power wash it with just hot water.
We don't have any clean rivers in Toronto...

...Ralph

[monching]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated. Yes Ralph it's Humber river alright, been doing daily hot water change for about a month now brushing it every WC and starting to see some clarity on the water not like the first two weeks that tannins leach and cloud the water like crazy. Will continue the hot water treatment for another month (so big that boiling is not an option) or so or until the time I will put it in which is by December. Will also buy that 45 gal. or larger plastic container so I can totally soak every inch of it.

Thanks again guys.

[rickztahone]

Ramon...did that piece come from the Humber River?
I would not use it having it sit in water alone. It looks like it may fit in a 45 gallon plastic barrel. If it does, you can soak the entire piece with hot water and bleach solution and repeat the process. Later I would power wash it with just hot water.
We don't have any clean rivers in Toronto...

...Ralph

Ralph, I wouldn't personally bleach a piece of DW. DW will absorb the bleach and leech it out later when in the tank and can create a dangerous environment. The boiling is spot on though.

[Altum Nut]

When I meant bleach...I should have mentioned like a cup full to 45 g for the initial dip and then fill with hot water and repeat. Ramone has the summer to do it and feel confident there should be no bleach that would leach out when in tank.
I did it with no issues or I would not have recommended it.

...Ralph

[rickztahone]

When I meant bleach...I should have mentioned like a cup full to 45 g for the initial dip and then fill with hot water and repeat. Ramone has the summer to do it and feel confident there should be no bleach that would leach out when in tank.
I did it with no issues or I would not have recommended it.

...Ralph

Good to know. I hadn't heard of someone doing this successfully. Thanks Ralph!

[navarro1950]

Hi SD , I spray mine down with a quart spray bottle of 3 cups of water and 1 cup of muriatic acid then pressure wash with light weight tip and you're good to go. If your drift has set out of water for any time to dry out you can boil it if you have one of those very large crawfish pots we use down here in the south when we boil shrimp, crabs, and of course crawfish. I use the acid all the time to clean driftwood and I've never had any problems.The solution of acid is very small so some time I use the garden hose to wash it off.

[pitdogg2]

Ralph, I wouldn't personally bleach a piece of DW. DW will absorb the bleach and leech it out later when in the tank and can create a dangerous environment. The boiling is spot on though.

FYI I do it all the time have yet to lose any fish. They key is to rinse very well use A LOT of PRIME then place in the sun for a day or two. The sun alone will kill most hangers on as it drys. I'm also leery of the river wood, I've bleach because of some algae that come/likes the mopani wood sold in the trade.

[monching]

I am more concern on the fish getting spooked and end up hurting themselves than what might come out of the DW. I have ample time to prepare it and see to it that it's totally safe. I've been changing the water with almost boiling ones everyday for almost a whole month now. I don't want anything to happen to my fish. I'm considering transferring them to my 30 gal. While I set the DW up. What do you think?

[rickztahone]

I am more concern on the fish getting spooked and end up hurting themselves than what might come out of the DW. I have ample time to prepare it and see to it that it's totally safe. I've been changing the water with almost boiling ones everyday for almost a whole month now. I don't want anything to happen to my fish. I'm considering transferring them to my 30 gal. While I set the DW up. What do you think?

The fish should be the least to worry about. They will be fine. I have moved stuff around in tanks before with absolutely no problem. Just try not to knock stuff around in there too much.

[monching]

The fish should be the least to worry about. They will be fine. I have moved stuff around in tanks before with absolutely no problem. Just try not to knock stuff around in there too much.

Okay Rick you got me sold on this. Do you think Daily hot water change for 4 months or so would be sufficient enough to eradicate possible hitchikers? One more question is should I do it on my WC say leave about 30% of water then put the DW then add water, water conditioner, dechlorinator , and activated carbon in my CF?
One more concern of mine is it emits a fowl smell similar to a human urine. Is this normal?

[rickztahone]

Okay Rick you got me sold on this. Do you think Daily hot water change for 4 months or so would be sufficient enough to eradicate possible hitchikers? One more question is should I do it on my WC say leave about 30% of water then put the DW then add water, water conditioner, dechlorinator , and activated carbon in my CF?
One more concern of mine is it emits a fowl smell similar to a human urine. Is this normal?

There is a difference between Hot and boiling. One boil is all it takes. The soaking is simply to water-log it. It doesn't really matter when you add it. Personally, I have always added it before a WC. This way they can swim away from the piece, drain water and then refill. Either should work though. Carbon is fine for a couple of weeks for tannins. It should not be emitting any smell. Simply boil it, and let it sit in direct sunlight. I typically put it on my roof to dry the fastest.

[monching]

There is a difference between Hot and boiling. One boil is all it takes. The soaking is simply to water-log it. It doesn't really matter when you add it. Personally, I have always added it before a WC. This way they can swim away from the piece, drain water and then refill. Either should work though. Carbon is fine for a couple of weeks for tannins. It should not be emitting any smell. Simply boil it, and let it sit in direct sunlight. I typically put it on my roof to dry the fastest.

The thing is I already got this totally weathered, totally dried and no more bark, maybe just sitting there for years. I got this on the banks and not in the water. Do I still need to have it sit under the sun and if so for how long?

[rickztahone]

The thing is I already got this totally weathered, totally dried and no more bark, maybe just sitting there for years. I got this on the banks and not in the water. Do I still need to have it sit under the sun and if so for how long?

I'd give it a boil (just one) and make sure the boiling water touches all of it and let it dry naturally. Or better yet, add it right after it cools down from the boil. Just make sure you give it a good rest so that inertnally it isn't holding any heat that may heat up your water.

[monching]

I'd give it a boil (just one) and make sure the boiling water touches all of it and let it dry naturally. Or better yet, add it right after it cools down from the boil. Just make sure you give it a good rest so that inertnally it isn't holding any heat that may heat up your water.

But how Bro.? It's 2 feet long 20 inches high and about 16 inches wide. There's no way It will fit even on a biggest pot I can get. that's why I end up doing almost boiling water change everyday.

[rickztahone]

Do you have one of those plastic kids pools? If so, boil a whole bunch of water in large pots and dump it in the kiddy pool. You don't have to fill it up all the way up, just keep rotating and make sure the boiling water contacts every piece of the wood for a few minutes. Short of that and your method would be just as fine. Or take the bleach route as suggested by others.

[monching]

Do you have one of those plastic kids pools? If so, boil a whole bunch of water in large pots and dump it in the kiddy pool. You don't have to fill it up all the way up, just keep rotating and make sure the boiling water contacts every piece of the wood for a few minutes. Short of that and your method would be just as fine. Or take the bleach route as suggested by others.

That is precisely what I'm doing right now, almost boiling water change daily for about a month now. how about the smell? How can I get rid of it?

[Altum Nut]

OK let me see here....
If you can get a clean 45g drum that is food grade you can set it on a out-door fire pit and boil it that way.
If there are any Italians out there...this is what we used when jarring tomato purée to seal them.
Problem solved....

...Ralph

[rickztahone]

That is precisely what I'm doing right now, almost boiling water change daily for about a month now. how about the smell? How can I get rid of it?

I can't imagine what the smell might be to be honest. I've never had driftwood that didn't simply smell like old wet driftwood :laugh:

[Altum Nut]

For what it's worth Ramone...the last resort is to use wood as a garden center piece. The amount of hot boiling water over a 4 month period may be of equal cost to lust getting a new safe piece of driftwood.

...Ralph

[monching]

For what it's worth Ramone...the last resort is to use wood as a garden center piece. The amount of hot boiling water over a 4 month period may be of equal cost to lust getting a new safe piece of driftwood.

...Ralph
It did enter my mind Bro. :) buying this and that to totally soaked it, cost of everything to boil it plus time spent doing so is almost the same as buying a safe good size DW. I still have one way to do this. Put it in my 30 gal. where my 4 PB grow out are. Take the PB out and put them in my 20 gal. Put all the mono sebae and mono argentus on the 30 gal. Considering that this mono angels needs a brackish water, I can add ample amount of salt to aid the curing process and at the same time the monos serves as my hero fish and see what happens. If no harm befall on them till December, that means it's safe to use it for my Discus. My plan is to convert my 75 gal. to a show thank by December, they will be about a year by then hence the early preparation. Sounds like a plan you think?

[Second Hand Pat]

...

One more concern of mine is it emits a fowl smell similar to a human urine. Is this normal?

This would be a deal breaker for me.

[pitdogg2]

This would be a deal breaker for me.

agreed

[monching]

agreed

thanks a lot Pat and Ivan, my main concern too. Thinking of letting go and just buy a good size safe one.

[Second Hand Pat]

thanks a lot Pat and Ivan, my main concern too. Thinking of letting go and just buy a good size safe one.

I think that is a good choice for you Ramon. My thought is there is something generating that smell and could easily not be good for the fish.
Pat

[monching]

I think that is a good choice for you Ramon. My thought is there is something generating that smell and could easily not be good for the fish.
Pat

Same here Pat, if there's a fowl odor, that means something is rotting and bacteria that's doing it. I will still continue to soak it and do hot water change just to learn something from it. I will do a project study on it to have more understanding about DW. If by any chance fowl odor stops, I will then put a hero fish in it and see.

Thanks again to everyone who has been a great help.
Your inputs were very much appreciated.

[monching]

Here goes nothing:o
Just like what I've said, will continue to experiment on this DW as a learning process. Just hope I will learn something from it.
Put it yesterday on my 30 gal. and as you can see it occupied almost the whole length of the 36" aquarium.
It's BB with plastic plants for now for easy cleaning. Put a neon jewel cichlid and 2 mono Argentus.
I plan to put a hero discus after 2 weeks.
If everything work smoothly and no effects on them after 5 months then I can safely put it in my 75 gal. and convert it to a show tank.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k233/monching44/Mobile%20Uploads/20150627_110551_zpsguzztxpn.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/monching44/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150627_110551_zpsguzztxpn.jpg.html)
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[monching]

Update. ....
DW in tank for 10 days now, put AC on my CF to absorb tannin.
Fish in tank looks good and no sign of anything or bad effect of the DF, was able to arrest the odor.
minimal tannins leaching out.
fish are as follows:
10 - neon tetras
10 - serpae tetras
3 - black top cories
3 - small chinese algae eater
3 - small clown loach
2 - small mono angel.
one week had passed and they are all healthy and looking good.
Added 4 live plants also.
did a 40% WC today after a week.
hope everything will be okay.
keeping my fingers crossed.

[monching]

15 days and still no casualties :) looking gooood...

[monching]

Good day beautiful people:bandana:
It's been 3 months now since I put this DW in my 30 gal. tank to learn something from it, no water change whatsoever, just top up. All fish are doing good exept for some casualties that my jewel cichlid ate. None died of sickness and have not add new fish for almost the same period. My question is....do you think it is now safe to say that I can use this DW for my Discus tank which I plan to convert to a show/display tank comes December?
Inputs will be highly appreciated.
Thanks and God bless,
Ramon