driftwood in discus tank

[moneyLaw]

Hi

I am thinking about adding a couple of driftwoods to the discus tank. But driftwood will lower the pH. So even if I aged the water before the water change, pH of the water in the tank is not going to be the same as new (aged) water. Is that going to be a problem? I know lots of people here has driftwood in their tank. So please tell me why it is not a problem. I never had any driftwood in my tank before, so i don't know anything about it. Please help. Thanks in advance.

btw, the driftwood I am thinking about adding is african Mopani wood. Does any one has any experience with that type of driftwood? Thanks.

[Timbo]

I know lots of people here has driftwood in their tank. So please tell me why it is not a problem.


its not a problem because of the number and size of water changes; driftwood affects the water slowly over a long period of time so w/c's will take care of any minor pH flucuations caused by the wood. i have lots of mopani :) some peices will leach tannins for months

[fishmama]

I have "African Driftwood" in my discus tank. The discus like it so much they spawn on it almost every week. Don't know for sure if it is "mopani" per se. It is just like what is available at www.azgardens.com It is quite dark, and very, very heavy. One side is knarly and the other riddled with holes...very interesting to look at and if you get tired of one side, you can just flip it over.

I have had no pH issues. I buy smaller pieces and boil them and drop them in all my other tanks that have plecs. They love it!

hth
Lisa

[Harriett]

I have mopani in my tank also...not much of a pH change at all that I ever noticed; all the fish like it and the bristlenose plecs lay eggs in it...the discus lay eggs on another piece as well. No problems from my experience.
Harriett

[Alight]

For most of us, if we use relatively soft water which will have a low kH, our tanks are always at a lower pH than the water we refill with. For those of us with planted tanks with injected CO2, there is even a more pronounced difference in pH (up to a full point). The pH change does not seem to have an affect on the fish.

I suspect that the pH change due to the driftwood will be minor compared to the pH change caused by the nitrogen cycle of the fish waste, and this latter change is not that much if you are changing water as often as you should, so the driftwood should make almost no difference.

[Bainbridge Mike]

If you boil your wood before you stick it in the tank, you can get a lot of the tannins out. Also gives you piece of mind--that you have killed any bugs on or in the wood!

Mike

[Cakes]

If you boil your wood before you stick it in the tank, you can get a lot of the tannins out. Also gives you piece of mind--that you have killed any bugs on or in the wood!

Mike

You can also wash it with very hot tap water. Any decent sized driftwood is usually to big to boil.

[fishmama]

I have used our bathtub and added hot tap and boiling water and let it leach out tannins for a few days.

[moneyLaw]

Thank you everyone. I have one more question though. Will I be able to grow plants on that type of driftwood?

[Marinemom]

Growing plants on it and around it should not be a problem. It is a very dense kind of driftwood so it should sink readily. It is also very interesting to look at.

Diane

[PDX-PLT]

Any decent sized driftwood is usually to big to boil.
Not for us homebrewers! the last big piece of driftwood got boiled in a big pot I use for making beer, outside on a propane burner.

Big pots can be picked up used at restaurant supply places.

[korbi_doc]

:) I've used the dishwasher for large driftwood cleaning....put thru the cycle without detergent 1st to rinse the dishwasher, then, (take out extra shelf) just with very hot water, rinse/clean the wood...did a very good job, no nasties left......just a thought, Dottie ;)

[wolfbane]

Dottie, do you use the heat dry with this method? I may try this for my next driftwood.

[korbi_doc]

Dottie, do you use the heat dry with this method? I may try this for my next driftwood.

LOL!, nope, didn't need it....;)

[jhawa10]

LOL!, nope, didn't need it....;)

Just a word of caution with using some of the methods above... bathtub and dishwaher. Make real sure you don't have any residual soaps or detergents in the tub or dishwasher (walls, etc ). Although the liklihood of any transfer to the driftwood is minimal........... it is a possibility! It is possible a dry piece of driftwood could soak up toxins, only to leech them out later into the tank.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

That's good advice!

Maybe run it through a heat cycle empty before putting in the wood just to be sure.

[OC Discus]

Timbo,

Can you post a full size picture of your avatar and tell the story behind it? Thanks.


its not a problem because of the number and size of water changes; driftwood affects the water slowly over a long period of time so w/c's will take care of any minor pH flucuations caused by the wood. i have lots of mopani :) some peices will leach tannins for months

[OC Discus]

Does the Mopani stain the water? How long did it take to stop it from leeching?


I have mopani in my tank also...not much of a pH change at all that I ever noticed; all the fish like it and the bristlenose plecs lay eggs in it...the discus lay eggs on another piece as well. No problems from my experience.
Harriett

[OC Discus]

Brilliant. Does the wood still leach?


:) I've used the dishwasher for large driftwood cleaning....put thru the cycle without detergent 1st to rinse the dishwasher, then, (take out extra shelf) just with very hot water, rinse/clean the wood...did a very good job, no nasties left......just a thought, Dottie ;)