Identify this driftwood...

[Marfie]

I bought all this driftwood off of craigslist for 60 bucks. I though it was a deal but tell me how much you think it is really worth. I used some in my 90 gallon tall aquarium and I personally find it is terrific! Can you tell me what type it is?

For reference I used a meter rule and a measuring tape.

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4070.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4071.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4072.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4073.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4074.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4075.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4076.jpg

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab21/momarfan/DSCF4077.jpg

[Jennie]

mopani root??

[Marfie]

mopani root??

I googled some mopani root images and it does look like it! Thx. I assume its safe with Discus.

Marfie :)

[Jennie]

yep have it in my tank. did you steralize them?
I googled some mopani root images and it does look like it! Thx. I assume its safe with Discus.

Marfie :)

[Marfie]

yep have it in my tank. did you steralize them?

Well I got them from someone who had them in a community tank and then he said he wanted to raise cichlids who according to him needed a more alkaline pH than what the driftwood would allow. I took them, soaked them for 24 hrs. Used a power hose to clean then and put them into the tank. Been only 24 hrs but the fish are loving it. I plan on doing 100% water changes everyday for a week before I switch back to my regular schedule. I looked at his tanks and they were very healthy when I picked them up.

[William Palumbo]

The wood looks shiny in the first pic. Is it wet? I hope it's not a gloss or clear-coat on it...Bill

[Jennie]

well you got some nice pieces, thats for sure!

[Marfie]

The wood looks shiny in the first pic. Is it wet? I hope it's not a gloss or clear-coat on it...Bill

I took the pics after power hosing them! No gloss paint!

[William Palumbo]

OK...Good! Killer deal for that much/type of wood. BTW nice Discus as well...Bill

[Marfie]

OK...Good! Killer deal for that much/type of wood. BTW nice Discus as well...Bill

Thx! I breed those fry myself. Guess they aren't fry anymore though lol. I also have 24 lbs left over! I guess I need to put together another tank....will have to build it secretly in the guest bedroom...

[Marfie]

I plan on attaching plants to the driftwood. I did some preliminary research and came up with Barteri barteri, an anubis plant. Will this plant or any other tolerate frequent water changes, low light, no CO2 injection?

[Jennie]

yes it's the only one i've tried that I can't kill!



I plan on attaching plants to the driftwood. I did some preliminary research and came up with Barteri barteri, an anubis plant. Will this plant or any other tolerate frequent water changes, low light, no CO2 injection?

[Jennie]

something I was thinking about with my wood is it got a slimy fungus?? on it, maybe heat causes it, and I was cleaning it off more than I cared for, so I got some botia loaches and they are all over that wood cleaning it. I don't have fungus anymore.

[Marfie]

yes it's the only one i've tried that I can't kill!

I've been looking on ebay for Anubis and been finding a nana, a Golden, a green and white, and a petite version of Barteri. I was under the impression that Barteri v. barteri was the most hardiest. Are the above names the same Barteri v. barteri but are different strains or are they different species altogether. I guess my question is there any difference in regards to the hardiness of these different Barteri anubi that are available on ebay or can you point me to a source where I can get the best one.

[Marfie]

something I was thinking about with my wood is it got a slimy fungus?? on it, maybe heat causes it, and I was cleaning it off more than I cared for, so I got some botia loaches and they are all over that wood cleaning it. I don't have fungus anymore.

I'll keep that in mind if I get similar probs.

[Jennie]

welllllllll, I bought mine at petsmart. I could see the plant I was getting and knew it was healthy. I've had over month now and still alive and still dark green, Yay. Low light plants. I've also bought swords and fern and they are turning dark brown now.

[Jennie]

when you attach to wood, be gentle because you can pop the leaves and stem off the root

[Marfie]

Do you have CO2 injection because I don't. Been spending alot of money so far on these fish and I wanted to hold off on CO2 injection (for the time being) but still have some green in my aquarium. If you do have CO2, what are your maintenance costs like?

[Jennie]

NOOOOO! too complicated and I just wanted a few plants.



Do you have CO2 injection because I don't. Been spending alot of money so far on these fish and I wanted to hold off on CO2 injection (for the time being) but still have some green in my aquarium. If you do have CO2, what are your maintenance costs like?

[Foxfire]

Looks like your bottom is clear - should be painted or covered or have sand. The wood look great and run $5/lb around here.

[Marfie]

Looks like your bottom is clear - should be painted or covered or have sand. The wood look great and run $5/lb around here.

Its currently bare as I'm really feeding the Juveniles. I know some say I should avoid the driftwood as it makes easier cleaning but it looks so much better. Why do you say I should have a bare-bottom tank with drift wood exactly?

Marfie

[Jennie]

I think he means that clear as in fish see themselves and spook easy. At least mine did.

[Marfie]

I think he means that clear as in fish see themselves and spook easy. At least mine did.

Oh! I haven't noticed that yet but I think I'll add some sand once I've cut down on the feeding and the amount of fish in the tank.

[Apistomaster]

There are many different cultivars of Anubias barteri but they are all the same species despite the wide range of sizes and appearances.
I find it is such a slow growing plant by its nature that it doesn't need CO2 or fertilizers. Many Anubias barteri cultivars only produce 4 to 6 leaves a year per plant but that depends of the size and age of the rhizome. I use the thinnest, longest black plastic zip ties to attach my wood plants. Eventually you can cut the zip ties after the plants have become self anchored.
Since the leaves appear slowly and last a long time ideally, no fertilizers, CO2 and excessive light should be used. If you do Anubias leaves will eventually become permanently disfigured leaves from algae growth and it is usually a hard green spot algae or black brush algae appears that no algae eaters will eat. It is one of the ideal low tech, low light plants to use. I have never had great luck with any of the Java Fern cultivars but they share similar requirements as Anubias barteri varieties so it is possible to use both and achieve special effects. Most people have good success with the Java Ferns.
The most difficult period is the first year or so it takes for the rhizome anchoring roots to establish their own attachment to the wood substrate, During this initial year you may find it helpful to use Brazilian Penneywort or some other floating plants to help cut down on how much light is entering the tank. One plant I like to use is a couple Dwarf Lilies of the genus Nymphea. I pot them in clear plastic container I make from 2 liter juice bottles without any holes about 4 inches tall. You can use a high quality potting substrate like FloraBase and a time release fertilizer placed on the very bottom of the pot. You can leave a little space at the top and fill that in with matching sand used on the bottom about 1/2 inch thick. These will grow ell without a lot of light and you can keep some leave short, submerged and broad. And allow some to send up their long petioles and allow the leaves to spread wide, floating at the top. Eventually you can remove the lilies and just grow the Anubia and/or Java ferns affixed to the wood but you may find you like the lilies so much you keep growing them. Buy cheap Nymphea bulbs rather than developed lilies. Nymphea "zenkeri" is a commonly sold and attractive variety. many of the expensive Dwarf Lilies are the same species as the cheap bulbs. most are a shade of reddish brown or variegated. The bulbs take off fast and soon grow nice broad leaves. By using the clear pots you can easily rearrange them to suit your tastes. Many lilies grow colorful leaves which contrast nicely in both shape and color with your Anubias. Most all the lilies eventually will enter a resting period but most will come back after their break. I have had them grow fine for years as long as I continued to use a substrate fertilizer. What little fertilizer which enters the water column will be plenty for the plants attached to the wood and no supplemental fertilizers are required. We change so much water in Discus tanks that there is never very much fertilizer present in the water column. They do well at Discus water temperatures.

Handle Anubias with care so that you do not damage sound leaves since they are replaced so slowly. If you want a planted tank which requires little care these plants are the way to go.

I like at least a thin layer of fine silica sand even if it is only 1/4 inch thick. That little sand doesn't add any significant work to your maintenance but Sand or no sand, fish do not see the reflections we do from viewing from the out side. That is a trick of the light due to water having a higher refractive index than glass. If you ever put your head under water you will see what the fish actually see. They only see what is outside the tank and not their reflections.

[Marfie]

There are many different cultivars of Anubias barteri but they are all the same species despite the wide range of sizes and appearances.
I find it is such a slow growing plant by its nature that it doesn't need CO2 or fertilizers. Many Anubias barteri cultivars only produce 4 to 6 leaves a year per plant but that depends of the size and age of the rhizome. I use the thinnest, longest black plastic zip ties to attach my wood plants. Eventually you can cut the zip ties after the plants have become self anchored.
Since the leaves appear slowly and last a long time ideally, no fertilizers, CO2 and excessive light should be used. If you do Anubias leaves will eventually become permanently disfigured leaves from algae growth and it is usually a hard green spot algae or black brush algae appears that no algae eaters will eat. It is one of the ideal low tech, low light plants to use. I have never had great luck with any of the Java Fern cultivars but they share similar requirements as Anubias barteri varieties so it is possible to use both and achieve special effects. Most people have good success with the Java Ferns.
The most difficult period is the first year or so it takes for the rhizome anchoring roots to establish their own attachment to the wood substrate, During this initial year you may find it helpful to use Brazilian Penneywort or some other floating plants to help cut down on how much light is entering the tank. One plant I like to use is a couple Dwarf Lilies of the genus Nymphea. I pot them in clear plastic container I make from 2 liter juice bottles without any holes about 4 inches tall. You can use a high quality potting substrate like FloraBase and a time release fertilizer placed on the very bottom of the pot. You can leave a little space at the top and fill that in with matching sand used on the bottom about 1/2 inch thick. These will grow ell without a lot of light and you can keep some leave short, submerged and broad. And allow some to send up their long petioles and allow the leaves to spread wide, floating at the top. Eventually you can remove the lilies and just grow the Anubia and/or Java ferns affixed to the wood but you may find you like the lilies so much you keep growing them. Buy cheap Nymphea bulbs rather than developed lilies. Nymphea "zenkeri" is a commonly sold and attractive variety. many of the expensive Dwarf Lilies are the same species as the cheap bulbs. most are a shade of reddish brown or variegated. The bulbs take off fast and soon grow nice broad leaves. By using the clear pots you can easily rearrange them to suit your tastes. Many lilies grow colorful leaves which contrast nicely in both shape and color with your Anubias. Most all the lilies eventually will enter a resting period but most will come back after their break. I have had them grow fine for years as long as I continued to use a substrate fertilizer. What little fertilizer which enters the water column will be plenty for the plants attached to the wood and no supplemental fertilizers are required. We change so much water in Discus tanks that there is never very much fertilizer present in the water column. They do well at Discus water temperatures.

Handle Anubias with care so that you do not damage sound leaves since they are replaced so slowly. If you want a planted tank which requires little care these plants are the way to go.

I like at least a thin layer of fine silica sand even if it is only 1/4 inch thick. That little sand doesn't add any significant work to your maintenance but Sand or no sand, fish do not see the reflections we do from viewing from the out side. That is a trick of the light due to water having a higher refractive index than glass. If you ever put your head under water you will see what the fish actually see. They only see what is outside the tank and not their reflections.

Wow, got more than I asked for and therefore I am even more appreciative of your post. I will take baby steps for now as the 90 gallon is still basically a grow out tank. What I may do instead is setup a low tech 30-gallon tank instead so I can transfer established driftwood with attached plants in a few months. I will also try something with the silica and bulbs too if I can find them.