lyndatu

Just curious about these woods. Or are they?

I don't know what driftwood is, but in Wikipedia they say it's wood that has been washed off the shore. But, why do aquarists use them in their aquarium? Doesn't it decay? Please give me more info about these "driftwood", it's benefits, its bad effects, and where can I find them.

I've seen these in pictures and they look beautiful! I'm planning to have a natural theme to my aquarium, and driftwood seems nice! Please info!

Thank you for your usual kindness!

Neville

Driftwoods r so cool!!!! before adding any driftwood boil it very well and then keep it in the water with water conditioner for a day and then add it to your aquarium, i find driftwood at petstore. there r sunken wods too which r even more beautiful, at first driftwood will make aquaium water brown and yellowish but it will be fine later and some driftwoods may affect water pH and water hardness so be careful.

jsalemi

Not all driftwood comes from the ocean -- much of what's available for the aquarium hobby is lake or river wood, usually branches that have fallen off of trees into the water and collected there. The driftwood from Africa is particularly beautiful (usually sold as 'Mopani' or 'Swahala' driftwood' -- you can see some of it in the pictures of my 56g tank in the Members Tanks forum).

Neville is right, though -- you either have to boil it or soak it in dechlorinated water for a week or so (changing the water daily) to leach most of the tannins out before putting it in your tank (unless you want the 'tea water' look). Extra carbon in the filter helps clear out any tannins that are left when the wood is in the tank.

COBettaCouple

it can take a while for driftwood to soak enough water in to not float, and i think some just will always float and need weighted down.

Neville

i bought some driftwood from LFS, they were already in the water for several months, that's why i just boiled them for a while and kept in the conditioner for a day. but fresh woods may take months to soak enough water

jsalemi

The Mopani driftwood is self-sinking because it's so dense.

Isabella

Malaysian driftwood (have it in my tanks) is great-looking for freshwater aquaria as well. It is also self-sinking, which is what I love about it. I also love its beautiful dark brown color I'd like to try Mopani driftwood too, but I can't find it anywhere (and I don't want to buy any driftwood online - I have to see the driftwood in person before I buy it).

Anyway, Lyndatu, to asnwer one of your questions: The driftwood prepared for aquarium use won't rot in your tank. This is because aquarium driftwood has been dried properly and rendered basically biologically inactive - it's dead and dry inside out. So - except for staining your water orange/yellow (or even brown) color and lowering your pH - there is nothing else that it can do to your water. As has been said above, if you boil, soak, and rinse it a lot before putting it in your tank, it will not stain your water or affect your pH. It should be completely safe if prepared properly.

jsalemi

And if it does still stain the water, some extra carbon in the filter clears it right up within 24 hours.

lyndatu

Thanks again for the info!

I do want to have some driftwood, unfortunately there's none here in our community!

But still; Many Thanks!

jsalemi

You can buy it online -- DFS sells it at a very reasonable price. You won't see exactly what you're getting until you get it, but my experience is that the driftwood is gorgeous regardless of its shape.

Butterfly

You can also get it at www.aquabid.com and once in awhile you can find it with free shipping.
This is just an example http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...ood&1195250996
carol