jayfl234

I put some driftwood in my 10 gallon tank last night and i was wondering if it will change the chemistry of my tank? I boiled the drift wood for about 10 minutes and then changed water and boiled it until no color in water. thanks

chickadee

Some driftwood can change the pH of your tank as it contains a type of acid. You can keep checking the pH and testing the parameters but if you bought the driftwood at the fishstore you are probably safe as they would know what types are safe. If you just picked up a piece on your own, I would keep close track on the parameters though.

Rose

Isabella

If you bought a driftwood designed for freshwater aquaria, it is safe to use. However, even this driftwood will leach tannins that may lower your pH significantly. I believe 10 minutes of boiling is not enough. I also bought a driftwood specially prepared for freshwater aquaria, and even so I had to boil it at least 3 times and soak it 24 hours before each boiling. When I boiled it, I boiled it for at least 30 minutes (around 50- 60 min. would be best). I kept soaking and boiling it until it stopped leaching tannins. Then I dried it, and put it in my tank. It didn't affect my pH and didn't stain my water. But only 10 minutes of boiling and with no prior soaking, I think you may get a problem with the pH. Hopefully you will not, but I am telling you this just in case.

AlfaBetta

If you do weekly partial water changes, the pH will not drop too much but just to be safe you should monitor your pH for a few weeks after you drop in the wood. Some fish like acidic water so if the pH is say 6.5, it's nothing to be concerned about.

Butterfly

The reason for boiling the driftwood for at least an hour is to kill any germs or critters that could be growing on/in your driftwood. If it's not still leeching tannins your probably ok with your ph, but better safe than sorry so test for a few days at least.
Carol

jayfl234

My water has not changed colors as of yet so i guess im ok thanks