Wood

Ok so I see wood is quite popular for inside the tanks, what i dont see is what kind of woods can be used. I have for instance some nice seukelbos (Hardcoal) from northern Transvaal.Does the wood need any treatment.Wont it float once entered into the tank?

 

I can't tell you if the wood is suitable or not.

What is common with 90% of wood is that they all leech "tannins" into the water. When you get wood, preferable from a LPS, it is advisable to soak the wood in a pot of boiling water for a few hours to release the tannins. This also kills any nasties in the wood.

Isn't it amazing how many LPS have their wood and rocks lying on the ground... and the trusty cleaner comes past with a soapy mop and just mops up against the wood and wood?

Wood will float for a few weeks to a few months. When it is finally water logged it will sink to the bottom.

I've had a piece of wood in my tank for a few months and starting to consider taking it out now because it is actually starting to rot slowly... but the Ancistrus loves the wood.

What to do, what to do...?

 

i have a piece of wood that refuses to sink, so i decided to take it back to the bonsai tables, a ficus will be grafted to it in time

 

As far as I know the mopani wood is used for tanks.

 

Mopanie wood is just one of the few types of wood that are used... It's certainly the most common. I know of people using Grape Vines, Willow Branches and others. What you need to take into account is this: Is the wood from a poisonous tree? If not, then has the wood been treated with any chemicals before it became wood? IE: While the tree was still growing...

To treat the wood, you can soak it for a month or 2 before adding it to the tank, I generally just use rocks and the gravel to weigh it down. Works like a charm.

 

Another point to look at is the softness of the wood - with a soft wood you are going to have the wood rotting in the water rather quickly. Also as slagter said, make sure you know what the wood is and whether it has been sprayed with chemicals before putting it into your tank. You also want to place the wood in very hot water and let it soak for awhile to kill any bugs etc which may have made their home inside your new piece of decor.

 

When the wood starts turning black, does it mean that it is starting to rot, and should be changed? Does wod ever need to be replaced?

 

Hi Zoom
In general you can use all type of wood eccept that of poisonous trees. A good source of wood is your local unpoluted stream or dam. Here the wood is presoaked and mostly will sink to the bottom.
If you boil the wood or not is up to you, often a quick clean with a pressure cleaner will bring out nice pieses. Many of the Lcat fish like the soft decaing part of the wood.
I have Gum, Pine, Protea, Wattle in my tanks for years.
Don't keep the wood 4 2long in a small container without filter or waterchange. Wood is a organic medium and will start breaking down and release N and your diff N compounds

 

what about normal thorn trees? im also looking for some form of large wood for my tank, is bluegum ok....

what about witstinkhout?

olienhout?

 

Hi Carl
Gum, Thorn, olive is garantied fine with gum i would let it soak, can't say anything about the stinkwood but see no reason why not.

 

if you dry out the Celtis africana (white stinkwood) completely, REMEMBER TO PEEL THE BARK OFF first, then you'll have a beautiful WHITE wood, looks nice

i'd actually like a dried out bit of Berchemia Zeyheri (rooi ivoor) with its awesome red wood. like so->

a nice dried out root bit or something would look great

 

i wouldnt put pine into my tank , they make turpintine out of pine needles and its a very soft wood.

 

Hi Reafer
they make cough sirup out of gum leaves:bigsmile:
You are just partially right. Dried Pine gets very hard and my plecs like to shew on it.
I go from time to time to the local lake and search for wood and thats whats most [FONT=&quot]abundant[/FONT] . Never had any problems:bigsmile:

 

Don't know what i got but it looks good. Had to tie it too a piece of slate to get it to stay on the bottom.