Log from local creek

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kade

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
May 6, 2011
Messages
75
My friend and i found a nice piece of drift wood in our local creek, we had it soaking in some of the tanks water for a week, we put it in the tank and it killed all the fish, can anyone tell me why
 
My friend and i found a nice piece of drift wood in our local creek, we had it soaking in some of the tanks water for a week, we put it in the tank and it killed all the fish, can anyone tell me why

Did you boil it too? Could have been saturated with pesticides and just soaking doesn't clear them out.
 
Nah I didn't boil it, do I just pour some boiling water on it and let it sit for an hour or so, and dosent wood raise your ph naturally?
 
Nah I didn't boil it, do I just pour some boiling water on it and let it sit for an hour or so, and dosent wood raise your ph naturally?

I think you found the culprit that decimated your tank.

Nope, just the opposite. The tannins in wood lower your pH until the tannins are completely leached from the DW.
 
A log will not cause that drastic of a PH swing to cause any harm. Again what are your water parameters at? How long has the tank been set up?
 
I think you found the culprit that decimated your tank.

Nope, just the opposite. The tannins in wood lower your pH until the tannins are completely leached from the DW.

+1 No telling what contaminants may have been in that wood. Moving forward, it's best to soak locally found driftwood in boiling water.
 
A log will not cause that drastic of a PH swing to cause any harm. Again what are your water parameters at? How long has the tank been set up?

Nope, DW naturally drops it slowly.

I put a piece in from a LFS with only a mild rinse, I got lots of tea water and a pH drop of.04 over a 1 week time frame. The tannins have slowed and the pH is back up .02 but no harm, no foul to my fish from the start. There was something in his DW that poisoned the tank IMO.
 
I'm betting on poor water conditions. Creeks are moving water and generally are fairly clean water conditions.
 
I'm betting on poor water conditions. Creeks are moving water and generally are fairly clean water conditions.

it was the farmer upstream was dumping his left over chems near/in the stream. There's no such thing as clean water conditions any more. Acid rain, power plant/factory spewing whatever, farmer joe and his DDT replacement... I think you get my point.
 
it was the farmer upstream was dumping his left over chems near/in the stream. There's no such thing as clean water conditions any more. Acid rain, power plant/factory spewing whatever, farmer joe and his DDT replacement... I think you get my point.

This is true, and available at from tap in your home.
 
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