difference between these two algea wafers?

[tnfinfan]

Yep, Petco does, too. I asked and they pointed me toward a few small pieces they had in a tank for $10 but I knew to look in the reptile section and much better stuff was found there. Let's see, $10 presoaked but small and unattractive (plus pond snails!) or $10 for a big, beautiful piece of mopani? So, I did my own soaking. Mine took two days to stop leeching enough to keep the water mostly clear. I put a handful of carbon in the filter JIC. Since my piece was long, instead of boiling, I put it in a bucket and dumped boiling water on it and left it to steep like I was making tea. That works fine, too.

Getting it from the wild seems like a decent idea. Just avoid all evergreens. If you find a tipped hardwood with the roots exposed, that's what I'd grab.

 

[mariah]

Why avoid evergreens? We are going to a corner in the lake where there is a fallen tree so things night he built up there

 

[tnfinfan]

Conifers have a lot of sticky sap that will leach for years. The sap is also antibacterial which is a huge negative when you need bacteria thriving. Some even say it's toxic. I'm sure if it were submerged in the lake for years, it would be OK. But I'd still choose a hardwood instead.

 

[mariah]

Conifers have a lot of sticky sap that will leach for years. The sap is also antibacterial which is a huge negative when you need bacteria thriving. Some even say it's toxic. I'm sure if it were submerged in the lake for years, it would be OK. But I'd still choose a hardwood instead.

I can really only find stuff that is floating or washed up on the shore. If it is sticky at all i won't pick it up

 

[mariah]

Conifers have a lot of sticky sap that will leach for years. The sap is also antibacterial which is a huge negative when you need bacteria thriving. Some even say it's toxic. I'm sure if it were submerged in the lake for years, it would be OK. But I'd still choose a hardwood instead.

I also checked out two petstores and they don't even have drift wood... for the one out of town.. i checked online and they only have fake(plastic) drift wood..

 

[mariah]

Okay guys! I got drift wood!! Well kinda. I am going to make a tread about it to be sure its safe.. then going to boil it