Just don't know, driftwood

[fish_4_all]

Auction of driftwood

Here is the stuff I have been looking at. I know about the tanins, I know about the type and it being more native than the beachwood I have in there now. I also know it will lower my pH but I assume it should only be .5-1 points and ot much more.

The question is, is this a natural or "native" type of driftwood that my BN might appreciate more than the beachwood I have in htere now? Also, is this the kind of shapes, from the same seller, that BN like to hide and play in? It wouldn't hurt if this was more of the type of wood that they might breed on. Also, how much could it actually lower the pH of my 10 gallon tanks?

 

[7Enigma]

Tanins leach out over time. The pH of the tank will go down over time. So to answer your question, its all a matter of how long you go between PWC's and how much water you change at those times. If you do weekly large water changes I doubt your pH will be altered much. If you go 2weeks and do a 10% PWC it will be much more noticeable.

The other thing you can do is pick up a liquid KH kit. This measures your carbonate hardness and is responsible for buffering your tank against pH shifts. I inject CO2 in my planted tank and add in baking soda at every water change to bump up my KH so the pH doesn't drop as much. CO2 injection is very similar to the slow leaching of tanins, it just happens on a drastically faster and less permanent scale. Higher KH, less pH swing.

 

[fish_4_all]

I add crushed coral for pH and KH so it sits about 7.2 now and KH about 6 dKH or so. I do 50%+ changes weekly so it sounds like it won't be an issue.

What did you think of the driftwood? Is this a good type or is there something better?

 

[tropicfishman]

awesome driftwood, in my experience the less deep caves and cracks for fish to hide in the better, if one dies in there good luck on ever getin out lol