South American Driftwood?

[FallenAngel]

I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I tried to find the answer to this one by several google searches but couldn't come to an answer. Is there any specific types of driftwood you need to use to create an Amazon Blackwater biotope? Bog wood came up several times on the websites I was reading but I can't find any for sale online. It appears some people use certain types of wood when they where creating the biotope, and others just used driftwood they found or bought. Thanks again for any help you have.


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[Gillie]

All of my tanks are usually blackwater and I use malaysian driftwood and mopani the produce the most tannins out of the commercially available woods, you can also order cotton tea bags( about 2 bucks for 3 3×5ish inch bags), stuff them with peat and either soak it in the tank or hide it in your filter.

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[FallenAngel]

All of my tanks are usually blackwater and I use malaysian driftwood and mopani the produce the most tannins out of the commercially available woods, you can also order cotton tea bags( about 2 bucks for 3 3×5ish inch bags), stuff them with peat and either soak it in the tank or hide it in your filter.

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Thanks a ton, that defiantly helps! This is my first attempt at an actual biotope so I want it to look as real as possible. I wasn't sure what wood to get to produce those tannins.


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[Gillie]

Thanks a ton, that defiantly helps! This is my first attempt at an actual biotope so I want it to look as real as possible. I wasn't sure what wood to get to produce those tannins.


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No problem, but if you want the look of bare tree roots in the water I would go with manzanita(order it from craft suppliers it's way cheaper) and peat filtration with leaves scattered over the substrate. That will nail just about any blackwater biotope. You can use floating plants from whatever region to top it off.

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[FallenAngel]

No problem, but if you want the look of bare tree roots in the water I would go with manzanita(order it from craft suppliers it's way cheaper) and peat filtration with leaves scattered over the substrate. That will nail just about any blackwater biotope. You can use floating plants from whatever region to top it off.

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Okay, I may have to look into that. Driftwood is just so expensive! I know you can find and cure it yourself but I can't tell which type I can use and what I can't!


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[FallenAngel]

If you buy them from a craft store how do you avoid ones treated with chemicals?


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[Gillie]

Unless they are painted they are raw or sandblasted and otherwise untreated.

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[Gillie]

Save-on-crafts.com advertises that their manzanita is untreated and aquarium safe.

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[mikem691]

I get mopani at petco its always $9.99 but you have to keep checking for a good piece. This is the last one I got there.


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[Gillie]

I get mopani at petco its always $9.99 but you have to keep checking for a good piece. This is the last one I got there.


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That's a nice piece.

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[FallenAngel]

No problem, but if you want the look of bare tree roots in the water I would go with manzanita(order it from craft suppliers it's way cheaper) and peat filtration with leaves scattered over the substrate. That will nail just about any blackwater biotope. You can use floating plants from whatever region to top it off.

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What does the peat filtration do? And where can I buy leaves that won't float or rot?


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[Gillie]

The peat will release tannins the same as wood in higher concentration which is why I use it with manzanita which doesn't release much. No matter what leaves you use they will rot, I typically change them out when they are really limp but not quite ready to fall apart and replace them with new leaves. I use indian almond leaves that I get fairly cheap on aquabid or I collect dead fallen oak leaves.

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[FallenAngel]

The peat will release tannins the same as wood in higher concentration which is why I use it with manzanita which doesn't release much. No matter what leaves you use they will rot, I typically change them out when they are really limp but not quite ready to fall apart and replace them with new leaves. I use indian almond leaves that I get fairly cheap on aquabid or I collect dead fallen oak leaves.

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Okay that makes sense. If I where to go with the Malaysian driftwood how much would it take to create that desired tea color in a 30 gallon aquarium? Also do you boil the leaves first to make them sink?


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[Gillie]

You can start with a few pieces, give it some time to color the water and if it isn't as dark as you want add more wood, or just get a few pieces that you like and use the peat. There's no need to boil the leaves.

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[FallenAngel]

You can start with a few pieces, give it some time to color the water and if it isn't as dark as you want add more wood, or just get a few pieces that you like and use the peat. There's no need to boil the leaves.

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Okay thanks, I'll play with my options


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