Bogwood

[speckles69uk]

Hi everyone,

I was at my LFS today, where I picked up 2 horned Nerite snails . Whilst there I was discussing with the shopkeeper about adding plants to my tank. She suggested to me bogwood, as it lasts much longer and I like the fact that it can be suckered to a side of the aquarium (as I don't want to be too crowded on the substrate). I asked if I'd need to leave my tank light on for so many hours etc, she said this was not needed.

I'm just wondering what your experiences are with it. Ideally I'd like something that is low maintenance and will not need changing too often. I'd like it to help with lowering my NitrAtes alongside my cleaning and partial water changes.

Having a quick look around, I'm sure I read that it can lower pH levels, I'm not sure I'd want to lower them to be honest (if it does, how much is the drop)? Also, apparently I read that they can add a slight discolouration to the water through tannins? How much would this be? Is it unsightly and will it make it look as if my tank is dirty?

My current tank setup is just under 20 gallons (60cm x 30cm x 40cm), I have 4 peppered corydoras, 5 black neon tetra and 2 horned snails. My current pH is approximately 7.5 and temperature is 24oC. Ammonia 0ppm, NitrIte 0ppm, NitrAte 40ppm

Apologies for all the questions.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

 

[Khuligirl93]

Yes driftwood can make your water a slight brownish color, but with regular weekly water changes it shouldn't be a problem. This discoloration is actually what causes the pH to drop as well. How much depends on how big the piece is and if you have boiled or soaked it prior to putting it in the tank. Lots of fish like the slightly lower pH and darker water, and so will your nerites, although they may lay unsightly white eggs on the wood. In my 10g I have a piece of Malaysian driftwood that has lowered my pH from about 8 to about 7.6- not a huge change.

 

[Fishkeeper26]

It's important to have a consistent pH, so the lowering of the pH is not as big of a deal as a it may seem.

As mentioned above, soaking the driftwood before putting it into your aquarium will help to remove some of the tannins (which create the discoloration). Depending on how big the driftwood is you could put it in a bucket or cooler with treated water and just change the water every few days until the water shows minimal signs of discoloration.