driftwood....

[ikon]

whats the benifits of having driftwood in a tank ?

petsmart is selling " corkwood " as driftwood .. is that " true " aquarium driftwood ??


ALSO , are marineland bio wheel filters pretty good or do they pretty much suck when it comes to filter systems...

 

[Zagz]

Driftwood is attractive as a decorative part of your tank. It can lower your ph depending on the size of your tank and the amount of driftwood. I have 3 biowheel systems and they are good but I don't think they are better than Aqua Clear filters for example and keeping beneficial bacteria. I don't have the marineland biowheels so can't comment on that specific brand.

Not totally postive on this but no I don't believe corkwood is real driftwood. I could be wrong on that.

 

[Sidi]

Yeah, corkwood sounds a bit off for me as well...I haven't ever seen it, but I would guess it's a composite thing.

As far as benefits to driftwood...it looks great, plecos love to rasp on it, and it's perfect for providing caves. I have locally (and not so locally) collected driftwood in 3 out of 5 tanks...and one doesn't count. I really love real driftwood for designing a tank.

 

[verucaproduce]

I have seen people use cork in their tank before, but it is completely different from driftwood as it wouldn't provide the same benefits to a pleco.

 

[Plowboy91]

Speaking of driftwood... I found a large piece on the beach and have soaked/ cleaned it throughly to get any impurities out of it. Does anyone know how to seal it so that it doesn't rot in the tank? My aquarium book says to find a concrete sealer that a pond owner would use (so it's safe for plants and animals) but I haven't been able to find any fish friendly sealant. Any suggestions?

 

[flip_lx]

one other part if you have bottom dwelling catfish i've read/heard they like to "chew" on the wood to keep their teeth in check. also it makes for a great place to attach certain plants like java or christmas moss

 

[ikon]

Speaking of driftwood... I found a large piece on the beach and have soaked/ cleaned it throughly to get any impurities out of it. Does anyone know how to seal it so that it doesn't rot in the tank? My aquarium book says to find a concrete sealer that a pond owner would use (so it's safe for plants and animals) but I haven't been able to find any fish friendly sealant. Any suggestions?

i didnt know ya could use driftwood found at the beach for freshwater tanks .. hmm .. how do ya get all the salt and crap out of it ??

 

[black hills tj]

I'd boil it for about half an hour and let it sun dry.

 

[Sidi]

i didnt know ya could use driftwood found at the beach for freshwater tanks .. hmm .. how do ya get all the salt and crap out of it ??

Lots of boiling water, which is also the best way of leeching out tannins and sterilizing it. I've used a saltwater cured piece in my planted tank with no problems after two hours of boiling (with a couple water changes), but if you're concerned you could buy a hydrometer and let the piece soak in freshwater for a week after the boiling to see if the salt concentration goes up. You might be better off with one designed for winemaking, since those are normally designed around 1.00 (and might be cheaper), most of the aquarium ones tend to be designed around saltwater aquariums (something like 1.25, IIRC).

One benefit of salt cured driftwood is that it should be much less likely to bring in a fungus that will grow in your tank.

 

[ikon]

i didnt know ya could use driftwood found at the beach for freshwater tanks .. hmm .. how do ya get all the salt and crap out of it ??

Lots of boiling water, which is also the best way of leeching out tannins and sterilizing it. I've used a saltwater cured piece in my planted tank with no problems after two hours of boiling (with a couple water changes), but if you're concerned you could buy a hydrometer and let the piece soak in freshwater for a week after the boiling to see if the salt concentration goes up. You might be better off with one designed for winemaking, since those are normally designed around 1.00 (and might be cheaper), most of the aquarium ones tend to be designed around saltwater aquariums (something like 1.25, IIRC).

One benefit of salt cured driftwood is that it should be much less likely to bring in a fungus that will grow in your tank.

i think it wud be easier just to buy one .. :?

i was a lfs store the other day the fishdude said there is no way in the fishworld to get all the salt out of ocean driftwood and make it safe for freshwater aquariums......

is there any good honest websites that sells cavelike driftwood ??