Driftwood preparation for new aquarium setup

[KhanJee]

Hi

I have bought a new 52G. Its running without plants & fish with pressurized CO2. Cycle is over and all readings are fine.

Now I want to add driftwood. I have bought two (don't know the name what kind of wood it is)

Sine the wood is a little big I can't boil it. After cleaning/washing them from one week they are in my bath tub. They have not started sinking yet. In the tub I put stone on them to sink.

Is there any good way to prepare the wood to be ready for the aquarium ?
How long it may take so that the wood sink itself ?

Thanks.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

i have heard somethign like a month or two to cure driftwood for aquarium use

 

[MSU Fan]

you're on your way. you could add some water movement to your tub to try to speed things up. There is no "time" it takes to sink wood. You just have to be patient. Also, keep an eye on the tannins being released from the wood. Generally, those take a couple of weeks to fully leach out of the wood. If they are, just keep changing the water every couple of days, and eventually it will go away. Of course, you could put the driftwood in your tank and let it leach the tannins out there (shouldn't harm your fish in any way).

I have 3 smaller pieces that I am currently sinking, and they have been in the bucket for a couple of weeks now.

Be patient and keep an eye on the tannins. good luck!!

 

[Lepomis]

If there are thick, solid portion you can affix a base to help set these in place. In general I like to do it before setting up the tank but that is minor. I do it two ways. I either buy some plexiglass, thicker the better and countersink a hole and screw it to the base of the drift wood, I have used cheap cutting boards also. This is placed into the empty tank and the substrate is then placed on top of the plexiglass. Use bigger pieces of plexiglass for bigger pieces of wood. Or you can use pieces of slate and do the same thing, this typically works better for tanks already with substrate. You can drill a hole with a masonary bit then use a a dremel along with grinding attachments to create a countersink area for a screw head. Never had any problems with the screws and water parameters.

Also if you have the space I keep a larger rubbermaid trashcan filled with rain water outside and leave wood to soak in it all year round. Makes the next tank easier to set up. I just leave it capped and may dump some water and add new every so often.

 

[KhanJee]

Valuable feedback indeed. Thanks guys.

I will let you know once its ready.

 

[KhanJee]

I have shifted driftwood pieces to my aquarium. 2 weeks I was able to manage it in the bath tub but not anymore.

My aquarium water has started getting brown as expected.

Is there something which one can use in the Filter to get rid of this brown color or atleast to make it a little clear ?

Also the driftwood has become a little bit sticky/slippery is that normal ?

 

[Alshain]

The sticky slippery may be sap, its possible your pieces were still a little green. They look more like roots than driftwood, but they do look good.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

i liek that background. thats hwo i want my tank to look when i get it fully stocked with plants

 

[rkilling1]

Is there something which one can use in the Filter to get rid of this brown color or atleast to make it a little clear ?

i have heard that placing AC in your filter will help with the color from driftwood. HTH

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

yup it cleared my water very well. i used the marineland carbon, pricey but supposedly the best stuff

 

[KhanJee]

@Alshain : LFS sold it to me saying its a driftwood but I also believe it looks more like root. The only reason I bought it is that it looks good.

@rkilling1 & SHIFT_Unique: Do you guys mean AC as showed in the picture ? If yes how long shall I keep it in the filter ? How it affects PH/KH ?

 

[7Enigma]

i liek that background. thats hwo i want my tank to look when i get it fully stocked with plants

I have the same background. Looks very nice if in a moderately planted tank, not so nice in a bare tank. Got mine from PetSmart.

Oh and the tank looks great! That piece on the right that looks like an upright tree is INCREDIBLE. I would get some java moss or other creeping plant and make it into a tree.

PWC's will reduce the level of tannins in the tank in relation to the amount of water removed. AC will also work well. IMO since you didn't boil it, I'd just let it go for at least a month or so and leech as much out as possible and then deal with the tannins. Anything before that will look esthetically nice, but its a losing battle.

 

[SHIFT_Unique]

khanjee:

with AC you get what you pay for. the marineland is the best AC IMO. very course, like its supposed to be, im pretty sure this marineland AC will last 2 weeks

i have a bag that i fill up and stick in my filter. i have the DIY marineland filter, that i add the carbon to.