so my driftwood is growing mold. i thought it was just because of all the fish food that had settled on it and rotted, but when we cleaned out the tank to add pure ammonia, i pulled the driftwood out and scrubbed it down and soaked it a bit. i just now noticed it has a bunch more white/grey fuzzy mold growing on it in the same spots as before. i researched it a bit, and it looks like this particular wood (mopani [i think] from the reptile section at petco [or petsmart]) has sap in it and will mold when submerged, then dried, then submerged again. from the info that i found it looks like if i just keep up scrubbing it off/siphoning it out, it will clear up in a couple weeks. anyone else have this happen??
My 20 gallon build thread
- Thread starter mommytron
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i also forgot to mention i picked up some Ocean Visions black background and some black airline tubing. a little worried about the application of the background though, because there is such little room behind the tank. my husband assured me it can be done, though. we'll see, i guess 
should look good if we can install it properly
should look good if we can install it properly
DragonFish71
Great white snark
I use velcro to hold my backgrounds on. They sell the strips at Walmart for cheap. Just cut them to size, stick one side on the frame of the tank, the other side lined up on the background and stick them together. Nothing shows.
it's a "special" background that i think would look kinda weird if i didn't apply it like it's supposed to be. you're supposed to make a soapy water mixture and apply it to the sticky side of the background (after removing backing) and then put it in place and squeegee all the bubbles out. i think i may try to attach it with some tape and see what it looks like, but i think it may be too shiny to just hang on the back without seeing all sorts of wrinkles and stuff. a little worried about possibly getting soap into the tank, so i'm not quite sure what i'll do yet.
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Hey Mommytron,
Your driftwood will have nutrients in it, that many microorganisms will find tasty and nice. You can scrub/remove as much of it as you want, it will keep coming back though. Eventually, all the nutrients in the wood will be consumed, and then it will go away.
By the way, your driftwood is amazing! I at first couldn't tell if it was an artificial decoration, or DW. It almost looks like a woman's skeleton, with rotting clothing, holding onto a tree trunk. I have a vivid imagination, I guess. I love it!
What brand PFS did you get? I really like the look, and I would like to avoid "sugar white" PFS like Dragonfish's.
On cycling with fish food: I would generally avoid this for a few reasons.
1: No way to know how fast ammonia gets processed, because it is released gradually.
2: Algae, algae, algae!
3: The rotting of the fish food absorbs WAY more oxygen than just the beneficial bacteria consuming ammonia. If you fail to remove all the fish food, this will lower oxygen levels in your tank. I went NUTS with with fish food cycling my last tank, and was simply unable to remove it all... this is one reason I think my fish died.
Hence, I will only cycle with Ammonia in the future.
Just my two cents, on my preference.
Your driftwood will have nutrients in it, that many microorganisms will find tasty and nice. You can scrub/remove as much of it as you want, it will keep coming back though. Eventually, all the nutrients in the wood will be consumed, and then it will go away.
By the way, your driftwood is amazing! I at first couldn't tell if it was an artificial decoration, or DW. It almost looks like a woman's skeleton, with rotting clothing, holding onto a tree trunk. I have a vivid imagination, I guess. I love it!
What brand PFS did you get? I really like the look, and I would like to avoid "sugar white" PFS like Dragonfish's.
On cycling with fish food: I would generally avoid this for a few reasons.
1: No way to know how fast ammonia gets processed, because it is released gradually.
2: Algae, algae, algae!
3: The rotting of the fish food absorbs WAY more oxygen than just the beneficial bacteria consuming ammonia. If you fail to remove all the fish food, this will lower oxygen levels in your tank. I went NUTS with with fish food cycling my last tank, and was simply unable to remove it all... this is one reason I think my fish died.
Hence, I will only cycle with Ammonia in the future.
Just my two cents, on my preference.
yeah, the fish food was a disaster. I will no longer use that method, either. the PFS is Quickrete. picked it up at Aubuchon Hardware for 6.99 I think. I love the driftwood, too, thanks! my husband actually picked it out. I only saw a cell phone pic of it and was like "buy it! I love it!" it's a really hefty piece and has a wicked cool shape. I love the height it has
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Is there a line name (like, for example, Quickcrete "Extra Dark" or something) number, grain/grit, or anything else identifying except Quickrete? I really really like it.
CA_BroncoFan
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1 Wood can be pretty particular
QUIKRETE® - Sand - Pool Filter Sand
that's it. #1153 i guess. my bag looks slightly different but it has #1153 on it.
that's it. #1153 i guess. my bag looks slightly different but it has #1153 on it.
so i know i said ammonia had dropped to 2ppm, but i was looking at the saltwater chart... anyway, it has actually stayed at a steady 4ppm. nitrite is now at either 1.0 or 5.0 (i think 5 because it's darker than 1). anyway, i figured since the nitrites are spiking, that ammonia would be dropping. any thoughts? should i do a PWC to bring the levels down? not really sure what to do at this point.... i was expecting the ammonia to have dropped already. now i'm lost lol. i guess, just wait it out? it's not possible for the ammonia not to drop, right? i'm confused
anyway, it has actually stayed at a steady 4ppm. nitrite is now at either 1.0 or 5.0 (i think 5 because it's darker than 1). anyway, i figured since the nitrites are spiking, that ammonia would be dropping. any thoughts? should i do a PWC to bring the levels down? not really sure what to do at this point.... i was expecting the ammonia to have dropped already. now i'm lost lol. i guess, just wait it out? it's not possible for the ammonia not to drop, right? i'm confused 
update
so i got a new bulb and some plants last night. a few chunks of java fern which i tied to the driftwood, a wendtii (red i think) that is behind the driftwood, and then an anubias barteri and a nana to the right. we also rearranged everything. i'm looking for some honest feedback, as these are the first aquarium plants i've ever had and i had a heck of a time planting them last night. to be honest, i'm not super thrilled with the tank right now. i feel like it looks really bare and there won't be enough hiding spots for fish. i'm also worried that the plants will just wither and die. i've killed every house plant i've ever had. so, input/feedback would be very much appreciated. be HONEST. i'm open to criticism because i want the tank to look the best it can. thanks guys
so i got a new bulb and some plants last night. a few chunks of java fern which i tied to the driftwood, a wendtii (red i think) that is behind the driftwood, and then an anubias barteri and a nana to the right. we also rearranged everything. i'm looking for some honest feedback, as these are the first aquarium plants i've ever had and i had a heck of a time planting them last night. to be honest, i'm not super thrilled with the tank right now. i feel like it looks really bare and there won't be enough hiding spots for fish. i'm also worried that the plants will just wither and die. i've killed every house plant i've ever had. so, input/feedback would be very much appreciated. be HONEST. i'm open to criticism because i want the tank to look the best it can. thanks guys
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I like the look. Raise that water level up to the top of the tank and get some tall plants for the left side and back of the tank and I think you'll be happier.
i can't raise the water level. if i do, the filter won't work properly because there will be no room for the water to fall. i've read it's supposed to be an inch below the black rim. do you know some tall plants that are ok in low light? i've yet to find any. i definitely wanted some taller plants, but the lfs i went to had none that were low light. i may check out the closer lfs soon to see if they have something i could put in. i think i'm going to move the wendtii up to the front left corner, because you can barely see it back there. where it is there needs to be a taller plant.
Put the water to the top, it wont hurt the filter at all. All my filters are in tanks completely filled with no problem. All it does is fall into the water quietly so you can sleep in peace. Wont hurt anything, is it a in the tank filter? Or a HOB?
in the tank. it won't like back up or anything like that? we had the water level up but i was afraid of the filter not working right because of it, plus i wanted the extra surface agitation for the cycle. i think the bubbler would take care of that ok though.
Crepe
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nope it won't hurt a thing I used a tetra 30i filter with the tank filled up above the lip without any water quality problems. You can try Anacharis or Narrow-Leaf javafern. Both of which will grow to the top of your water column in low light.
