Drift wood

[Ros]

Hi all,
We have 2 plego sail fish they are about 8 inches long (19 cm). We just bought 4 tiny goldfish they are fitting in well. My question is this we also bought a large bit of drift wood and it has made our usually clear aquarium the color of tea. My ph is normal and when I do a test the water looks clear in the tube. Is there anything I can do to get the tank looking clear again.
Thanks.

 

[nereksnad]

greetings.

the reason your aquarium changed water, is because your driftwood was not entirely soaked and cleared of '"tannins'", you can either remove the driftwood and soak it, then do WC to remove the color or leave the driftwood in and let the color disappear with time. (if i understood it correctly, '"tannins'" is not harmful)

 

[bkiggy]

Add carbon to filter. Takes it out almost overnight. Not harmfull

 

[phishfriend]

No it is actually good for the fish. Unfortunately, gold fish are a cold water fish and shouldn't be housed with Pleco's who are a tropical.

 

[tamtam]

It's not harmful at all, just a bit unsightly for some. As mentioned it's just tannins the leach from the wood. This is can last a long time. You can add carbon to your filter as mentioned to remove them, do water changes to help(can be a bit tedious), just leave it all be or you can take it out and boil it to speed up the process of removing them. Soaking it will do the job aswell but it often takes a couple weeks to clear them out this way.

How big is your tank? 4 gold fish 2 plecos are going to need a huge tank. Depending on the type of goldies you have you'd be looking at at least 60-70 gallons or more. As mentioned they also aren't the best tank mates. Aside from temp differences plecos have been known to attach themselves to goldies and remove their slime coating - not good for goldies at all. I would really consider rehoming the goldies and getting something more suitable.

 

[BBradbury]

Driftwood

Hi all,
We have 2 plego sail fish they are about 8 inches long (19 cm). We just bought 4 tiny goldfish they are fitting in well. My question is this we also bought a large bit of drift wood and it has made our usually clear aquarium the color of tea. My ph is normal and when I do a test the water looks clear in the tube. Is there anything I can do to get the tank looking clear again.
Thanks.

Hello Ros...

Unless you keep demanding, light sensative plants, the tannic acid leached into the tank water from the driftwood won't hurt anything. Your pH may drop slightly from the small amount of acid from the wood, but that's about it.

If you're a good waterkeeper, you're likely removing and replacing half the tank water weekly. This alone, will help remove the amber color. Just keep doing the large, weekly water changes and the water will clear, plus you'll guarantee pure water conditions for your fish and plants.

B

 

[Rivercats]

You can use carbon to remove tannins but will have to replace it frequently as it has a short aquarium life. Purgen works great for removing tannins and can last up to 6 months in a tank. It can also be regenerated and used again.

Those pleco's are already quite large and will need a very large tank if you plan on keeping them. Depending on what type of goldfish you get will also determine the size tank they need. Fancy goldfish need a 20g tank for the first fish and another 10g for each additional fancy. Comets and common goldfish need very large tanks, especially commons that regularly can get over 12". The goldfish might be small now but they grow very quickly if kept in proper sized tanks. If kept in too small a tank they will become stunted. They also produce copious amounts of waste and release large amounts of ammonia in the water which is why filtration needs to be high and WC's large and weekly or even bi-weekly depending on tank size. I have 7 6+inch fancy GF split between 2-55g tanks and each tank has a large canister filter and the largest HOB filter they make. Then they get weekly 50% WC's. They also need to be fed veggies about 3x a week (as do the plecos). Sinking pellets are also the best way to feed goldies. Floating food allows them to swallow too much air which especially for fancies, can cause swim bladder issues.

And as already stated plecos are a bad choice for keeping with goldies. They can severely harm or even kill goldies if they attach to their sides to rasp off the goldies slime coat.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

It should be mentioned also that an 8" pleco has a considerable bioload as well. In fact they are probably next in line at #2 poop machines.!

 

[tamtam]

It should be mentioned also that an 8" pleco has a considerable bioload as well. In fact they are probably next in line at #2 poop machines.!

yes! this too. Gotta feel bad for the people that get them thinking they will be part of their clean up crew. lol.

 

[bkiggy]

My driftwood has been in the tank for 2 months. I boiled it for 12 hours to remove tannins. It is still making the PH of the tank 6.0. @&$)/-?! ;( Now none of the fish have died except Pleco but that is VERY low. I add Neutral Regulaor to up to at least 6.5 PH. But it drops right back down . Water is not cloudy anymore (yellow). But my fish like the "black water". They are Rainbows and Corys. What else can I do to raise PH a little ? 29g cube. Huge piece of driftwood

 

[Louisianafishguy]

So you're running a 29G cube? What is your livestock list?

 

[jcolon]

My driftwood has been in the tank for 2 months. I boiled it for 12 hours to remove tannins. It is still making the PH of the tank 6.0. @&$)/-?! ;( Now none of the fish have died except Pleco but that is VERY low. I add Neutral Regulaor to up to at least 6.5 PH. But it drops right back down . Water is not cloudy anymore (yellow). But my fish like the "black water". They are Rainbows and Corys. What else can I do to raise PH a little ? 29g cube. Huge piece of driftwood

PWC's, Purigen and maybe some crushed corals / limestone in the filter to help increase or stabilize pH (naturally). Don't bother with adding chemical additives for pH. Is it a Mopani DW? If so, they are notorious for being chuck full of tannins EVEN after hours of boiling and re-boiling. Keep in mind, the more PWC's the more tannins will want to leach out so it will feel like a never ending battle for a while.

I've never used Purigen, but have read on here enough times from experienced members that it's worth the try.

 

[bkiggy]

3 synodontis catfish that are being rehomed today , school of Rainbowfish , *Celebes and threadfin , 6 Cory's , 1 male Betta
Bristle Nose Pleco died unexpectedly but getting another today maybe 2
Ammonia o
Nitrites o
Nitrates 10

 

[Louisianafishguy]

I could be wrong but that seems overstocked :-(

 

[bkiggy]

I do use Purigen in all my filters. Where do I get crushed coral ? Saltwater coral? Not sure I understand
I do 50% WC every 7 days , I use aqua salt also

 

[bkiggy]

I do not believe overstocked. Ammonia is 0 and Im religious about WC and gravel vac ; I have awesome filters on all my tanks too

 

[jcolon]

You should be able to find Crushed Corals at your LFS. Crushed up Limestone and or Marble will do the same as Crushed Corals. Put it in a media bag and place them in your filter.

 

[Rivercats]

It is a good idea you are wanting to raise your Ph to at least 6.5. The reason being is when your Ph drops below 6.5 the BB begins to slow and once it hit 6.0 BB can stop working completely.

You will have to play around with the crushed coral to find how much your tank will actually need and if you don't have room in your filter for it you can hang the media bag fill with it under your filter outflow. Also try add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (dissolve first in a cup of tank water before adding it to the tank) and test to see where your Ph is the next day. This will get some buffers in the water now. Even with the crushed coral you may have to add baking soda weekly with your water change. Your just going to have to see how the crushed coral works and go from there.

 

[bkiggy]

So can I just add baking soda or both bs and coral ? I have room in the filter, anywhere I should put it ? Ill add just a little bit and see what happens. What does the buffer do?

I do ad BB *Stability with Every WC

 

[bkiggy]

Oh and to answer a previous question - yes it is ManZanita Driftwood , takes up 20% of tank