New and needing some help!

[Tetra1990]

I sure will.

 

[Gish]

Thanks for the advice mumma. I am searching for new tanks and I will definitely get the API kits

I searched your profile. You have 9 tanks! Amazing!

 

[Gish]

Crqwdaddy. Really cool tank very natural. I think it's awesome that you collected most of the scenery and fish from the wild. Not the store

Tell us how you cured the driftwood

 

[crqwdaddy]

Crqwdaddy. Really cool tank very natural. I think it's awesome that you collected most of the scenery and fish from the wild. Not the store

Tell us how you cured the driftwood

Well...It may sound a little crazy, and I encourage you to ask around and do your own research (my version may be a little excessive).

When I found the stump, I took it to a car wash and put the high pressure hose to it (no soap or scrubbing, only water). I took the stump and put it in a cooler because it was to large to fit in a pot. Then I boiled enough water to fill the cooler entirely, put in a cup of household bleach and anchored it down with a large rock. I let it setup for about two days, and emptied the cooler completely.

I went out and bought a medium size bottle of concentrated dechlorinator (I forgot how many oz but it was enough), and boiled another batch of water. Filled the cooler and dumped half of the dechlorinator in with it. I let it setup for two days. Emptied the cooler and repeated the last step again, and emptied the rest of the bottle in the cooler with boiling water.

Each time I put boiling water in with the dechlorinator, the water turned tea colored. The tea coloration is a toxic chemical common in wood known as tannin. Tannin is also toxic to some, if not most, fish in high concentrations. It also will turn your aquarium water a blackish color.

Once again, I emptied the water out of the cooler. Boiled another pot of water (which was already dechlorinated due to evaporation) and put it in the cooler for the forth time. I soaked for another two days, and noticed that the water was almost clear. The wood did not smell like bleach either.

I went out and bought some Kent Marine Organic Adsorption Resin and a fine mesh bag (with a draw string) to put it in. The resin was kind of expensive ($23.75 for 8 oz). I put about a third of the resin in the mesh bag and placed it in with my filtration. The resin is suppose to last a long time, but you have to clean it periodically. I did all of this because I was a nervous wreck about the chlorine that I used in the beginning killing my fish.

I got a good, flat, piece of slate rock and some stainless steal screws (which were kinda expensive for screws), drilled a few holes in it and anchored it to the stump. At last, I sunk it and it has been there ever since. My fish are fine and my water hasn't ever turned colors.

I did my own research prior to the project, and I guess the bleach just speeds up the process of extracting the tannin (which will always come out of the wood). You can do it without it by using boiling water, and I would think smaller pieces could be done a little faster. I hope this short novel wasn't too much. When I read how to do something, like this, I like to know as much as possible (to keep the self doubt minimized).

All in all, the piece would have cost me more than $100.00 at a store. I only spent $24 on it, and it seems to be safe.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

A little excessive IMO.
Tannin is harmless. It can alter the pH if your tank. I collect wood for tanks also. I put it through the dishwasher to kill any nasties and remove any gunk on the outside. Sometimes I use steel wool to scrub the loose wood and bark off. I then weigh it down with rocks in the tank. It leaches in the tank and I remove the tannin with my weekly water changes. I have very hard water so the tannin has little to no effect on the pH. Some don't like the look. I don't care either way. When collecting wood don't use wood from trees with large amounts if sap. Avoid rotting wood and green wood.

 

[crqwdaddy]

A little excessive IMO.
Tannin is harmless. It can alter the pH if your tank. I collect wood for tanks also. I put it through the dishwasher to kill any nasties and remove any gunk on the outside. Sometimes I use steel wool to scrub the loose wood and bark off. I then weigh it down with rocks in the tank. It leaches in the tank and I remove the tannin with my weekly water changes. I have very hard water so the tannin has little to no effect on the pH. Some don't like the look. I don't care either way. When collecting wood don't use wood from trees with large amounts if sap. Avoid rotting wood and green wood.

Good advice, forgot to mention the effect on pH (which, I guess, is how it can be harmful) and sap. Dishwasher treatment is a good idea as well, especially if you didn't have the change for the car wash. Although, my OCD ways would probably provoke me to cycle the dish washer without soap first (just to make sure there is not residue form previous cycles).

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Good advice, forgot to mention the effect on pH (which, I guess, is how it can be harmful) and sap. Dishwasher treatment is a good idea as well, especially if you didn't have the change for the car wash. Although, my OCD ways would probably provoke me to cycle the dish washer without soap first (just to make sure there is not residue form previous cycles).

I always run my wood through more than once just incase there is soap residue the first time. I forgot to mention to make sure there is no rinse aid in the washer. I don't use it (don't see the point) so I forget to mention it