Driftwood

[Ld123]

What does driftwood do in a tank?

 

[OBEYtheFISH]

Gives a tank a natural look
Releases tannins that can be beneficial to the tank & some fish
Great for plecostomus digest
Might be other things good but don't remember maybe some other folks will chip in

 

[jcolon]

Gives a tank a natural look
Releases tannins that can be beneficial to the tank & some fish
Great for plecostomus digest
Might be other things good but don't remember maybe some other folks will chip in

Yep ... + provides additional surfaces for BB, shelter for shy fish. Can help hide heaters, intakes etc. DW is a great natural addition to any tank.

 

[simplicitysarah]

Where do u guys recommend getting DW from?

 

[ejaramillo01]

Where do u guys recommend getting DW from?

Your lfs or any big pet store chain... They all carry pieces of driftwood for aquariums.

 

[sayan]

Or u can search it at ur local areas. Near fountains... under lake, or on low flooded land. But beware of some speciific woods which r not at all good for fishes. Best is to buy from ur lfs

 

[aptom203]

It's worth noting that you should always boil anything (that isn't alive!) before adding it to your tank- or run it through a clean dishwasher without soap if it's too big to boil. This is doubly true for stuff you find laying around, but even items from very reputable fish stores can contain dormant fungi or bacteria- just think how many people have handled it between being harvested and ending up on the shelf.

Boiling will also remove some of the tannins from wood- lots of tannins will make your water look like tea unless you have activated carbon in your filter. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind, I quite like the 'black water' look for Discus and South American biotope tanks, but it's not to everyone's taste.

 

[Jess1ca]

It will also lower your ph... I had to run a buffer after adding my dw.

 

[Ld123]

Would I need it in with endler guppies, platies, lamp eye and Corys?

 

[Tetra1990]

I recommend it for pretty much every freshwater tank. If your going for a natural look, it's a must.

 

[Duddits]

I used dw in my tank and love the look and it seems the fish love it as well. My water did change to that tea stained looking water but doesn't look horrible. However, I do miss my crystal clear water I use to have

 

[OBEYtheFISH]

I used dw in my tank and love the look and it seems the fish love it as well. My water did change to that tea stained looking water but doesn't look horrible. However, I do miss my crystal clear water I use to have

Eventually it'll stop releasing tannins & with PWCs you'll have crystal clear water once again

 

[ashleynicole]

I recommend malaysian driftwood or mopani wood, or a combination of both. They are self sinking and don't have to be anchored down. The malaysian releases more tannins.

 

[OBEYtheFISH]

Or perhaps Manzanita?

 

[Knereim]

I love the natural look in my tank but I do miss the clear water also. I boiled my Dw twice before adding it as I was scared of bacteria

 

[Tetra1990]

I love the natural look in my tank but I do miss the clear water also. I boiled my Dw twice before adding it as I was scared of bacteria

I have a piece of mopani, it took a month of constant PWC's to finally get all the tannins out of my tank.

 

[bobc4d]

I just got my tank to cycle, would it be too early to add dw? should I give it a couple of weeks or months before adding the dw?

 

[Jess1ca]

I just got my tank to cycle, would it be too early to add dw? should I give it a couple of weeks or months before adding the dw?

I added my mopani in the beginning of my cycle. The only issue I had was it dropped my ph .2, since I keep Cichlids I ran a buffer to correct it.

 

[PC1]

As a seller of driftwood I personally think the biggest advantage to having driftwood in your tank is making the environment more natural. Driftwood,plants and rocks are all things fish utilize in the natural environment. Anyone that has these things in their aquariums will be able to tell you that the majority of fish will use these items in one way or another. Places to breed, live, make there territory and hang out or even to loose a angry tank mate. Not to mention being eye pleasing as well. Other uses are some driftwoods can help lower ph while some rocks can help raise it. They both also provide more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow.

 

[Jess1ca]

As a seller of driftwood I personally think the biggest advantage to having driftwood in your tank is making the environment more natural. Driftwood,plants and rocks are all things fish utilize in the natural environment. Anyone that has these things in their aquariums will be able to tell you that the majority of fish will use these items in one way or another. Places to breed, live, make there territory and hang out or even to loose a angry tank mate. Not to mention being eye pleasing as well. Other uses are some driftwoods can help lower ph while some rocks can help raise it. They both also provide more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow.

Perfectly put!