THE CAUSE,
INC
INC
DRIFTWOOD
by: WILMA DUNCAN
by: WILMA DUNCAN
Why put driftwood in your aquarium? We want the best designed material for our
aquarium and wood is a unique item for this purpose. It is a very difficult item to
duplicate. It is in line with fish, plants and substrate, for receiving beautiful comments,
especially when it is decorated with live Anubias species, and the many different Java
Ferns. I have discovered, that besides the decorative design, our fish are more at home
when we place driftwood into the aquarium. Tetras love to dart behind it, many tropical
fish chew on the wood, and many breed, laying their eggs on the underside. The tannic
acid released by wood can lower pH, stains the water a brown/amber color, mimicking the
Blackwaters in which many tropical fish live.
Many ask, Where do I find driftwood, how do I treat it so that it is safe for my aquarium,
and what kind is safe? I prefer using hardwood it will last much longer, therefore you do
not need to worry about rotting wood. Softwood tends to take a long time in releasing
tannin and rots easily. I live close to a large river that floods several times during the year,
washing lots of waterlogged wood on shore. Not all wood is safe. Beware of wood that is
not seasoned, that has not been aged by sun and water. Any wood that has the least bit
of sap can kill your fish. I once added a small piece of driftwood I found to a 10-gallon
tank, which housed 6 Corydorus catfish and a breeding group of guppies. Within a few
days, I had dying Corys and guppies. I immediately changed half the water and removed
the driftwood. I lost a few more, but with several water changes, things reutrned to
normal. I don't recommend buying driftwood from the LFS. In my area the wood they sell
is not the type I would use for a tank. I had a friend that purchased a piece and it would
have taken a great deal of work and time to make it desirable for their aquarium. What
fun it is to go and search for that one perfect piece of wood, and who knows what
surprises you may find on your journey. I once found a beautiful river rock, in which
nature had drilled a perfect hole for my Betta to sleep in.
Stay away from the craft stores. All the wood here has been pretreated to keep fungus
and other things from growing on the wood. These chemicals can kill your fish.
After finding that perfect piece of wood, your next step is too make sure it is safe from all
parasites and chemicals. Collect your wood away from any chemical plants or businesses
which deal with chemicals in large amounts. When you have found the perfect piece,
bring it home and boil it for several hours. I like to boil mine for more than 8
hours,sometimes this is not possible. I do not use bleach or any other chemicals to treat.
Bleach is very hard to remove. Sometimes, I will leave the wood to soak in a large outdoor
tub for a few months, letting Mother Nature do the water changes. I never put the wood in
an oven to bake or in my dishwasher. I could just hear my husband, "Honey, the
dishwasher is stopped up with small pieces of wood, or the oven is on fire, or my
driftwood is burning." He is a patient man, but this would be the ultimate test. I have a
heavy stainless steel turkey roaster that I use. Perfect for large pieces. The longer you
boil the wood, the less tannins will be released and the more it forces the air out of the
wood, allowing it to be water logged.
Driftwood can lower pH in an aquarium, but this usually creates no problems, and is
desireable for most fish. I have been using nature's driftwood for 4 years and have yet to
have any problems. I have watched how fish react when driftwood was added to an
aquarium. After a few minutes they begin to explore it. The Cory Cat scurry to make a
home under it, tetras view it as a safe haven, Pleco finds it a food source, Barbs search
for any algae that may have formed on the wood, and Clown Loaches join the Corydorus
catfish. Driftwood, or the dead wood which nature has tossed and tumbled for some
time, is a wonderful decorative tool to compliment any aquarist tank.
aquarium and wood is a unique item for this purpose. It is a very difficult item to
duplicate. It is in line with fish, plants and substrate, for receiving beautiful comments,
especially when it is decorated with live Anubias species, and the many different Java
Ferns. I have discovered, that besides the decorative design, our fish are more at home
when we place driftwood into the aquarium. Tetras love to dart behind it, many tropical
fish chew on the wood, and many breed, laying their eggs on the underside. The tannic
acid released by wood can lower pH, stains the water a brown/amber color, mimicking the
Blackwaters in which many tropical fish live.
Many ask, Where do I find driftwood, how do I treat it so that it is safe for my aquarium,
and what kind is safe? I prefer using hardwood it will last much longer, therefore you do
not need to worry about rotting wood. Softwood tends to take a long time in releasing
tannin and rots easily. I live close to a large river that floods several times during the year,
washing lots of waterlogged wood on shore. Not all wood is safe. Beware of wood that is
not seasoned, that has not been aged by sun and water. Any wood that has the least bit
of sap can kill your fish. I once added a small piece of driftwood I found to a 10-gallon
tank, which housed 6 Corydorus catfish and a breeding group of guppies. Within a few
days, I had dying Corys and guppies. I immediately changed half the water and removed
the driftwood. I lost a few more, but with several water changes, things reutrned to
normal. I don't recommend buying driftwood from the LFS. In my area the wood they sell
is not the type I would use for a tank. I had a friend that purchased a piece and it would
have taken a great deal of work and time to make it desirable for their aquarium. What
fun it is to go and search for that one perfect piece of wood, and who knows what
surprises you may find on your journey. I once found a beautiful river rock, in which
nature had drilled a perfect hole for my Betta to sleep in.
Stay away from the craft stores. All the wood here has been pretreated to keep fungus
and other things from growing on the wood. These chemicals can kill your fish.
After finding that perfect piece of wood, your next step is too make sure it is safe from all
parasites and chemicals. Collect your wood away from any chemical plants or businesses
which deal with chemicals in large amounts. When you have found the perfect piece,
bring it home and boil it for several hours. I like to boil mine for more than 8
hours,sometimes this is not possible. I do not use bleach or any other chemicals to treat.
Bleach is very hard to remove. Sometimes, I will leave the wood to soak in a large outdoor
tub for a few months, letting Mother Nature do the water changes. I never put the wood in
an oven to bake or in my dishwasher. I could just hear my husband, "Honey, the
dishwasher is stopped up with small pieces of wood, or the oven is on fire, or my
driftwood is burning." He is a patient man, but this would be the ultimate test. I have a
heavy stainless steel turkey roaster that I use. Perfect for large pieces. The longer you
boil the wood, the less tannins will be released and the more it forces the air out of the
wood, allowing it to be water logged.
Driftwood can lower pH in an aquarium, but this usually creates no problems, and is
desireable for most fish. I have been using nature's driftwood for 4 years and have yet to
have any problems. I have watched how fish react when driftwood was added to an
aquarium. After a few minutes they begin to explore it. The Cory Cat scurry to make a
home under it, tetras view it as a safe haven, Pleco finds it a food source, Barbs search
for any algae that may have formed on the wood, and Clown Loaches join the Corydorus
catfish. Driftwood, or the dead wood which nature has tossed and tumbled for some
time, is a wonderful decorative tool to compliment any aquarist tank.
Copyright@2007 WD
EMAIL: thecause.cause@yahoo.com
