Bogwood

[geordieelvis]

I recently purchased a piece of Bogwood from a large pet store chain. It says it is Pre-washed but to reduce water discolouration then I need to soak it for 2 weeks? My question is this , will it cause any damage if I put it in straight away and just carry on my usual water changes (12litre change on a Tuesday and 24litres on a Friday in a 90litre tank)? I want it in ASAP as my Clown Pleco arrived yesterday and I want him to have the Bogwood. I welcome any advice or criticism !!

 

[RCA]

I would give it a was just to remove anything on the outside like dust etc., then if you do not mind the tea-stain colouration you will get with it you should be OK to put it straight in.  I have tons of wood in my large aquarium, and although I did soak it for 48 hours I then used it straight away.  The fish like the tannins, and your Clown Loach will too.

 

[geordieelvis]

Cool, and will my water clear up again eventually through water changes?? I have washed it a few times and now it is soaking in a bucket for a couple hours.

 

[dougie]

Eventually the water will clear over time. The tannins will have all but gone & water changes will obviously dilute too. I actually prefer the look it gives, seems more natural to me, as RCA said, many fish appreciate it!
Good luck.

 

[geordieelvis]

Cheers guys, I was worried because my water is crystal clear at the minute but I suppose it is more natural to have the 'murky' effect? I have about 7 live plants in there as well so it is starting to take shape!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Once the wood is done releasing the tannins the water will go clear with water changes. When I did mine I soaked it for 24 hours and then added it to my tank. It ended up a light tea color, water changes would make the water clear again but the tannins would come back slowly until they were gone. Depending on your fish... sometimes it even looks nice!

 

[Deleted member 107737]

my wood has been in since xmas and still i have tannins in the water. and thats after endless water changes

 

[geordieelvis]

But again? Is the dirty water effect not more beneficial to the fish??

 

[Lunar Jetman]

But again? Is the dirty water effect not more beneficial to the fish??

It will likely lower your ph, making the water softer and the browning effect in the tank will suit some fish. As long as you've got fish that like this type of water it will be fine.

What else is in your tank other than the Pleco?

 

[RCA]

But again? Is the dirty water effect not more beneficial to the fish??

It is not dirty, it is just stained with the tannins from the wood, and as previously stated it suits many fish.
If you do not like the tannins in the long term a product that may shift the tannins is Seachem Purigen.  I have only used it on smaller aquariums at present and it has made the water very clear, not used it on the larger aquarium at present as the tannins suit the fish.
Also, another product that helps make the water "black" i.e. stained with tannins are Indian Almond Leaves, these very slowly rot in the tank and the fish enjoy rummaging amongst them

 

[kad191]

I put mine in after a few days soaking, had brown water for two weeks even with doing 50% wc twice a week. Didnt do my fish any harm but the brown water is annoying, next time i will let it soak for longer.

 

[geordieelvis]

But again? Is the dirty water effect not more beneficial to the fish??

It will likely lower your ph, making the water softer and the browning effect in the tank will suit some fish. As long as you've got fish that like this type of water it will be fine.What else is in your tank other than the Pleco?

I have 3 cherry Barbs, 4 Panda Corys and 2 Danios. Ph is 7.5 so a small drop wouldn't be a bad thing anyway?

 

[Lunar Jetman]

But again? Is the dirty water effect not more beneficial to the fish??

It will likely lower your ph, making the water softer and the browning effect in the tank will suit some fish. As long as you've got fish that like this type of water it will be fine.What else is in your tank other than the Pleco?

I have 3 cherry Barbs, 4 Panda Corys and 2 Danios. Ph is 7.5 so a small drop wouldn't be a bad thing anyway?

Well if your bogwood has tannins it may drop a few ph points. I don't think it will be too bad unless your fish don't like a lower level. E.g your particular type of fish might prefer 7.5-8 ph levels and you have 7.6. Adding bogwood reduces it by 0.4 so you are down to 7.2 which is below what is recommended for that particular fish.

I think in reality it should be fine though most fish have a fairly wide range of acceptable water stats.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Also, adding the bogwood doesn't drop your pH all in one shot. It drops fairly slowly so the fish should be able to adapt.
 
How big is your tank? Looking at your stocking you could use a few more barbs, cory and danios.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Also, adding the bogwood doesn't drop your pH all in one shot. It drops fairly slowly so the fish should be able to adapt.

That is true. And if you're going to veer towards the blackwater type aquarium set up you're going to have the right type of fish anyway.