Drift Wood For Plants

[b3cca]

Hiya ,
 
As i live about 2 mins from the beach I'm always walking along and finding great pieces of driftwood thinking that would look great in my tank.
 
I have some anubias and some rotala in my tank but they're only small and currently just in pots until it gets established, it's my first aqaurium so obviously just want something easy and hardy.
 
3 Questions -
 
1. What would I have to do to dirty salty wood taken from the beach to make it safe and clean for my freshwater aqaurium and fish.
 
2. Are there any other easy low light plants apart from anubius that would grow and root into driftwood.
 
3. Does adding wood change water parameters like P.H or hardness etc?
 
My tank is 70 litres, not yet cycled so obviously I'm not going to mess around with it just yet, but would like to get some wood  prepared at least.

 

[mike455555]

1 if it was mine id scrub it clean then soke it in fresh water for about 1 month or more changing the water every 1-2 days to get rid of the salt, then mix up a week bleach solution 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, then after that soke it for another week to get rid of the bleach (by that time it should of sunk)

2: easy low light plants for bog wood, anubias (theres lots of types with totaly different sizes of leaves and looks, java fern's are the same, and moss's most moss's will adapt to whatever water conditions (weeping, xmas, java and willow are good)

3: yes the wood will change the pH slightly, as tartic acid (or something along that is made from the tannins in the wood leaching), if its drift wood it shouldn't have to much of a problem as most of them will be out already. but with regular water changes it shouldent effect the pH to much (wood falls in rivers all the time remember)

btw i love your charmander pic

 

[b3cca]

Aww sounds like too much trouble lol.
I can just buy some bogwood pretty cheap, I guess that would be be better in the long run.
 
Well where I live we have soft water with natural PH of 7.0 , no nitrates or ammonium, my fish are blackwater anyway (I think)
Harlequin rasbora and cherry barb so after reading through posts my soft water plus bogwood would be good for them anyways.
 
Thanx for taking the time Mike, I'll definatey look into some ferms and mosses and attach them to some bogwood