Mopani Wood

[Jay0173]

Tomorrow is pay day (

 ) and I am planning on a major shopping spree. A while back I picked up two ceramic wood products from Petsmart as part of my aquascaping. The other day, while finally getting my gravel (had to order it) I noticed the LFS has stocked some Mopani wood. My question to all you experts out there: given my water hardness (I'm told it's between 150 and 200 ppm - wish there was a more accurate reading) will the addition of Mopani wood help to bring down my pH which is quite high at 8.2? Second question, and maybe even more important, would Mopani wood be appropriate for a livebearer tank?

 

[BerryAttack]

the wood will be fine for you tank, over a period of months it might depending on the size of wood lower your ph by 0.5, it won't do anymore than that.

 

[Jay0173]

the wood will be fine for you tank, over a period of months it might depending on the size of wood lower your ph by 0.5, it won't do anymore than that.

 
Thanks, that's what I was hoping. That 0.5 reduction would actually bring the pH level of my water to a level suitable for my fish.
 
The pieces I'm going to get (based on what I saw) are pretty large. I'll expect I'll be paying a fortune for them, but well worth the cost.
 
I expect also that it'll take some time to treat the wood. I don't fancy spending so much money on the electricity bill by boiling the wood in water, so instead I'll be soaking the wood in a black garbage bin for a couple of weeks, changing the water each day until the water is mostly clear.
 
I'm also hoping this wood will be suitable for attaching plants to it.

 

[greenmumma141]

You shouldn't boil the wood actually, it will start to break the wood down.  It is always a good idea to pour boiling water over the wood, especially if it's a piece that you've found, that will just make sure there is nothing living inside
 
Congrats on the upcoming purchases! I was very excited when I went to buy my piece!!!!!

 

[BerryAttack]

you don't need to boil the wood, just let it soak and change the water until it is clear

 

[Jay0173]

You shouldn't boil the wood actually, it will start to break the wood down.  It is always a good idea to pour boiling water over the wood, especially if it's a piece that you've found, that will just make sure there is nothing living inside

 
Congrats on the upcoming purchases! I was very excited when I went to buy my piece!!!!!

 
Degrading the wood is the last thing that I'd want to do, which is why I like the dunk and soak method, basically letting it sit in a black bin for a couple weeks and change the water every day until it runs clear. It should serve the same purpose as pouring boiling water on it since it'll get pretty warm inside that bin.
 
 

you don't need to boil the wood, just let it soak and change the water until it is clear

 
Thanks. I used to boil wood before, but I saw the soaking method on Youtube and thought it was a great idea, especially since soaking it is a whole lot cheaper than boiling it (that electricity bill can really skyrocket by turning on a stove).

 

[fm1978]

If you soak it for too long and too thoroughly you run the risk of losing the effect it'll have in reducing your pH.
 
The whole reason you'd soak it is to get rid of the tannins (Tannic acid) that would normally turn your water a bit yellowly, but, this is the stuff you need to lower your pH in the first place. Making sure it's clean is the most important thing.
 
Just keep an eye on the pH and if it's lowering it too much just take it back out and soak it a bit more.

 

[Jay0173]

If you soak it for too long and too thoroughly you run the risk of losing the effect it'll have in reducing your pH.
 
The whole reason you'd soak it is to get rid of the tannins (Tannic acid) that would normally turn your water a bit yellowly, but, this is the stuff you need to lower your pH in the first place. Making sure it's clean is the most important thing.
 
Just keep an eye on the pH and if it's lowering it too much just take it back out and soak it a bit more.

 
Very good advice.

 

[Maurie]

Mopani wood is pretty much essential if you ever want any hope of keeping a Pleco alive. It softens the water too, I believe. Also, it can tint the water color brown but that is not going to harm anybody.

 

[fluttermoth]

Mopani wood is too hard for wood eating plecs; they need bogwood.