Sticks And Twigs

[bigoy19706]

hi all i,v been looking at a lot of tank pic over the last week or tow i been seeing a lot of what look like stick and twigs in some of the tanks. can i just go and get some from trees and dead wood you see laying about i rely like haw they look but have not seen any thing like thas for sale
thanks

 

[SombreroBanana]

You can get sticks and stuff from outside, but you have to boil them for a while, and then soak them for like 2 weeks, changing the water frequently, to get all the tannins out of them.

 

[Questions?]

tannins arent bad, they can help lower the ph makeing water soft and acidic, some fish like it that way

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Irs more to get rid of any nasties, also have to get rid of the bark on the wood you find.

 

[phishyphil]

You can get sticks and stuff from outside, but you have to boil them for a while, and then soak them for like 2 weeks, changing the water frequently, to get all the tannins out of them.

You need to be careful with getting things from the outdoors. Why there maybe some stuff you can add safely, others not so much. You need to make sure you avoid sticks/twigs/wood with sap left in, or ones that leak harmful substances. Ash wood for instance has been linked to leach toxins into the tank, softwoods such as pine keep there sap for long periods of time after being removed from the tree, and boiling does not remove this, they just need to be left some where to dry off for a long time. Hard woods such as oak etc are great, but prepare these via boiling/ heating first

Stones/ rocks are the same

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Yeah just don't boil rocks as they will explode if they have an air pocket in them.

 

[phishyphil]

+1