What To Do With Bogwood / Rocks?

[Deleted member 55926]

I am heading to the LFS to get some wood and might pick up some rocks too. Can anybody give me a guide as to how to prep these for the tank (I have yet to do a fishless cycle).

I have read about boiling and soaking (for a month?!). Do I have to dechlorinate the water that I soak it in? I don't even think I have a pot big enough to boil it.

 

[jennybugs]

You can buy presoaked 'marsh root' which saves any fiddling about by you, but I have prepped bogwood that's bought dry by boiling it on the hob (if you can get a pot to fit) and then letting the water cool and repeating with fresh until it doesn't leach anymore. I haven't added dechlorinator when boiling like this, but I don't think there would be any harm in it if you wanted to.
The other method for bigger bits is to put it in a bucket and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand until it goes cold then tip that water away and repeat.

It can take an age for wood to stop leaching tanins, but if you're like me and rather like the effect (most fish won't mind it at all) then it's up to you how long you soak the wood for.
Running carbon in your filter would remove a fair bit of the tanin staining, but just remember to change it regularly (every 8 weeks I think) if you do use it

 

[Deleted member 55926]

The other method for bigger bits is to put it in a bucket and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand until it goes cold then tip that water away and repeat.

Didn't think of that... But sounds like this takes AGES. Is it something I could do for a few weeks while fishless cycling, or does the wood and rocks have to be in the tank before cycling is started?

 

[holidayinn]

To prepare can soak in water for a week or so and give a good scrub. Boiling water will help sme of the tannins leak. No need for dechlorinator and has no affect on cycling.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

With regards to the wood or rocks potentially lowering the Ph, is this a temporary thing? Does the water return to normal?

 

[OldMan47]

There is nothing temporary about the effect of rocks. A rock that contains particular chemicals that raise or lower the pH, will continue to affect the tank's water the same way until that part of the rock has dissolved completely. Wood that is leaching tannins and affecting the pH will do so for quite a while but will eventually slow in its chemical action as the oils in the wood finally run out. Beware that some wood will still be leaching tannins to some degree years after you add it to your tank.

 

[raptorrex]

I am heading to the LFS to get some wood and might pick up some rocks too.  Can anybody give me a guide as to how to prep these for the tank (I have yet to do a fishless cycle).

I have read about boiling and soaking (for a month?!).  Do I have to dechlorinate the water that I soak it in?  I don't even think I have a pot big enough to boil it.

I just wash both, wood and rocks. wood will leach tannins. these do no harm, but can be removed (with time) using a small filter filled with carbon. if you do soak wood. please please dry them out after (oven works well). i see so often comments about "white fluff/growth on soaked new wood. yet i have never seen it with "washed" wood. it will have a small effect on the PH (lower), but your water will recover, and should buffer the change anyway.


as for rocks, some can effect your PH. but again, for the most part, not critically. you do need to choose carefully though. if you do a forum search, i'm sure a respected member did a profile on rocks and their possible effect on water.

rock profile

this is from someone who is well worth listening to.

 

[Deleted member 55926]

if you do soak wood. please please dry them out after (oven works well). i see so often comments about "white fluff/growth on soaked new wood. yet i have never seen it with "washed" wood.

Why do you need to dry it out if it's going to be put in the tank? I thought the reason for soaking it was to ensure it sinks.

What is the white fluff due to? When I was looking at bogwood in the shop a couple of them had white fluff on them (I assume it's mould of some sort).

 

[raptorrex]

if you do soak wood. please please dry them out after (oven works well). i see so often comments about "white fluff/growth on soaked new wood. yet i have never seen it with "washed" wood.

Why do you need to dry it out if it's going to be put in the tank?  I thought the reason for soaking it was to ensure it sinks.  

What is the white fluff due to?  When I was looking at bogwood in the shop a couple of them had white fluff on them (I assume it's mould of some sort).

drying it out, after boiling/ soaking. in my experience, stops the "white fluff" from ever appearing. but not bothering with either, has the same effect. i cant say about "soaking" to make it sink. i have never found a, descent, bit of wood, that floats. (that does not mean there are none). not sure what causes the stuff, but your guess makes sense.

 

[ian]

when i bought my bit of driftwood for my tank, i boiled it for at day (around 8-10 times) and also bought new carbon pads for my filter. The tanins lasted for about a week.

 

[waterdrop]

My son Oliver and I finally found a decent piece of wood after being on the lookout for the last year or more. Its been soaking out on the patio for the last few weeks after receiving the boiling water treatment a number of times.

At first I was very excited that it wasn't going to put off many tannins but then I discovered that that was just because I wasn't giving it long enough to get started ... once it got going it got very good at turning the tub of water into tea, day after day after day... Hot water definately pulls the tannins out into the water faster but I have no idea whether it'll mostly end up being a finite amount of "tea." ..Sort of made me depressed reading that post by OM47 over in another thread saying the the wood never really completely quits putting off some tannins. Its been several weeks now and ours is still making the water dark.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jennybugs]

THIS STUFF is really good and doesn't leach It doesn't go mouldy and it doesn't need soaking. It does what it says on the bag

 

[waterdrop]

Hey, I just realized that besides taking up a lot more "white space" over on the left, the "icon" area is not showing the locations anymore! Is this some default setting thing?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

Let me try to quote one of the other MODs when I pointed it out WD. The immediate link to the profile, just click on the name, still lets you know where people are if they have chosen to let it be public.

 

[waterdrop]

Ah, well you can tell them you've received at least one grassroots vote for having it back where it belongs. I want to know which continent I'm dealing with right when I'm digesting the OP's question, not when I go off to view his/her profile! Hopefully it would just be a fun little html project for one of them to copy that profile info into some of that vast extra white space in the poster summary box or whatever its called. I know they're probably too busy right now just trying to stabilize the new version and get the skins back and all, but one of them might find it fun after things settle down.

Sorry, I know this should be down in the board section!

~~waterdrop~~