gregswimm
Fish Addict
So you want wood?
You first have to make sure your wood piece is aged. If you have a green (freshly cut or found in 'nature') you will need to cure it (this is more than drying the wood). Stay away from soft woods, conifers, cypress and any other wood that is renown for its insect/rot resistant properties. Keep the wood in a cool, dry well ventilated place for a minimum of 1 year, the time needed to cure a piece will vary depending on the location, temperature, humidity, piece size(thicker piece = longer cure time) and species. We do not want to let the wood sit on the ground, air needs to flow around the piece; keep it out of the sun and the rain off it. The slower you dry the piece the less likely it is to split or crack.
We let the wood sit for such a long time so good bacteria can colonize the wood and help work out chemicals naturally found in wood like sulfur, nitrogen, alcohols and sugars as well as work out the wood's natural hydrophobic properties that keep it from sinking. Cured wood is harder and will last much longer vs uncured wood and is safe for your fish.
With a newly purchased piece of wood, it has most likely been cured already. NEVER BIOL THE WOOD, this will kill off probiotics and cause your wood to break down. What you should do is start by dry scrubbing the piece with a stiff brush and try and get most of the dust/dirt off. Next rinse it off under the tap. Then soak it in a bucket of water, if particles float to the top, empty the bucket and refill; repeat untill 'stuff' stops coming off the wood. Note that wood will release tannins in the aquarium as well as get a white fuzz on it. The white fuzz will go away in a few weeks and wont harm your fish (some animals will eat it), this fuzz can be siphoned off. The tannins however are a natural part of the wood and will continue to be released for many months. If you have acid loving/black water fish I HIGHLY suggest you leave the tannins in the tank; it will promote fish health by reducing stress by replicating their natural environment (chemically and aesthetically) and ward off bacteria from tannic acid's natural antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic effects. If you really want to get rid of tannins you can soak the wood in water; changing it daily till the water starts to become clear. Adding carbon to your filter will also help remove tannins.
You first have to make sure your wood piece is aged. If you have a green (freshly cut or found in 'nature') you will need to cure it (this is more than drying the wood). Stay away from soft woods, conifers, cypress and any other wood that is renown for its insect/rot resistant properties. Keep the wood in a cool, dry well ventilated place for a minimum of 1 year, the time needed to cure a piece will vary depending on the location, temperature, humidity, piece size(thicker piece = longer cure time) and species. We do not want to let the wood sit on the ground, air needs to flow around the piece; keep it out of the sun and the rain off it. The slower you dry the piece the less likely it is to split or crack.
We let the wood sit for such a long time so good bacteria can colonize the wood and help work out chemicals naturally found in wood like sulfur, nitrogen, alcohols and sugars as well as work out the wood's natural hydrophobic properties that keep it from sinking. Cured wood is harder and will last much longer vs uncured wood and is safe for your fish.
With a newly purchased piece of wood, it has most likely been cured already. NEVER BIOL THE WOOD, this will kill off probiotics and cause your wood to break down. What you should do is start by dry scrubbing the piece with a stiff brush and try and get most of the dust/dirt off. Next rinse it off under the tap. Then soak it in a bucket of water, if particles float to the top, empty the bucket and refill; repeat untill 'stuff' stops coming off the wood. Note that wood will release tannins in the aquarium as well as get a white fuzz on it. The white fuzz will go away in a few weeks and wont harm your fish (some animals will eat it), this fuzz can be siphoned off. The tannins however are a natural part of the wood and will continue to be released for many months. If you have acid loving/black water fish I HIGHLY suggest you leave the tannins in the tank; it will promote fish health by reducing stress by replicating their natural environment (chemically and aesthetically) and ward off bacteria from tannic acid's natural antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic effects. If you really want to get rid of tannins you can soak the wood in water; changing it daily till the water starts to become clear. Adding carbon to your filter will also help remove tannins.
guess you get fed up of people asking about wood and tannins twice a week without using the search aswell!
