Archivarium 2004

[davidtpm]

Will driftwood lower the pH or raise it?

[benedictj]

Generally they lower it, though only slightly in most cases. Driftwood releases tannic acids, which break down buffering capacity to some degree. Obviously, it varies from piece to piece.

Major pH drop with driftwood is generally avoided by first boiling the wood for a short time and then soaking it in dechlorinated water for a few weeks, or until it stops turning the water brown (from the tannins combined with other organics).

Hope that helps...
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Best,

Jake

[davidk]

I picked up a few peices from the beach yesterday. I started to clean them in my bathtub and I realized it would take a few weeks to a month, maybe a couple of months to get the wood safe enough to put in a tank. I chose a couple of COOL peices. If you have a trash bin, you could stick the peice in fresh water, let it sit, and change the water everyday. When the water stops changing color due to chemicals being released, it should be safe. Its this reason I decided to fork over $20-50 for a nice peice from the pet/fish store. I can't wait that long, lol.
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[Josh Hansen]

I look at the fish glossary for lol and it was not there. Could someone please explain lol term to me please.

from Josh

[SLACkra]

laught out loud. basically lol is used to show that you find somthing fun. it is probably not found in the glossary because it is not a normal fish keeping term more of a chat term.

also not only drift wood release tannons but also leaf litter. tannons are completely natural and its good to have a little in an amazon basin tank where the water is naturally tinted brownish.

andrew
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32g planted community
7.5g Nano Reef
1 four legged wonder napper
2 winged demons

[BARBy]

Neither of my 2 pieces lowewred pH in my tanks ; I wanted them to since I have alkaline tap water. Both pieces were collected in or near water, pressure washed, bleached, rinsed thoroughly and added right away. I had no problems and my shrimp and snails love to eat off them. I imagine results vary tremendously depending on the species of tree and how long it's been "curing" when you find it.

[benedictj]