Acceptable Driftwood for Neon tank

[Yaya]

Hi! I'm new on this forum, so I'm not sure if this question should be posted here. I've got a 10 gal tank with about 20 neon tetras. I've got one small piece of fossilized rock (about 5") for decor and some anacharis. I'd like to add some driftwood because I've read that neons like acidic water. Would it be alright to use that t-rex grapevine driftwood you get at pet stores? I asked for driftwood and that's all they had. Would it be helpful in acidifying the water? Thanks.
Yaya

 

[akhtar]

first of all they amount of fish in there is to many, u should have 12 neons in that tank max, im not sure bout the rest, if fish are dying, this maymean u have the tank overstocked

 

[BettaBoyz]

Akhtar, don't be so quick to say something like that. i must have about 30" of fish in my 10g, and the parameters STILL have yet to wobble! first, i'd suggest getting Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate tests if you don't have them, and test the first two. if either is more than 0 do take a few fish back; four or five is probably fine. do a 20% water change, wait a week, then test again!

how long did the tank cycle? how long did it 'settle'? how long has that large population been there? cycling requires at least three weeks of 'feeding' an empty, but filtered, tank pure ammonia or a few fish flakes every day. settling is the period of about two weeks after when you introduce maybe 3" of fish.

i'm not sure about wood, since i only use plants, rocks and ceramic in my tanks.

 

[Yaya]

Sorry, folks! I forgot to mention my tank history. It's been up and running for over a year. I started it with two small cichlids. They did fine but I had to move them to bigger accomodations as they grew. Then I had some mickey mouse platys, and two emperor tetras. I gave all of them away and then added the neons. Started out with 8 then added the rest. The neons are the only fish I have in that tank.I haven't had any problems or losses (knock on wood). I do weekly partial water changes, sometimes twice a week, and I vacuum the gravel weekly. I've had the neons for about two months now. Eventually I'd like to get a 20 gal for them and keep the 10 gal as a quarantine or hospital tank for any case I might need it for. What I really wanted to know was whether the t-rex grapvine driftwood was safe for the aquarium or to the neons. OH! One other VERY important question: What type of fish flakes or pellets do you'll use for the neons? I know they are supposed to be fed bloodworms, but I've also read that sometimes they're not actually bloodwoms but rather tubifex worms which may harbor harmful diseases. I do feed them from time to time from a can which says 'bloodworms' but the ingredients say it's mosquito larvae. So I guess that's ok. Pls let me know on these two questions I've posed. Thank you.
Yaya

 

[BettaBoyz]

Yaya;
Bloodworms are red mosquitoe larvae, so yes that is okay! i wish i could get ahold of that stuff for my Bettas, and spirulina tablets for my Platties, but i can't. for the wood, i do believe you're supposed to boil it for a while (unsure how long) and then pour some vinegar on it. if it bubbles or fizzes it will break down and release chemicals into the water, if it doesn't rinse the vinegar away and it's safe for tank use ^^