Bog wood!

[kittyuk]

I think that the bogwood in my aquarium is discolouring the water! Will it stop?
My male shrimp shed his shell last night, ewwww, but when I went to retrieve it, it has gone!
*thinks* has it wandered off on it's own?

 

[StiX]

Shrimps very often eat their own shell after shedding

Yes the bog wood will leach tannis into the water turning it a brown colour, to remove the colour from the water u can use activated carbon in the filter. It will leach these into the water for a long time, u have to remove it and boil it and soak it for a long time untill it stops coming out, unless of corse u like the colour as some people do then just leave it

 

[slt]

my shrimp ahhh bless , he never ate his shell but the fish did, yes i've a piece of bog wood in thats still colouring the water, and i've got carbon in my filter, my other piece did'nt take so long but this one its been in now for 5 weeks, i hate the brown water, makes the tank look dirty,

 

[StiX]

Just a quick note, in order for the carbon to be effective, it need to be replaced every 2 weeks.

 

[slt]

yes i replace it every 2 weeks,

 

[StiX]

he he, i know u know, but just so others know

 

[slt]

 

[kittyuk]

I don't have a carbon filter
mine's an undergravel one! Looks like I'm stuck with a dirty looking aquarium

 

[slt]

instead of changing water once a week try changing it twice a week ie
if you do a 50%water change weekly do a 25% change twice a week it might help to clear it quicker ?? thats what i've started doing,

 

[William]

right well what I would do if the bogwood hasn't been in there too long (eg more than a week in which case all tanins wil already be leached probably)

Get a clean bucket and fill it with boiling water and place the bogwood into it, the water in the bucket will turn yellow/brown after a few hours repeat the treatment until the water in the bucket no longer turns yellow/brown and in the last time leave in if overnight.

Then replace the bogwood back into your tank. To get rid of the existing colour in the water just do water changes - don't do big ones as it'll muck up your tank and could cause a new cycle! About 50% weekly and the colour will rapidly disapear. You should be doing about 10-20% weekly change anyway to remove the nitrAtes and keep a healthy tank.

Good luck

 

[Danny - the lost soul---]

As william said hot water.
I've heard hot / boiling water. I had a piece that would stop so I gave it to the kids for there frog tank. Now I just use driftwood. Now, some South American species like that acidic water that the bog wood creates.

danny

 

[kittyuk]

The tank has been set up for six weeks now, should I have started water changes? The local shop said to leave it for a few months.

Has anyone had the red clawed crabs and shrimps living together? I wouldn't like to upset the boat by adding a crab if there is liable to be any fighting!

 

[slt]

every ones views vary on water changes, but i would'nt leave it a few months, try a 20% water change, i look on my filter as an aid in between my water changes, how big are the red clawed crabs ??

 

[kittyuk]

The crabs are about the size of a fifty pence piece.
What do you add to your water before you put it into the tank when you change the water?

 

[slt]

i don't think i'd add crabs to the tank, but ask your lfs, all i add to my water before it goes into the tank is the chlorine remover,