Bogwood....

[Sye]

As above....?

 

[rsz]

it looks nice

 

[Cian McLiam]

well, as well as looking nice, it also releases tannins into the water which make some fish, like amazonian fish (angels, discus, tetras..) fell more 'at home' it also slowly lowers the PH over time and some catfish need the lignin in the wood to help digest their food.
As well as other cool stuff im sure!

Ken

 

[Sye]

Does it die off after a while?

 

[Morrgan]

The bogwood is already dead. But it can decay, usually only after many years. I've had a piece of mopane bogwood in my tank for about 8-9 years and it's still good. I had mangrove in my other tank, but it got soft after just 5 years or so, so I took it out. I think if you boil the wood while preparing it for the tank, it will decay faster.

 

[Eelzor]

Is bogwood a definate neccessary for discus?

 

[Sye]

I quite like the sound/look of having a piece in my tank...just a few more questions...

1) My PH is just under 8 so would it turn the tank the acidic(the fish I have are 2 angels, 2 Clown Loaches, 6 Silvertip Tetra & 5 Serpae Tetra)

2) Do plants grow well on it?

3) Does it hold beneficial bacteria?

4) I am thinking of adding 2 African Dwarf Frogs, would it be ok with them?

4) The final and most important question....would it make my fish allot happier.

 

[Alien Anna]

Its essential if you have plecos of any kind (such as bristlenose) as they eat the wood for roughage.

 

[MAM]

is there a diff between "bogwood' and "driftwood"?

 

[Morrgan]

Sye

1) I don't think a piece of wood will affect the pH, but I could be wrong. Your fish would prefer a lower pH than 8 though.

2) Grow on the wood? Java fern will attach itself to the wood, and so will java moss, but those are the only two I know of.

3) Beneficial bacteria will grow on all surfaces, including wood.

4) Sorry, can't help with this.

5) None of your fish need bogwood, but the loaches would be happy to get something to hide in.

MANY_A_MOLLY

Driftwood is found on beaches, in saltwater. It's usually bleached gray. By definition bogwood comes from, as the name suggests, bogs. This in turn has a dark color.

 

[Sye]

Just two more questions.....

1. How do I prepare it for aquarium use?
2. Will it turn my water brown?

Can anyone else help with the frog question??

 

[Morrgan]

Assuming you get the wood from your LFS, prepare the wood by scrubbing all the soft parts off and keeping it submerged in a bucket of water. The wood will colour the water at first. Keep changing the water every now and then until the water stays clear. Now it's ready to be put in the aquarium and shouldn't colour the water (much) anymore.

 

[Alien Anna]

is there a diff between "bogwood' and "driftwood"?

Yeah, bogwood comes from bogs and driftwood gets washed up on the shores of lakes and seas.

Bogwood is always acid (from the peat) but driftwood isn't always.