Bogwood

[jamespond]

i'm new to bogwood...i've bought some...what should i do with it before i put it in my tank? I bought it from my LFS.

 

[mlawson]

If you soak it for a month, changing water 3 times a week it should be fine to put in your tank.

 

[Breeze7050]

If you bought it from your LFS - it may already be aquarium ready.... i.e. will sink! However, sometimes it doesn't! Which is kind of a pain! Also it may turn your water brown for a time - no problems there, just a bit unsightly. Which is why it is recommend to soak it. However, I don't thikn 3 months is necessary. Sometimes boiling also helps to get the tannins (brown) out of the water a little quicker.
Check and see if it sinks or floats and we can go from there! There are some tricks to keeping it underwater if you don't want to wait. Good luck!

 

[Bert]

When I got mine the clerk that the lfs told me to soak it for 15-20 to let any coloration come off and soak in some water.

 

[Teri]

I bought a piece today and the lady in the pet shop said to soak 4 a week. what happens if u don't soak it for long enough, will it harm the fish?

 

[Breeze7050]

It will just make your color a brownish color - tannins will leach off of it.

 

[jamespond]

it sinks straight away...its also quite big (about 2 foot) and can't get it all into the bucket to soak. Would boiling it speed up the process?

 

[loachman]

it sinks straight away...its also quite big (about 2 foot) and can't get it all into the bucket to soak. Would boiling it speed up the process?

yes

 

[jamespond]

it sinks straight away...its also quite big (about 2 foot) and can't get it all into the bucket to soak. Would boiling it speed up the process?

yes

if i boil it...how long should it be boiled for and when would it be ok to put it in the tank?

 

[Gazoo]

Bogwood Don't:

Don't worry if your water turns a light brown especially if you have fish that prefer soft water. I personally think it looks nice and never worry about soaking wood to pull out tannins.

 

[Bloo]

Really no need to soak it. All wood differ. Some will leech tannins (making the water look like tea) for weeks and months. Other pieces will hardly affect it at all. The worse culprit in my experience is Mopani wood - but that's just normal chopped down trees - not bogwood.
Tannins do not bother or effect the fish.
Boiling in my opinion weakens the wood structure and will just reduce the lifespan of the wood.

I give mine a good scrub to get rid of any lose debris and perhaps soak it in hot (not boiling) water for a few days (replacing the water daily). But sometimes, just clean it and put it straight into the tank

 

[Teri]

it sinks straight away...its also quite big (about 2 foot) and can't get it all into the bucket to soak. Would boiling it speed up the process?

how can you boil it? if it won't fit in a bucket, how will you get it into a saucepan?? (and if u know how, let me know )

 

[stang1]

We soaked ours in hot water in the bath. We kept changing the water and it seemed to do the trick.

 

[Darkstar]

I give mine a quick rinse under the tap and in it goes...

 

[MojoDex]

i boiled mine ina 30 litre stock pot for about 18 hours