Collecting My Own Wood

[barb-e]

I want to get some type of wood for my tank. Is it okay to use just regular wood that I find in wooded areas or along the shore, or is it best to use the stuff lfs sell like driftwood and stuff?

 

[roseK]

i have my own drift wood, it just nees tk be cleaned and soaked.

but i cant get mine to sink lol i got wood from the store and its anti-drift

 

[Teelie]

All wood sinks in time but time might be years in some cases. The drier the wood, the better (though it takes more time to sink intially, it's safer). You'll want to avoid certain wood types with a lot of sap or bark on them. Neither is good for the aquarium, especially the sap though. Also, make sure there are no critters living in it or that it has fungus or other growths. It would be good to scrub it down with a toothbrush or something similarly bristled and to be on the safe side, bake it in the oven and/or boil it before giving it a good soaking.

 

[barb-e]

would all types of wood help to lower the ph of my tank water or just driftwood and bogwood?

 

[Teelie]

All types of wood can lower pH to a certain extent. There are a lot of variables though like size of the wood to the ratio of the water, the amount of tannins in the wood, the pH of the water and what the GH & KH are, the frequency of water changes, etc. Most of the time, the wood doesn't dramatically alter pH unless you already have a low amount of GH or KH in the water.