Wood, Plants And Rocks?

[DopeyAlex]

Hey all,

Buying pieces of wood, rocks and plants is very expencive in fish shops as im sure you all know. I was just wandering if any of you get those things from out in the garden or at any shops where it is much cheaper. Also how do you go about treating the wood, rocks and plants before putting them in the tank??? eg.putting in oven. BTW, this is for a tropical tank, and a brackish water tank.

Cheers
Alex

 

[TammyLiz]

The only thing I would personally reccommend getting anywhere but a fish store is rocks. You can get them at your local garden center, but test them first to see if they will raise your pH. I've heard you can tell by putting vinegar on them to see if it fizzes. I've never tried the vinegar thing, but that's what I've been told.

Ripping plants out of a river and putting them in your tank is not likely to be a good thing unless you know a lot about the specific plant you're harvesting, which would take a lot of research. Also, things like hydras and dragonfly larvae (which are very aggressive!) can find their way into your tank that way.

Green wood is not something you should put in your tank, and most dead wood will probably rot right away. If you can find actual driftwood or bogwood, it would be OK after boiling and/or baking.

 

[DopeyAlex]

Thanks very much tammyliz.

Any1 else know anything about putting rocks in tropical and brackish tanks, and which ones are ok and which ones arnt???

Cheers
Alex

 

[AMS]

I take wood and rocks right out of my backyard and woods all the time. No problems. Really the only thing that needs to be done is boiling the pieces you have collected, its a lot safer than your skeptical hobbyist may think.

Any rocks are OK to use so long they dont alter water chemistry. Do the vinegar test to check if they will screw with your water chemistry. No worries about rocks in your brackish tank though. Brackish water tanks need to have a pH around 8 and a high degree of hardness, so rock probably wont alter it much anyways.

 

[TammyLiz]

I take wood and rocks right out of my backyard and woods all the time. No problems. Really the only thing that needs to be done is boiling the pieces you have collected, its a lot safer than your skeptical hobbyist may think.

Any rocks are OK to use so long they dont alter water chemistry. Do the vinegar test to check if they will screw with your water chemistry. No worries about rocks in your brackish tank though. Brackish water tanks need to have a pH around 8 and a high degree of hardness, so rock probably wont alter it much anyways.

Do you have trouble with the wood rotting? What kind of wood do you use from your backyard?

 

[BigIan]

ive got stone from several places, mostly from my local builders merchants, its less than on third of the price you pay for the stone in a pet shop and its much easyer to find a piece you want

be careful when buying stone that it dosent contain any ores, as this may well poison your fish

 

[DopeyAlex]

Thanks very much for the advise everyone.

AMS, how long do you boil the wood for Do I need to boil the rocks before i put them in the tanks???

Cheers
Alex

 

[AMS]

Do you have trouble with the wood rotting? What kind of wood do you use from your backyard?

I have had it in my tanks for years, never had a problem with rot. Some pieces get real soft after a long time, but most do not. I dont know what type of wood it is, usually just large branches and such. Just be aware of freshly fallen wood or currently rotting wood. Brittle pieces of wood seem to work best.

I have even used wood from landscapers. A lot of people say that landscaper wood is treated with chemicals to preserve it, but I can truthfully say that all the landscaping buisnesses I have called said they do not treat it with anything what-so-ever.

Thanks very much for the advise everyone.

AMS, how long do you boil the wood for Do I need to boil the rocks before i put them in the tanks???

Cheers
Alex

I boil the wood for about 30 minutes. Yes, rocks must be boiled as well. By the way boiling rocks in pots often turn the pot bottom black (Had this happen first hand) so baking rocks may be a better option. Bake at your highest overn temperature for about 20 minutes. Be carful though they are extremely hot so let them cool off in the oven for a few hours or use tongs and oven mits to remove them.

 

[The-Wolf]

I can't help on the plant bit
however check my sig for a rocks and wood link.

 

[DopeyAlex]

Thanks a lot. Those links are very usful 'Wolf'. Cheers

AMS, I will be out in the woods over the next coupleof days looking for wood lol. Any chance you got any pics of wood that you have found and gonna use in fish tanks???

Cheers
Alex

 

[Marcos]

I've bought a sack of rocks from a garden centre, cleaned them, acid tested them, boiled them and used them in my tank and they look great. I boiled them in two old pots then left to cool (takes hours!) which may also have a mild cleaning effect. If you are going to bake them remember most bacteria is dead at 70degC. If you heat them too much they may explode!