Adding wood

[Ryan1988]

Hello,

I'm looking to add wood to my aquarium but places like petsmart only have fake, painted wood. I'd rather avoid paint in my aquarium, where should i look to purchase something like driftwood for my aquarium?

Thank you

[lefty o]

it can be bought online, but petsmarts/petco etc typically have mopani wood. if its not in the fish decoration section, you will for sure find some in the lizard section.

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 10:39 AM, Ryan1988 said:

Hello,

I'm looking to add wood to my aquarium but places like petsmart only have fake, painted wood. I'd rather avoid paint in my aquarium, where should i look to purchase something like driftwood for my aquarium?

Thank you

Huh weird, all my wood has been exclusively bought from Petco/ smart (it seems to get sold fast though!) it’s usually between the fish and reptile isle 

On 12/20/2022 at 10:44 AM, lefty o said:

it can be bought online, but petsmarts/petco etc typically have mopani wood. if its not in the fish decoration section, you will for sure find some in the lizard section.

They also have spider wood

[Ryan1988]

 @Aiden CarterYeah my petsmart has "wood" but it looks fake / painted. i just don't want painted items in my tank

[Schuyler]

On 12/20/2022 at 8:15 AM, Ryan1988 said:

 @Aiden CarterYeah my petsmart has "wood" but it looks fake / painted. i just don't want painted items in my tank

What brand is it?

[EVoyager31]

Even some of the wood at petco (especially from the lizard section) will leech tannins like crazy and never stop.. at least that happened to me once. You can always buy online or at your LFS..it is a staple everywhere though! Check FB marketplace too for driftwood.. I recently found a lady who lives on a lake and pulls these incredible pieces out of the water every week and sells them for a few bucks... wayyy cheaper than fish store or online. Just make sure you always ask if it has been treated, where it came from, etc.

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 11:40 AM, EVoyager31 said:

Even some of the wood at petco (especially from the lizard section) will leech tannins like crazy and never stop.. at least that happened to me once. You can always buy online or at your LFS..it is a staple everywhere though! Check FB marketplace too for driftwood.. I recently found a lady who lives on a lake and pulls these incredible pieces out of the water every week and sells them for a few bucks... wayyy cheaper than fish store or online. Just make sure you always ask if it has been treated, where it came from, etc.

I think that’s just the case with mopani wood in general (especially if you don’t boil it)

On 12/20/2022 at 11:15 AM, Ryan1988 said:

 @Aiden CarterYeah my petsmart has "wood" but it looks fake / painted. i just don't want painted items in my tank

Photos please! Here is what mine looks like (many different stages of my 2 tanks)

[cavdad45]

I usually do better getting rocks from LFS, but wood I get comes mostly from Petco. It takes a couple months to leech properly, which i do in a 5 gallon bucket and change the water every few days until it's stays clear.  There is a boiling method, but I havent tried it

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 12:57 PM, cavdad45 said:

I usually do better getting rocks from LFS, but wood I get comes mostly from Petco. It takes a couple months to leech properly, which i do in a 5 gallon bucket and change the water every few days until it's stays clear.  There is a boiling method, but I havent tried it

You always should boil wood, not only does it get all the tannins out but it also kills anything/ gets rid of harmful things that could be in/on the wood 

[Ryan1988]

@Aiden Carterwhat is LFS, and can you explain the boiling process?

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:40 PM, Ryan1988 said:

@Aiden Carterwhat is LFS, and can you explain the boiling process?

Lfs- local fish store usually mom and pop stores, ex. aquarium coop

 

boiling process-

1. take large pot of water

2. Bring to a boil

3. place in wood

4. Wait (depending on size, good starting time is 15-30 minutes)

[Ryan1988]

@Aiden CarterHow do you know when it is done?

[The endler guy]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:51 PM, Ryan1988 said:

@Aiden CarterHow do you know when it is done?

Not really any set time but usually boiling it for 15 minutes is more than enough 

[Ryan1988]

Thank you!

[Procrypsis]

Mopani and spider wood leach very little tannins.

Dragon wood leaches a lot.

Be careful of field collected wood - if you don't know the species of tree it came from I would avoid it.

Edited December 22, 2022 by Procrypsis
spelling

[mynameisnobody]

I’ve been keeping fish for close to a decade and have never boiled any wood that goes into my aquariums. I once also used the boiling method to remove tannins but other than that, I hose it down to get anything loose off and then just pop it in. I’ve never had an issue. The use of “you must always boil” is not correct. You should boil is probably more accurate and even that can be taken with a grain of salt. Obviously, common sense rules supreme here and if you fish a piece of driftwood out of a muddy marsh, then you may want to be more extensive with preparations. 

[The endler guy]

On 12/22/2022 at 6:52 AM, Procrypsis said:

Mopani and spider wood leach very little tannins.

Dragon wood leaches a lot.

Be careful of field collected wood - if you don't know the species of tree it came from I would avoid it.

I thought mopani leaches a lot

On 12/22/2022 at 8:13 AM, Mynameisnobody said:

I’ve been keeping fish for close to a decade and have never boiled any wood that goes into my aquariums. I once also used the boiling method to remove tannins but other than that, I hose it down to get anything loose off and then just pop it in. I’ve never had an issue. The use of “you must always boil” is not correct. You should boil is probably more accurate and even that can be taken with a grain of salt. Obviously, common sense rules supreme here and if you fish a piece of driftwood out of a muddy marsh, then you may want to be more extensive with preparations. 

I just like it (I don’t always do it mostly because it’s a lot of clean up or the wood doesn’t fit) but generally it’s just a good idea because it also cleans it, better to be safe than sorry! 

[Dutchaj]

I’ve bought a half dozen “large” and “extra large” pieces of Mopani from petco (they run good sales)

 

some leached and some didn’t at all.  The nice thing is they sink right away.

 

the one on the left is 3 pieces, is about 20” x 24” x 24”

 

I would buy more from there if I needed.

[lefty o]

On 12/22/2022 at 7:32 AM, Aiden Carter said:

I thought mopani leaches a lot

I just like it (I don’t always do it mostly because it’s a lot of clean up or the wood doesn’t fit) but generally it’s just a good idea because it also cleans it, better to be safe than sorry! 

mopani is the one that tends to leech a lot of dark tannins. not always, but usually.

[rockfisher]

Tannis are temporary add a little floss or carbon to your filter if you wish to remove them. It’s not necessary to boil wood. The tannis are mostly beneficial anyway. It is really up to you. Lots of collected wood is fine but but you should at least do a quick check in about wood in your area to make sure you don’t have something poisons to fish. There are a few in south Florida that are. I collect most of my own unless I need a soft wood that I prefer for all plecos so they can digest it easier.  Lastly carbon for in the filters will remove a lot of tannins. I use panty hose to put the carbon in they are very handy in the fish room. Tannins are temporary so if you find the right wood for your the look of your aquarium I would use it and just deal with the tannis short term.  
 

I add tannis to some tanks and if you ever have a tank with constant bacteria issues tannins work great and I find fry do best in water with tannis. I know it’s a choice and I also have tanks that I want crystal clear, but if I had the perfect piece of wood I would wait out the tannins. Good luck.

Edited December 22, 2022 by rockfisher

[sairving]

I bought mopani wood from my LFS but Petco and PetSmart always seem to have it. This picture was taken after a water change so the water looks clear. After 7 months my wood still leaches tannins. I like tannins in my water though so it's not a big deal. 

This is my tank this morning.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by sairving

[lefty o]

On 12/22/2022 at 9:48 AM, Pepere said:

If you pull it out and it is limp like cooked spaghetti, you overdid it….

al dente!

[CJhilljack]

I purchased wood at my LFS, I don't recall what kind it was, but the label said it was safe to add the wood directly to the aquarium, if desired, and that the tannins would clear up after a few weeks. It's been 4 months now, & my water is still very dark. Would those who commented they don't boil please let me know if the tannins ever cleared up in your tanks?

The image below is after a 50% water change just this morning. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by CJhilljack
add info & image