The Puffer Forum

I don'It see how you can compare a lot of things to what goes on in nature, where there is 100% filtration & 100% water changes 100% of the time, Ummm... except in the Gulf...

J-P wrote:now children .......

play nice


I understand the chem is different. Thus, I posted the question I also understand that wood is very porous and may be able to contain the beneficial bacteria.

As for lowering the PH .. that is new information and I thank you. My FW has drift wood and CO2 and the PH is still high.. can't explain that one. It seems to be a ratio that is unknown to me.

As far as I see it, I have 2 options with 2 tanks... try one with and one without... and record the findings .. or just go either way and hope for the best. Of these options none will be detrimental to the tank as it is more an experiment than anything else. If it works, bonus ... if not ... not problem.

You cured your driftwood, correct? That releases all the tannins before getting in the tank. Fresh twigs and chunks of wood will have tons of tannins. Some older driftwoods don't have very many tannins in them anymore.

Oye, I was just commenting on the mush. Nothing else.

I didn't say that in my original post though so sorry. I said it in my head

Flutter wrote:Oye, I was just commenting on the mush. Nothing else.

I didn't say that in my original post though so sorry. I said it in my head

Ha okay that's completely fine.

Flutter wrote:Oye, I was just commenting on the mush. Nothing else.

I didn't say that in my original post though so sorry. I said it in my head

yes, as I mentioned, I am not worried about the tannis ...It is a fully cured piece of driftwood. I am not worried about phosphates ... I "think" I can keep those in check.

Just worried about "mush" and the PH swing.

BUT if I go that route I'll test it out and let you guys know. I was just hoping for someone with first hand experience.

I have had a piece of driftwood at full marine for almost 3 years. One of those reasonably priced, light ones they sell all over the place attached to a piece of slate, not the dense bogwood that sinks on it's own(I have that in my brackish tank). It was in brackish for about half a year before that, after which it seemed tapped out of tannins to leech. It's a bit soft on the outside, but not falling apart. Some coral in the tank seemed adequate to offset the PH drop it would have caused during that 6 months and I'm pretty sure it's been more or less inert since then. If it does rot too much at any point in the future I'll probably replace it with a plastic one so I won't have tea colored water for 6 months.

I wouldn't put driftwood in a marine tank, but if you like the look just get some fake drift wood.

Just gave the wood a squeeze when I did my big water change today. Slightly soft and slimy on the surface, like any driftwood I've handled, but totally solid under that.

Slimy isn't good.

I hadn't thought it mattered much - almost anything I have in a fish tank for over a week or two seems to get a very thin coat with a slightly slimy feel, that isn't normal?

No slime here. My opinion would be to keep the wood in FW.

Nick wrote:I hadn't thought it mattered much - almost anything I have in a fish tank for over a week or two seems to get a very thin coat with a slightly slimy feel, that isn't normal?

Mine is more than a week, but yah definately over a month its gets slimey.

Is it a problem if my fish are slimy?

All fish should have a slime coat, right.

You're right! Fish are quite slimy