Bogwood - what do you do?

I have always just soaked my bogwood for a couple of weeks before putting in the tank, but recently I've seen a few people say (not on this forum, but others) that they boil their wood first.

Does anyone else do this? I have been doing the wrong thing?? I have a new bit soaking at the moment, hence the question.

Angela

If the piece is small enough to fit in a pan and its really dirty I boil it. Just makes it sink faster. If the piece is larger I take it to a car wash and use the power washer without soap or anything to clean it then throw in my pond to soak till it sinks.

Its basically how much you want to mess with it.

High Angela, the only draw back to boiling your wood is breaks down the woods integrity and therefore leads to quicker rotting in your tank.
I guess if it's a really thick piece you could try it - just not for so long and it will help getting a fair amount of tannins out of it.
J

Kurosaki J wrote:

High Angela, the only draw back to boiling your wood is breaks down the woods integrity and therefore leads to quicker rotting in your tank.
I guess if it's a really thick piece you could try it - just not for so long and it will help getting a fair amount of tannins out of it.
J

I normally soak, unless there is a real benefit from doing it I wont bother !

Soak to make it sink
I've not sure where it's been I sometime treat with PP but it's very messy and it stains so have to becarful but it do kill anything on it

i put it in a builders mixing buckett with hot water and 2kg bag of aquarium salt for a few days changing the water daily untill the waters not too brown

He hey jagtazman whats this "PP" product? Do you know anything about making home brew? I've found "Sodium Meta-bisulphate" is awesome for cleaning bugs and germs off of bare wood - have'nt tried it with a planted piece yet.
J

Hi, i have a koi pond out the back with a biological filter. I usually leave the wood in there for 6 weeks and the water doesn't go murcy. When i take the wood out it's covered in a green slime, i simply wash it away and place it in my tank.

Works a treat!!

deano wrote:

i put it in a builders mixing buckett with hot water and 2kg bag of aquarium salt for a few days changing the water daily untill the waters not too brown

sounds like the best way to do it...

Curby wrote:

deano wrote:

i put it in a builders mixing buckett with hot water and 2kg bag of aquarium salt for a few days changing the water daily untill the waters not too brown

sounds like the best way to do it...

Don't have aquarium salt - will pure seasalt do?

GrubbyGirl wrote:

Curby wrote:

deano wrote:

i put it in a builders mixing buckett with hot water and 2kg bag of aquarium salt for a few days changing the water daily untill the waters not too brown

sounds like the best way to do it...

Don't have aquarium salt - will pure seasalt do?

to be honest you dont really need any salt its just a really really safe way of doing thing's......i simply got a bucket of cold water and soaked untill it sank then i cleaned it a few time's untill the water went clear...it generally takes a week to soak but ive soaked a piece in 2 days......dont forget you use normal water for water change's so using it on the wood will do no harm to your fish its the colour it turns your water that everybody worry's about....a good bucket of water will do the trick....

That's what I have always done myself. I must admit that I would worry the salt would absorb into the wood and cause a problem in the tank.

Cheers curby

the water changes gets rid of most the salt and the aquarium salt will not harm your fish

On the subject of bogwood, I am setting up a new 120 litre plec tank and could do with a decent centre piece anyone got any spare / point me to someone who as, so long as its not the stupid LFS prices that is

you should have been at castleford fish auction last night their was some really inpresive peices for next to nothing

deano wrote:

you should have been at castleford fish auction last night their was some really inpresive peices for next to nothing

A bit late now lol
Not really into auctions, maybe about time I went, keep checking flebay but nothing special atm

Jagtazman wrote:

deano wrote:

you should have been at castleford fish auction last night their was some really inpresive peices for next to nothing

A bit late now lol
Not really into auctions, maybe about time I went, keep checking flebay but nothing special atm

Did you see this one?

now thats some peice would cost a arm and a leg in the LFS

deano wrote:

now thats some peice would cost a arm and a leg in the LFS

At 15 to 20kg I wouldn't even have the strength to lift that into the tank!!

I dunno if you have one up where you live, but at the range down here, they got some great chunks of mopani wood for £1.99! I got a whopping piece, and it even has it's own little 'cave' in it, so fingers crossed, they got plenty of caves to breed in now lol!

As for what I do with it, I tend to soak it over night, wash it over and then stick it in. The carbon filter media absorbs the tannins no problem, so I never get the tea water effect

Good post Spreebok, I forgot all about adding the carbon to help with the tannins,
I forgot due to the fact I don't use it anymore, the fish tend to like the water a bit softer and I'm not getting the "tea water" effect anymore.
J

Quote :

Good post Spreebok, I forgot all about adding the carbon to help with the tannins,
I forgot due to the fact I don't use it anymore, the fish tend to like the water a bit softer and I'm not getting the "tea water" effect anymore.

Haha, I have my uses
And definatly, all the fish I have seem to have perked up since I added the first piece of driftwood a while back

Yup , Plecs+driftwood/bogwood=a must put together.

J

Quote :

Yup , Plecs+driftwood/bogwood=a must put together

BFF's for life!

I soak mine in the bathtub with tons of table salt and keep refilling with hot water every few days as needed or until my husband starts complaining :P I keep it in a large bucket of hot water while showering - never shower with your wood :roll: :roll:

I normally buy LOADS of small pieces and do them all at once, then store them in a bucket of salty water until needed. I go through a lot for some reason, it always seems to vanish but nothing is eating it haha. I think I keep giving most of it away :roll:

Jagtazman wrote:

On the subject of bogwood, I am setting up a new 120 litre plec tank and could do with a decent centre piece anyone got any spare / point me to someone who as, so long as its not the stupid LFS prices that is

Pier in Wigan had LOADS of massive bits last time I was in