Praecox Rainbow Problem We Have a Fungus Amongst Us! 6/25/2009 Hi there, <Hello again Andrew!> Was hoping this message might reach Mike again! My little friends are in a spot of bother again. Everything has been going fine, until yesterday that is. I woke to find one of my praecox females gulping at the surface, and another two with rapid breathing. A few white patches have appeared on their fins this time, but not so much around their mouth. <Uh oh. I do not recall if you have a separate tank to use as a hospital or quarantine tank, but I would remove the fish immediately and start treating for a fungal infection. Treating the entire tank is an option, but do realize that it will kill off your biological filter, causing the tank to cycle again; and will likely kill off any snails and the like in the tank. . Do see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwfishmeds.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwfshparasites.htm > This time I've attached a pic showing the "white fuzz" growing on my driftwood. It started in one very small area on the back of one piece, but has now moved to all three pieces, this one being the worst effected. I wonder if you are able to identify it, and perhaps shed some light on whether or not it may be related to the problems I'm having. <Looks like a fungus, perhaps Saprolegnia sp. The driftwood was not likely the source of the fungus, but is does serve as a perfect incubator for it. I would remove the driftwood immediately and dispose of it. If you add more driftwood, you may want to consider adding some Java Fern as well - It grows readily on driftwood and will out compete the fungus it is also very easy to grow and is attractive. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/javafernfaqs.htm > My water is still testing fine, 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, and PH holding steady at 7.0. <Very good. You did not list your temperature, but I am willing to bet it is somewhere around 24° - 26°C. > Just one small piece of info to add, is that about 1 week ago, I added 1 additional female. Ironically, this new fish has no symptoms whatsoever, but I also understand it may have been the culprit that introduced this pathogen. <This is a possibility. You may want to institute a dip and quarantine procedure when introducing new livestock. This is most often used for marine fish, but it certainly cannot hurt for FW fish as well. A FW dip with formalin and Methylene blue can certainly reduce the likelihood of this occurring in the future. The following article was written for marine tanks, but the dipping procedures are certainly applicable to FW as well. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm > Thanks for you time. <My pleasure as always. Do write back with the results.> Andrew B <MikeV>

Aquarium safe woods  6/11/09
Hello,
I am in the middle of planning a tank for SA Cichlids. I was wondering if there are any safe woods that I can collect myself and how to cure them or do you recommend buying commercial drift wood for my aquascaping?
Thanks,
Dan
<Hi Dan. In theory you could use a variety of non-resinous woods, and things like apple, beech and oak have been used. But there are some specific issues. Firstly, fresh wood contains some organic material that
rots quickly, and this produces fungal threads. While unsightly rather than harmful, it does indicate additional decay going on in the tank, and this in turn means your filter is having to work that bit harder. The bigger
problem though is pesticide residues. Even small amounts can kill fish very quickly, and cichlids are especially sensitive to poisons. I've made this mistake before, and managed to kill a breeding pair of Nanochromis transvestitus by sticking in some rose wood that had been sprayed recently (and without my knowledge). So be ultra-careful about where you collect your wood. All things considered, artificial wood and aquarium-grade bogwood are probably the safest options, if not necessarily the least expensive. Cheers, Neale.>

Fire Belly Newt 3/27/2009
Hello.
<Hi.>
I put a lilac branch for the newts to climb on and now I have noticed a clear slime growing on the branch.
<Is this within a few days? If so, most probably fungal decay. Harmless in itself, but will be consuming oxygen and dumping ammonia onto your filtration system. Generally, it isn't a good idea to add fresh wood to an aquarium.>
I did some research and all I can find is a web page
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/slime1.htm
that has what looks like that type of slime. Listed on the page under Slime Mold In A Fish Aquarium. Named plasmodium.
<Perhaps, but there is absolutely no way you can identify this either way, unless you're a mycologist. All fungi look very similar, once you realise the mushroom part is simply the fruiting body and the fungus itself is the mass of white threads.>
I was looking at one of the newts mouths and noticed what looks like a cut under the bottom lip. I am not sure how to treat this.
<Use an amphibian-safe anti-fungus medication.>
Can I use a anti fungus fish medication?
<If the package states clearly "Safe for use on Amphibians". If not, don't use it. Amphibians differ from fish in many ways, not least of all breathing through their skins, so some chemicals harmless to fish can cause major problems for amphibians. Your local amphibian/reptile specialist pet store should be able to help; failing that, call a vet.>
I took out the branch and I think I will change the water to be safe. Also, can I use salt treatments?
<Not with amphibians, no.>
After reading up on this slime on the web, I am worried about the newts.
<The two things are not really related. The fungi that cause fungal infections on fish and amphibians are ubiquitous to aquaria, being part of the normal nitrogen cycle. How do you think fish faeces and uneaten food is broken into the ammonia the bacteria use? Correct, it's fungi that do that! So the saprotrophic fungi are there already.>
Can you please help? Thanks.
<Cheers, Neale.>

pH always increasing   2/27/09
Hello-
My question is in regard to the water parameters of my planted freshwater tropical tank.
The 20 gallon tank has been set up for two or three years. I used two large bags "eco-complete" black aquarium gravel, which I got because it seemed like the best choice for plants. I also have driftwood and two rocks that did not fizz when I put vinegar on them (I think quartz). It is moderately to heavily planted with many species of plants. When I initially filled it I used conditioned tap water, which has a pH of 7.6 to 7.8. I continued to do water changes using tap water until about 8 months ago, when I decided that I wanted to gradually lower the pH to about 6.5. I began doing monthly 25% water changes with RO water, (and topping off evaporation with too), but I mixed the water change water with an electrolyte and trace element product called "electro-right".
The pH of this prepared water was about 6.4. I added the clean water gradually, (over several days), so I wouldn't shock the livestock. I did this for a few months, and each time the pH would initially drop but then rise back to 7.6-7.8 after a couple days. I collected some dead red oak leaves from my yard and put in six. A few weeks ago I bought a peat granule product which I have added to my filter. The pH is still 7.5-7.8! How do I naturally lower it and keep it low?
<Mmm, remove the "quartz" rocks methinks>
Oh, and I have tested it with my own digital pH monitor, which I calibrated and tested 3 times in the last month, and brought a water sample to the LFS which they tested with a titration kit.
Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.
Sam
<Likely the rock is continuing to dissolve... particularly in the presence of your added acids. Try removing them. Bob Fenner>

Re: pH always increasing  3/1/09 
thanks, I'll give it a try right away.
<Ahh, please do report back your observations. BobF>

Red Worms In Aquarium, FW, /driftwood    1/7/09
Dear WetWebMedia Crew:
After searching through dozens of answered questions on your site, I have not found an exact answer to my "problem." If the same question has already been asked, I'm terribly sorry! So here's my tank issue(s):
Tonight I came home from a two week vacation to find some dreaded snails--the small, tiny ones that reproduce like rabbits on steroids--in my 37-gallon freshwater tank. I realized they must have come in on the driftwood that I had purchased from a LFS just before I left for vacation. I mentally kicked myself for not quarantining it.
<Okay... not the end of the world... I assure you>
In an attempt to rid myself of some of the snails, I removed two of the three pieces of driftwood and soaked them in cold tap water, hoping that maybe the chlorine might kill them off
<Need a higher concentration...
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwdusefaqs.htm>
. After soaking for a few hours, I removed the wood and drained the water only to find these tiny red worms wriggling in my sink! They were thread-like and only about a 1/2 centimeter or so in length.
There is no way I could have taken a clear picture of them with my camera.
I'd need an DSLR camera to zoom in that closely!
<These also are likely not much of a problem>
I immediately rushed to the computer to figure out what they could be.
Most sites and postings I found seemed to think they were harmless nematodes
<More likely Annelids but still, not likely a worry>
that could be kept under control with water changes and gravel siphoning.
However, I came across some postings that warned of the Camallanus worm.
<Are definitely not these... would have to come in via a fish host>
I searched for pictures of this said worm and found some disturbing photos of red worms hanging from the vents of fish.
This would not have been a concern since none of my fish seemed to have any sort of anal issues or visible worms, but then it hit me. A week before I left, I had returned an Australian rainbowfish to a LFS that seemed to have a rectal prolapse or something. Something (that was not feces) was protruding slightly from its anus, and two, very thin red lines (spikes almost) came out of the vent as well. They looked almost like blood vessels, but I returned him just in case it was an illness.
I had kept him, along with two other Australian rainbowfish, in a quarantine tank when I initially bought them. I returned the odd one because I didn't want to introduce him to my big tank just before I left on vacation, only to return to find everyone belly up!
(I apologize for the novel...) So my questions are: What exactly could those red worms that I found in my driftwood be?
<Most probably species of roundworms... not pathogenic/parasitic>
Could they be harmful?
<Very doubtful>
If so, what should my course of action be?
<Just usual maintenance... likely siphoning your gravel will remove most, and those that might remain are very likely of more use than deleterious.>
And if what that A. rainbowfish had was indeed a Camallanus worm infection, could he have infected my other two A. rainbowfish that are now in my 37 gallon tank with everyone else??
<Mmm, a possibility, though again, quite remote>
Unfortunately, I have found no information on the Camallanus worm's life cycle.
<Is posted about on the Net...>
I have read that if the fish are doing well, any worms you find probably aren't harmful, but I'm paranoid--I love these guys!
Also, I do have a few live bearers in my tank (one plumetail platy, one blue platy and two of her babies, three guppies, and a balloon belly molly). I read on your site that the Camallanus worm is not uncommon in livebearers purchased in the US...
<Correct>
I really appreciate your time and effort!
Thank you in advance,
Chelsea
<Thank you for writing so well... lucidly, completely. I assure you that your situation is not dire... There is very likely nothing to be overly concerned about here. If this were my system, I would do nothing overt here. NOT move these fishes, NOT place a chemical treatment. Bob Fenner>

Re: Follow up question... wood use, FW... cycling...   9/29/08
Hi Neale and crew,
Below you said I should add some plants to the tank, and suggested plants on "bogwood". I've got a couple of questions about this.
1) Is bogwood the same as driftwood?
<If it's sold in an aquarium shop, yes.>
2) I've read that driftwood will inevitably lower the pH in my tank, and I don't really want it any lower. It's around 7.6. Is it really inevitable?
I've got Anubias planted on driftwood coming today.
<Depends on the carbonate hardness (measured with your KH test kit). In hard water, if you do regular 25-50% water changes, you're unlikely to experience any serious pH changes with moderate amounts of bogwood. Stick a tonne of the stuff in a soft water aquarium, and things do need to be watched a bit more closely.>
3) In addition to the Anubias, I have some Limnobium coming and plan to put both plants in my 55g when they get here. My tank is trying desperately to cycle. There is no livestock in it at the moment, although there has been, I just moved them due to not being able to keep ammonia levels in check. So right now my readings are. NH3/4+ = 1.0, NO2 = .50, and NO3 = 5.00. Is it ok to add the plants at this point? Or are ammonia levels too high?
<It's fine; in fact the plants will use the ammonia as fertiliser.>
4) I know that adding the plants will have an effect on the cycle. I'm hoping that NH3 at least will go down, but realistically what should I expect as far as water chemistry at this point? Will the tank go into a "silent cycle"?
<It's cycle just fine.>
5) Since I removed the livestock, I've been adding two pinches of flake food daily as an ammonia source. Once I add the plants should I continue to do this?
<Yes, right up to the point the ammonia and nitrite remain zero.>
Thanks for the help.
Laura
<I hope his helps, Neale.>

Making Fake rocks, BGs    7/23/08
Hello WWM,
<Hello,>
I am setting up a 150 gallon aquarium for a Mississippi turtle and some U.S. native fish (some pumpkinseed sunfish, a white sucker and some fathead minnows). My question concerns the artificial rock background I am planning to make. I was planning to use the pink foam insulation boards with a coat of grout with some of the sand that will be used as the aquariums substrate mixed in. The only grout that my local home supply store carries has an anti-mold agent premixed into it. Their grout companies website (http://www.mapei.com/BioBlock/english/advantage.htm) states (or rather implies) that the anti-mold agent in their grout is not water-soluble and will not leach into water. Do you think it would be safe to use?
<Not safe; the same anti-mould chemicals are in silicone sealant not designed for aquaria, and known to be toxic, hence the requirement to use aquarium silicone sealant rather than the generic stuff.>
Do you know of any other alternatives to grout?
<Polyurethane foam (e.g., "Great Stuff") has been much discussed (and used) to make 3-D backdrops for aquaria and appears to be non-toxic. But you'd need to cover it with sand or something to make it look realistic. Never used the stuff myself, and I'd heartily suggest a bit of time online Googling to find first-hand experiences. Will also make the point that some fish can destroy the stuff, notoriously Panaque catfish but likely anything big that likes to scratch or scrape.>
I would really like to use something with sand or gravel in it (meaning no concrete), as I plan to mix the some of the substrate sand into it, so it appears that the sand in the substrate is made from the rock. Would plaster of Paris work or would it just dissolve?
<Would dissolve, albeit slowly.>
Thanks for any insight you can offer on my situation. Rick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Treating bog wood – 06/28/08
Hello
i was wondering if you could help me( you most probably can being the fish gurus that you guys are :) ) . I found a nice piece of bog wood at my local pet shop. I need some help curing it. i have placed it in an empty container of water, but it seems to be developing a fungus, is there anything i can do to prevent this? i hope to use this piece of wood in one of my discus tanks but at the moment there is very little chance of that. any advice you could give me would be appreciated
cheers
Yasi
<Greetings. You can't stop non-cured wood from becoming fungused in aquaria. Water + organic material = fungi + bacteria. Simple as that. But this isn't necessarily a disaster. Plecs, for example, will eat the fungus. Panaque spp. in particular love "fresh" wood, but most other herbivorous Plecs will eat the fungus at least. The impact on water quality will be minimal: the amount of protein in the wood is very low, so rotting wood doesn't contribute much to the ammonia in the system. Rotting wood does of course consume oxygen and lower pH, but those issues are easily managed in a large, well filtered aquarium with a decent amount of carbonate hardness in the water. I rarely both curing wood for this reason, and just stick the stuff straight into the tank. Your own mileage may vary of course, so take that experience for what it is -- my experience. If you want to play it safe, the best thing to do is cure the wood elsewhere. The old trick is to place rocks, wood, shells or whatever in the cistern of a flushing lavatory. After a few weeks or months of being constantly immersed in regularly changed water, the stuff should be nice and clean. Cheers, Neale.>

Lysol...!  3/12/08
My "sweet" son dumped Lysol on all the rocks we were cleaning from our fish tank. They are a mix of quartz, volcanic (very porous) and sandstone?. Are these rocks in any way salvageable? We have one lonely old African Cichlid and were in the process of building up a new tank.... gotta love kids!
Thank you,
Deanna
<Mmm, I'd give them a long rinse in hot water, perhaps a bleach washing (please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnornart.htm
"Children, the promise of tomorrow... If they make it that far!" Bob Fenner>

Driftwood and pH – 1/2/08
Dear WWM crew,
I have driftwood in my freshwater aquarium to keep the pH lowered in the summertime. Now I am experiencing a problem in the wintertime; the driftwood is keeping my pH too low and sometimes I am reading 0 pH. I would like to remove the driftwood. I was told once you remove the wood and it dries out you can not put it back in the tank.
<Mmm, not so. May have to be re-waterlogged to "keep it from floating"...>
Is that true? Or how can I preserve it for future use? Also, I have be using baking soda to keep the pH leveled. Is it safe to use baking soda or is there any other ideas you might have to keep the pH normal? Should I get coral and put it in the tank? Please give advice. Thanks again for all your help. Jean
<Mmm, perhaps removal of some part (half?) of the driftwood, stepping up water changes time/percentage-wise will offset the loss of alkalinity here. Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Algae or what? FW   11/1/07
Hi Crew,
Recently ( 3 month ago) I setup planted 20 gallon hexagon tank:
fish= 6 harlequin Rasboras and 3 gold rams
plants= water sprite, Amazon swords, java moss and java fern.
Water parameters: pH= 6.7, NH3= 0 ppm, NO2= 0 ppm, NO3= 5 ppm
Lighting= 40 Watts, 12 hrs per day
<All seems fine.>
I do not have any algae on the glass at all, but I see long gray hair on the driftwood. What is that? Is it dangerous for fish?
<Ah, no, this isn't algae, but is likely fungal or bacterial in nature. It's common on bogwood (or any other kind of wood) that hasn't been "cured" properly. It indicates that the wood still contains sufficient organic material for bacteria or fungi to feed on. It is basically harmless, though perhaps unsightly. You can wash it off if you want. Some fish will eat this "mould", such as Plecos, and snails and shrimps may well peck at it too.>
Thank you for your help
Mark
<Cheers, Neale>

African root wood and African Mopani wood questions 10/14/07
Hi:
<Hello>
I purchased a piece of wood from my local fish store last night that I was told was "African root wood". It was in a tank and is dark brown in color. When I handled it at the store, bits of black material were left on my hands.
<I am familiar>
I have found the terms African root wood and African Mopani wood on the internet. Are they the same material?
<Can be, yes>
Since this piece of wood has already been in a tank (they said about six months) do I need to treat it in any way? I would like to boil the piece of wood but it is large and unwieldy to fit into a household pot on the stove. I suppose I could pour boiling water over it but that wouldn't really permeate inside like I think it should. I suppose I could let it soak a few days in dilute vinegar water but then I imagine I would really need to let it soak in plain water to be sure all the acidic vinegar had now leached out.
<I would not treat the wood... if, as you state, it has been in use for months already. Over time, this material does decompose... may lend a color to the water... perhaps change the pH and hardness to an extent. Not usually a worry. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for any help on this topic.

Just a question... Rocks from the beach, use/FW  – 09/14/07
Hi I own a ten gallon tank and I found some stones on the beach and was wondering if I could put them i the tank? I have platies and tetras. If I
can put them in what are the procedures for doing so?
<Depends on the stones. If they're non-soluble, non-porous things like granite or flint, then simply washing well with hot water should make them adequately safe. Anything soluble, like limestone or coral, is less useful because these will change the pH and hardness of the tank (to test, add some acid: if there's fizzing, the rock contains lime). The platies won't mind, but the neons will. So these sorts of rocks shouldn't be used. Porous rocks, like pumice, are generally best avoided because anything dead in the holes can decay in the aquarium and pollute the water. If in doubt, leave the stones out and just use ones bought from a tropical fish store. In a 10 gallon tank especially, hollow ornaments would displace less water and create hiding places for your fish, particularly baby platies. As such, they'd be much better value. Cheers, Neale>

Re: Just a question... testing FW substrates  – 09/14/07
Thank you Nelle, but how long should I soak them in the vinegar for? I tried and only one to three bubbles came up, so I put them in the tank is it alright?
<No, you don't soak in acid. You add acid (like vinegar) and if there are bubbles, that means the stone contains lime. Lime + acid = carbon dioxide. The conclusion is you CANNOT use this stone in a freshwater aquarium. If you put it in the aquarium, it will slowly dissolve raising the pH and hardness. Cheers, Neale>

Curious behavior? FW... dis.    8/22/07
Hi,
I have a small 6 gallon tank- new, about 4wks old. I had 3 small fish- 2 male Endler's and one Otocinclus, live plants and a piece of driftwood. At the start, I was doing small water changes every 2-3 to control ammonia and so forth, everything was fine. Last week however, I was gone for 4 days; I did a water change before I left and dropped some slow-release food.
When I returned, the water was very cloudy white, one endler died, and the other two fish were very stressed of course. I did a 40-50% water change and removed the driftwood (it was decaying), and the two calmed down a little. My LFS told me to check the ph, it went down to almost ph6- was ph7 before. They gave me some type of buffer powder and the ph is back to normal, and water is clear again.
The Oto seems to be acting fine, although it seems he has some white spots, and maybe even some goldish flecks on the body. But since I've only had these for a short time, I don't know if the gold color is it's normal coloration, the white spots maybe ick?
Also, the endler stays swimming up and down in one corner, by the filter current. It can swim normally, horizontally, but mainly doesn't want to swim anywhere else in the tank. Sometimes he moves to other parts, but mostly just swims up and down now. He didn't do this before.
Should I treat them with any medication? I raised the temp to 80-82, and have added salt. Anything else I should do? It's been a few days since everything's gone back to normal, should I just wait?
Thanks!- vanrey
<Greetings. The Otocinclus sp. likely have whitespot (or, less likely, velvet) and should be treated immediately. Use a proper whitespot medication, not salt or Melafix. It does sound as if the bogwood you purchased was not fully cured. Cured bogwood shouldn't rot, at least not noticeably. Bogwood does lower the pH though in tanks with low levels of carbonate hardness. In this case, I'd recommend sticking with fake bogwood instead. Endler guppies -- like all guppies -- want fairly hard and alkaline water. Given your mix of fish, aim for pH 7.5, and "moderately hard" water on whatever scale you're using. Guppies become very sickly at anything softer or more acidic than this. This is what you're seeing. Cheers, Neale>

Fungus ? White Fungus On Driftwood – 08/11/07
Hi hope you maybe able to shed some light on this stuff that is driving me crazy !!! I run a 280 litre tank , Fluval 405 external filter , VisiTherm 300 watt heater, aeration stone , a small power head for circulation and an Arcadia over tank luminaire t8 with 25 watt tubes which is on a timer between 3pm to 11pm everyday. My tank is well planted and I have some nice pieces of bogwood. The trouble is I have this white fluffy kind of fungus? on one piece of bogwood. It did happen to another piece I had but after relentless scrubbing and it just coming back. I threw it out, it also seems to be attacking my glass as well, now it is really driving me crazy any suggestions? My tank is stocked with the following fish 12 rummy nose tetras, 6 Glowlite tetras, 6 gold tetras, 6 neon tetras, 6 silver tip tetras, 2 euro rams, 1 scribble Plec, one bamboo shrimp and one Congo frog poss. to many fish? any help would be really appreciated. thank you
< The fungus is feeding on decaying wood. Soft woods that are not appropriate for the aquarium often get fungus attacking the soft tissues of the wood. Sometimes these tissues can be removed with a very stiff wire brush. Sometimes pieces can be cut off. You probably did the right thing by throwing it away. If you cannot find a reliable source of driftwood then start to look at the artificial woods to get the desired affect you are looking for. Next time please use the spell check/Grammar feature on your computer. Your run-on sentences sometimes make it hard to follow what you are trying to say. Thanks-Chuck>

Re: Fungus ? Now: Heater Requirements – 08/11/07
Hi Chuck, thanks for your swift reply, I think ill bin the furry bit! Just a quick one , at what temp do you think I should run my tank? its normally around 77/78 degrees is this ok? am having prob.s keeping consistent temperatures, I run a VisiTherm 300 watt heater. Do you think I should add one more? Thanks
< The size of the heater depends on the ambient room temperature and where you want the temperature to be. For instance. If your room was 80 F during the summer then you don't need a heater at all. If you have an air conditioner that keeps the room at 68 F then your heater has to raise the water temp by 10 degrees F top bring it up to 78 F. Your heater may be placed in a "dead spot". I mean an area in the tank that doesn't get much water circulation. Place the heater in an area where the filter forces the water over it. You should get better hear circulation. BTW, 78 F is just fine for the fish that you have.-Chuck>

Texas holey rock – 08/02/07
Hi Crew
<Hi Rick.>
I was thinking about buying some Texas holey rock I have seen for sale. They say it is limestone. <is>
The people say it is safe to use in saltwater tanks?
<Likely so.>
I said its safe to use in saltwater tanks when WetWebMedia says it is LOL <laughing out loud?>. I love the rock its big with lots of holes and unique shapes and only a buck a pound. I was going to add 4 large pieces to a new tank set up and add some smaller live rock to let it grow on the new bare Texas Holey rock. Your knowledge is always appreciated.
<Texas holey rock is limestone with holes from erosion with acid rain and groundwater. It’s adequate for African cichlid tanks, but does not have the high porosity of live rock or dry coral skeletons sometimes referred to as reef rock or ocean rock. Therefore I’d prefer live rock or possibly ocean rock (which is cheap, too) for biological filtration and denitrification. Holey rock won’t help much and just look nice.>
Thanks Rick.
<You are welcome. Cheers, Marco.>

New Freshwater Tank and Cypress Driftwood  7/31/07
Hi,
<Hello,>
I just found you're site and have been up all night (literally) reading everything! This is great, finally a place where there are answers to questions instead of advertisements for products.
<Cool.>
My tank is a 30 gal with River pebbles and pea gravel bottom. So far, the only occupants are 2 purple Mystery Snails and they've only be there for two or three days, they're doing great!
<Good. Just remember that mystery/apple snails [a] don't really mix with fish and [b] are subtropical beasts and die quickly when kept too warm all year round. They're best kept alone in their own tank.>
I just have one or two quick questions. I just purchased a piece of Cypress Driftwood from Florida and am having it shipped to where I live, I figured I'd just pop it in the tank (novice that I am), then I started reading about driftwood and tanks. OK, is Cypress OK to use in a freshwater tank that will contain guppies and the 2 (for now anyway) snails?
<Assuming the wood has been [a] aged and [b] not treated with chemicals, then yes, it should be safe. Confirm with the supplier before doing anything else that the wood is sold for aquarium use. Sometimes bogwood is sold as an ornament and hasn't been aged, so when you put it in the tank it leaches organic acids. Worse still, if it's been sprayed with a preservative or varnish, that'll harm your fishes.>
Because I live in a small apartment, I won't be able to boil it but I can soak it. Should I soak it in anything but just plain water or is there something I can put in the water to help the process along?
<Here's an old school method for curing wood in the home: stick it in the cistern of the loo. Every time someone flushes, it gets rinsed and then soaks up the new water. After a few weeks or months, you should notice a lot less brown stuff (tannins) coming out of the wood, and that's the time to use the wood. Guppies and snails in particular hate acidic water conditions, so monitor the pH of your tank once you've installed the wood. If you have very hard and alkaline water already (and many of us do) then this probably won't be an issue, because the carbonate hardness in the water will neutralise the acids from the wood. But if you live in a soft water area, then adding a big dollop of organic acid will cause major problems. For both the guppies and the snails, you want something around pH 7, and "moderately" to "very" hard on whatever hardness test kit you're using.>
I've already realized that I'm going to need a second tank for guppy babies, let's face it they are prolific breeders to say the least! I haven't even got fish in the first tank yet - guess I'm really hooked. I used to have 2 - 20 gal, 1 - 10 gal, 1 - 5 gal and a 1.5 gal when I was just playing around with guppies for fun, back then I used plastic plants, no frequent water changes (maybe monthly) and then it was change everything and scrub and clean and put the guppies back into totally new water! They thrived anyway.
<Guppies can be pretty fecund, though this varies depending on factors like diet, predation, water quality, etc. The best way to "rescue" baby guppies if you don't have lots of extra tanks is to install floating plants like hornwort. The baby guppies instinctively hide among them, and all else being equal a significant number will survive.>
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Lynn
<Cheers, Neale>

Question about cypress driftwood and African yellow lab cichlids.. Lake Malawi Cichlid With Driftwood – 07/24/07
Hello, I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with regular gravel and water in it. I want to add a lot, and I mean a lot of cypress driftwood into it. The cypress driftwood is currently soaking in a sink in my garage. My other 55 gallon tank has yellow lab cichlids, with about 40 babies in it (the parents had kids). I want to add the cypress into the new tank first, then add the yellow lab babies. I was wondering if a lot of cypress will affect the PH for the yellow labs. If I do frequent water changes, have carbon in the filter, and monitor the PH ( I use SeaChem alkaline buffer), will everything be alright? Before I go ahead and do this, I just wanted your opinion, to put my mind at ease. Have you or anyone you know had problems with African cichlids and cypress driftwood before? I greatly appreciate your help and information on this site!!
<The organics in the water like driftwood absorb calcium ions. When all the calcium is absorbed their will be excess hydrogen ions in the water that will then bring down the pH. Frequent water changes will help replenish the calcium in the water. Adding a buffer would be good insurance. I think you will be fine.-Chuck>

Flagstone... use for?   6/23/07
I recently purchased some flagstone from Home Dept. I have looked all over the internet and your website for specifics on safety of Flagstone.
Is flagstone as safe as some of the other rocks?
<Mmm, most such rock is composed of sandstone... in turn a mix of mostly silicates (largely chemically inert) and some other material with variable solubility... IF you're using this material in a setting where the water is not too acidic, or alternatively don't mind/can use the slight alkaline reserve this material will impart (e.g. Great Lakes African Cichlid, Central American biotopes, as a surround on a garden pond... there is not likely a cause for concern... I would NOT use this material in most marine aquarium applications... more for the need/use of more soluble calcareous material, than toxicity issues. Bob Fenner>

Rock weight and glass breakage, FW  – 05/02/07
I have a few questions about rocks. First, I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank and I was wondering how much weight in rock I can aquascape with. I am just concerned about glass breakage from all the weight.
<It’s not only about the weight in rock. It is about stress and strength of your glass. Imagine a large rock touching the bottom of a tank only at three points. Stresses at these points will be rather high. Now imagine 10 smaller rocks of the same total weight touching the tank at 30 points. Much smaller stresses. In addition, glasses and acrylic materials used to build tanks vary with regard to their thickness and strength, so it is impossible to make specific calculations for you. To be on the safe side, you may want to use some egg crate below your rocks. This will decrease stresses very much.
Anyway, most glass breakage in tanks does not occur due to static situations, but due to dynamic ones, e.g. a rock falling down/tipping over. Secure your rocks to exclude that. Cable wraps can be used to hold them together.>
I also have a 56 gallon reef tank (just got my first coral a few days, very cool stuff) and I was wondering if stacking live rock against the tank walls is ok, I have seen spectacular looking tanks with live rock stacked against the tanks walls. I have heard this was not a good thing to do and may cause your tank to break.
<See above, the answer is the same.>
Thank you for your time and help.
<You are welcome. Marco.>

Lace rock growth, likely BGA   5/2/07
Hey all!
<Denise>
After a quick search, I decided to just ask.... I have lace rock in a cichlid tank. After about 1 month, the rock has started growing a blackish film/'algae' type? growth?
<Yes... likely Cyanobacteria...>
  I am in hopes it is not the beginning of the black beard type algae :(  I did soak this batch in RO water for a few weeks and rinsed it well to remove sediment etc.
I plan to add a phosphate hoping this will solve the problem.
<Not likely limiting here... Often Lace Rock is a source itself...>
I am wondering if this is common with lace rock?
<Not uncommon>
I have also used it in another
aquarium with the same issue.
<Do read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwbgafaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
Thanks!
Denise
BTW, once upon a time it was easier to find what we search for with the 'cached' option, this is not available any longer?  Researching is no longer user friendly on this site
<Do try the search tool here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
Unfortunately, all others are not "cached" capable... Google Adsense doesn't offer such. Bob Fenner>

Collected Rock for FW use prep.  4/18/07
Hi,
I have done quite a lot of research on the web and on your site, and though other people have asked similar questions, I couldn't find a specific enough answer. Here goes: I found some beautiful black-and-white striped rock on a beach in Santa Barbara, CA. I tested it with some vinegar, and yes, the white part does fizz slightly, so I'm guessing it's limestone or other calciferous rock. I'm determined to use the strikingly gorgeous rocks in my 6.6pH soft water ADA-style planted tank by finding an appropriate clear sealant for the rock.
<Mmm>
In different posts you've suggested using "epoxy paint," "latex-based acrylics," "water-based acrylics," and "polyurethane resin." My question is this: what are these things called in a hardware or paint store, and how will I know which ones will be safe for fish after curing?
<Well... these are listed with at least these descriptive terms on their labels... but I encourage you to first try none of them... Instead, soak some/all of this rock in a chemically inert setting for a few days... and measure its effect on water chemistry... You may find that the small changes it brings about are not deleterious... perhaps even beneficial>
Can you please suggest an actual brand name, such as "White Mountain Wet Look
Lacquer" or "Jusco Water Sealant III" or "Minwax polyurethane satin clear topcoat" (are any of those okay)?
Thanks so much for clarifying this for me!
Eryn Rosenbaum
<Again... w/o knowing the chemical make-up of the rock, it is not plausible to guess a good "fit" to coat it... In other words, there is too much likelihood of whatever prep. being used failing... flaking off, perhaps causing more trouble than just exposure alone. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
and the Related FAQs file linked above. Bob Fenner>

Preparing aquarium decor    1/17/06
Good day again, Crew! This is my second question this week, I hope I am not burdening you with too many questions.
<Mmm, not yet>
I just bought a 55 gallon tank for my African cichlid fry, and not a moment too soon. There are 20 of them in a 29 gallon, and they are growing fast! Most of them are already 3/4" long now. I don't suspect the cycling process in the 55 will take much longer than a week or so, since I have ample used media and gravel. W
<Mmm, do move some of the "old water", gunk you siphon out of your present tank/s... and old filter media... this should "do it">
hat really concerns me is how long I will have to run the tank after that, to ensure that any toxins are removed from the decor.
<?>
I have two large, heavy pieces of lava rock which will each be supported against a substantial piece of shale. I have one piece of granite, which was given to me by a fellow aquarist and has been in his tank for many years. The rest are just pebbles from my rock collecting jaunts in Maine and two landscaping rocks (not limestone or anything).
<Mmm, these materials should be okay with most Africans...>
I have two questions:
1. Can I use a pressure cooker to prepare the new lava rock? It has some moss on it.
<Interesting>
It came from a pile at a landscaping place. I have a large lava rock cave which I'm transferring from another tank to help decorate and cycle the new tank. If the pressure cooker is safe to use, I would like to use it for a 7" driftwood piece also.
<Mmm, not this... it will fall apart... almost assuredly>
It's been outside as an ornament beside a fountain, so I want to make sure it is completely clean first. I may also use the pressure cooker on the other rocks, but first want to make sure it's safe. I know an autoclave can be used for sterilization, so I wondered if a pressure cooker could be.
<Mmm, please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnornart.htm
and the linked file above... FAQs>
2. Will it be necessary to support the bottom glass?
<Not likely... if some sort of "not point sharp" support for the rock can be found/used to spread out the weight...>
I have tried searching for this on Google but perhaps I am not phrasing my search correctly. Or perhaps supporting the bottom pane of glass is not necessary?
<Generally not... I don't... and have substantially large rocks in my glass African Cichlid tanks... with them digging about, under...>
I was considering using Plexiglas or an undergravel filter plate (just the plate, not the airlift tubes) to protect the bottom,
<A good idea if you have concerns... thin bottoms to your tanks...>
but I would love to get your opinion on this. I certainly don't want to encourage dead spots. I am planning on using only about an inch and a half of substrate which will be a blend of aquarium gravel and finely crushed coral, the old substrate from the 29 gallon tank.
Thank you so much for time and assistance!
Nicole
<Dead areas are a valid concern... but I encourage you to do as I do... and pull out/move such support... weekly, along with your good-sized gravel-vacuuming, water changes... And clean up about at this time. Bob Fenner>

Re: Preparing aquarium decor  - 1/18/07
Thank you very much for this. I realize I am being a little paranoid,
<Is a healthy condition/state...>
but this is my first time using materials to decorate my tank that are not from an LFS. I know lava rock is very absorbent,
<Mmm, no... such igneous rock is almost always the opposite... composed principally of silicates... like glass... non-reactive>
and the pile it came from has sat there quite a while - over a year, according to the owner. It was positioned right next to the entrance of the place which is near a busy road, so I began worrying about exhaust fumes, among other things being absorbed into the lava rock.
<The clean up procedure you list below should render it fine>
After reading online about how dangerous pressure cookers can be (this is an old one, used to be my grandmother's) I have decided to just boil the decor in pure water, rinse and repeat, and pack the hang-on filter the 55 gallon came with full of pelletized carbon and floss. I was also thinking about using some PolyFilter - I have never used it before, and the reviews/opinions I've read of it have always been glowing.
<Is an amazing product, for sure>
Additional filtration is provided by an Eheim 2234. It's packed with two baskets of Ehfisubstrat, and one basket if full of the pads it came with, including a carbon pad, so I am feeling quite certain this will suffice.
Thank you for the link, Bob, and your usual wisdom!
Nicole
<Welcome my friend. Bob Fenner>

Rocks and tanks, FW   6/13/06
Hi,
    I have a bit of a challenge for you, but nothing  too difficult. I have a 55 gallon glass aquarium with Eco-Complete (the black  stuff) and wanted to know a good rule of thumb on how large rocks can be in  an aquarium. The rock in question is about 12"x 6"x 8" (LxWxH); a pretty  dense river rock. Would this be ok?
<Should be... how's it look to you aesthetically?>
It is a very nice looking rock, and goes  well w/ the driftwood.
Should I put some eco-complete under it to distribute the  weight?
<Yes... important that no "sharp spot" directly impact the tank bottom>
If so, how deeply?
Thanks,
Anthony
<An inch or two. Bob Fenner>

Using local driftwood in  fresh water tank  6/5/06
Good day.
<Jacques>
I have a freshwater 110 gallon tank an d would like to put a stump I have harvested from the forest here in southern Ontario.
I have cleaned and boiled this stump of ... hopefully all contaminates.
Is there anything else I can do to safeguard my fish from toxins?
<A good idea to soak it with a rock weighting it down for a few weeks... test (bioassay) the water at that point to see if it is toxic... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
and the linked files above.
Bob Fenner>

Rocks For A Malawi Cichlid Tank   5/9/06
Hi, you might remember me, I'm the one with Nemo the Red Zebra Cichlid. Well, anyway, I'm trying to give him more rocks in his tank and fewer cheesy decorations, so I was thinking about Lava Rocks. Will they be okay?
< You need to look at the rocks closely. Chemically they are fine, but the very rough texture may damage the mouth as he feeds off the algae. Pick rocks that are not sharp top the touch.>
I'm also planning on building a few caves for him out of them too, if they can go in his tank. They are a medium size. Will he hurt himself on them?
< When stacking rocks to make caves I would recommend that the rocks themselves be placed on the bottom of the tank. When Nemo digs his pits, there will be no danger of the rocks and the cave collapsing on him.>
Also, his little fins are growing back very rapidly. I'll have to take more pictures of him when they fully grow back. Well, thank you for your time, Zhara
< Keep the water clean and they will be back before you know it.-Chuck>

Making artificial rock ... for Af. cichlid sys.   5/9/06
To the Crew!
<Tom>
I hope that you are enjoying your day; South Florida is hot and muggy as usual.  My question, after searching the archives, is on making artificial
rock for my 75g African Cichlid tank.  I came across an article about making rocks from a mixture of 6 parts Aragamite sand and 1 part cement for reef
tanks.  Would this be suitable to use in the cichlid tank?  The pH is 8 and the water is moderately hard, about 12dkh.  The article explains
construction, drying and 'curing' before being placed into the tank.  My concern is the effect on the water parameters.  I want to add more rock, but
at $2.00 lb for coquina rock, I am looking for a less expensive way of adding rock, with the added benefit of customizing my own 'natural' rock
formations.  I also do not want to damage the fragile world my babies live in.  Any thoughts on this from the "pros"?  Keep up the good work!
<The only further comment I'll make is to make sure to seek out "Plastic" cement, as this material has much lower initial alkalinity, is easier to rid thereof. Please do send pix along of your project. Bob Fenner>
Thomas N. (Tom) Bilello

Rocks For A Discus Tank  4/29/06
Thank you so much for all the information. I cannot wait to delve it.   I am a book junkie too! Hey-
I made the decision based on your input to go ahead with compact  fluorescent lighting. I ordered a 96 watt strip. I would like to create a  ledge of sorts
made out of the rock, and stagger the plants on it. I  thought it was quartzite since the guy who sold it to me said it was, but I have  since discovered
he is an idiot, and it is sandstone.
< Big difference between the two.>
My question to you is this.  Do we know if sandstone will  alter the pH in any way or dissolve and ruin my filter?
< Sandstone is a sedimentary rock. It is formed but sand particles being compressed and then cemented together by minerals like calcium. In an aquarium these minerals will dissolve into the water and increase the hardness and most likely the pH will rise above 7. Discus usually don't like hard water.-Chuck>
My water  is  7.0  pH from the tap.  I have 4 inches of Eco-Complete,  and a big 18 inch hunk of bog wood in there now.  No fish yet.    Everything is still murky, I am assuming from the eco-complete, but it might be  the wood.
< The tannins in the wood will turn the water a tea brown. Carbon and water changes will help clear it up. The color will prevent some of the light from reaching the plants and high light intensity plants may not do to well.-Chuck>
I have had the filter running non-stop for 3 days. It's packed with  bio-max and carbon, and some old gunky carbon from my other tank to help  cycle.  Thanks for your time, once again. Yours truly, Karen

Driftwood With Ich  4/27/06
Hello, I caught a mild case of ick on my black moor and treated it right away.  The white spots are now all gone, however, I see some little white spots on the end of a piece of driftwood in my tank.  Could they be ick?  Is it even possible to get ick on wood, plants, or anything else in the tank other than fish? Thanks a heap!! Sossy.
< This is not ich. It is a fungus that is breaking down the driftwood. Some woods are too soft for an aquarium and tend to decompose. It will not hurt the fish. Cut the piece off if it bothers you.-Chuck>

Live rock in Fresh water  04/17/2006
Hi There,
I am looking to establish a fresh water aquarium. I currently have some live rock in my saltwater aquarium that I'd like to use.
I understand that it is important to clean out the rock of all living organisms and creatures. Is it possible to rinse out the rock
thoroughly with fresh water, (maybe even leave it lying in the sun for a while) before putting it into the fresh water aquarium ? I
understand I may need to put it in a separate fresh water aquarium and monitor ammonia levels for a while.
I just wanted to know if
1) it is possible for me to do this safely and put it in the fresh water aquarium; and 2) Will live bacteria eventually grow for freshwater aquarium (similar to the cycle established in a saltwater aquarium?)
Thanks
>> HI Wallace,
Yes, you can use the live rock in the freshwater tank. I would first bleach it, until it turns white. Then rinse it WELL. It will not be dead rock, with lots of calcium, so it will raise your pH in a freshwater tank. This will limit the fish you can keep in your tank, basically to cichlids from Lake Malawi and Tanganyika. Or perhaps cichlids and live bearers from Central America.
The rock will, eventually, get covered in algae, but nothing like you see in a marine aquarium.
Good Luck, Oliver

Peat and Malaysian Bogwood Raising Ammonia Level in Aquarium Water?  11/24/05
I am sending the e-mail below one more time since I am not sure if you received the previous one.
Thanks.
<Thank you. Had not seen this. RMF>
I recently discovered that both Fluval's Peat Granules and Malaysian bogwood lead to a positive reading for ammonia if soaked in water for one to two weeks.
<Yes... from organic decomposition>
After soaking a nice, large newly acquired piece of imported Malaysian bogwood in a Rubbermaid container for two weeks, I tested the soaking water for ammonia with a Tetra ammonia test kit.  I was surprised to get a reading of between 1 and 2 ppm ammonia.  I repeated the test with an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals ammonia test kit and got the same reading of between 1 and 2 ppm ammonia.
This made me curious.  I took a pint of Fluval peat granules, put them in a nylon filter media bag and soaked them for two weeks in a Rubbermaid container.  Then I tested the water for ammonia.  The water I had soaked the peat granules in also gave a reading of between 1 and 2 ppm ammonia with both test kits.
I have used peat granules in my canister filter and bogwood in my 120 gallon soft water Discus tank for many years.  Now, after discovering that both materials give off ammonia, I am wondering if it is a good idea to use peat and bogwood in fish tanks.
<Almost never a problem... as in established systems there are mechanisms for dealing with this>
Especially fish in newly set up tanks in which the beneficial ammonia consuming bacteria and the nitrogen cycle have not yet been fully established will suffer from the presence of peat in the filter and bogwood in the tank.  Once the tank is cycled I suppose the ammonia given off by peat and bogwood, just like the ammonia resulting from fish waste, will be reduced by the Nitrosomonas bacteria.
<Ahh, yes>
Luckily, aquariums which are decorated with bogwood and filtered with peat are likely to have a pH value at or below 7.0, which means that ammonia will exist in the form of  the less toxic ammonium.
<Also so>
Nevertheless, biological filtration will convert ammonium to highly toxic nitrite and pose a considerable risk for many sensitive Amazonian aquarium fish.  Even if the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle are able to keep up with the increased levels of ammonium and nitrite, in the end the amount of nitrate in the tank water will be higher than if no peat and bogwood are used.
<Likely so... but made better in other ways by its/their presence as well>
I have searched your web site and many others for information about the ammonia/bogwood connection.  There seems to be very little information available on this topic.  Because of my discovery of increased ammonia levels as a result of decorating with bogwood, I am hesitant to introduce my beautiful, large (and expensive) piece of Malaysian bogwood in my Discus tank.  Do you have any information or advice regarding the use of Malaysian bogwood and peat in fresh water aquariums?  Should I be worried about the ammonia my new Malaysian bogwood may add to my Discus tank?
Sincerely,
Jordan E. Mollersten
<I have used these materials and am not concerned. Try the piece and see/test is my advice. Bob Fenner>

Collecting Wood for Aquascaping  9/26/05
I am currently setting up a freshwater tank and plan to have live plants. I've noticed that often times driftwood is used as a decoration or base for plants to grow on. Due to an unusually dry summer, the water level in the lake behind my house has dropped a good bit exposing old tree branches and roots that have been submerged for the last ten years or so. This wood looks similar to what I find in the pet stores though that seems to come from Malaysia. I found a great piece I would like to use in my aquarium, but am concerned whether it would be safe or not. What kind of problems could I run into? Pollution comes to mind, though the lake is in a residential area and covers about twenty acres and has lots of fish and migratory birds. Is there something special about Malaysian driftwood that makes it safer? Is there anything I can dot to treat the wood I found to make it safer? <There is always a chance that the wood you collect will poison your tank.  If it has been sunken that long and looks that good I would be tempted to at least try a bioassay.  I would not go dropping it into any established prize winning show tanks.   See here for more information Rock and Wood in Aquascaping http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/rkwdaquascaping.htm  Best Regards, Gage>

Grapevine wood  9/12/05
Can I use grapevine wood in freshwater tropical aquarium and how should I treat it before use.
Thank you Emma in Australia.
>>>Hello Emma!
I don't see any problem with using this wood - it certainly wouldn't hurt anything. I've used a variety of wood types, and I just hold it down with rocks until it gets waterlogged.
Good luck
Jim<<<

Fuzzy, White Algae  9/11/05
Hello Bob and Crew,
First, I want to say thanks in advance. The WWM crew offers an invaluable service for no fee. Though I have never written in a question, your site lent me a much needed hand during my shaky beginner days.
But on to my problem!
I have a 20 gallon tank that is lightly stocked with some small community fish (4 neon tetras, 1 Cory) that I added shortly after the cycle. On the back is the cheap HOB filter that came with my first tank, as well as a Penguin 100 w/BioWheel. It has been up for about 2 months and has had all parameters at zero for more than half that time. Inside the tank I have a piece of driftwood I bought at the LFS to use as a center to my aquascape.
Recently, the driftwood has started to grow a white algae
<Mmm, maybe a mainly bacterial or even fungal growth... decomposition>
on along the "cut" portions (the lighter side, not the darker "bark" type areas). I was surprised to see this as I don't overfeed and the tank receives no direct sunlight, though I don't know much about white algae. I don't like using any chemicals in my tank, so I want to avoid any of those treatments.. Can I simply take out the wood and scrub it off?
<Yes... but will come back likely>
Or better, would an Oto cat or a snail feed on it?
<Perhaps. Worth trying... perhaps another small Loricariid species>
There is no other traces of it in the tank, but I have noticed an increase in tiny, white particle matter float around.
<Yes... unfortunately most such wood "breaks down" over time>
Not anything extreme, but it is there. I did my 30% water change, as I do every couple weeks and changed the Penguin's filter media cartridge, but I still see the stuff floating about. Is this related to the white algae?
Thanks in advance, and have a great weekend,
Brandon
<Thank you... Is likely related to the wood... with regular maintenance, should be no problem. Bob Fenner>

Aquascape, rock safety 9/11/05
Hello again,
   I just was given two sliced slabs of limestone holey rock with orange veins throughout. I am assuming it is an iron oxide. Will this leech into my water and harm my fish? My pH is 8,8-8.8 and GH > 300.
Is there an easy way to test the rock?
Allen
Thanks for all the help!
<Mmm, there are test kits for free ferrous ion... and this can be toxic in concentration... but I suspect you will likely be okay with your hard, alkaline water and this rock. Bob Fenner>

Home made cement decor  9/9/05
I have yet another question.  I've been looking for suitable decorations for my tank and I haven't been able to find anything that fits what I have in mind.  I was wondering if I could make my own tunnels and caves with cement.
<Can be done>
If cement would not be suitable do you have any suggestions on what to use?
<Plastic cement, suitable rock, color... acid washing, curing...>
I would use rocks but so far the ones I like are too pricey.  I want something that has a little color to it and was going to "decorate" the cement by pushing pretty rocks into it while it dries.  Thanks again for your help! Christine
<Look up terms like "Aragocrete" on the Net. Bob Fenner>

Driftwood  8/30/05
Hi Bob,
<Matt>
I've found your page very useful. My question is in regard to driftwood. I had a piece of driftwood that was store bought which I used for a while in an old tank without problem. I moved to college and lost everything but the wood which has tagged along for 5+ years, it has set outside in the garden for a couple of those years.
<I also have some old driftwood... outdoors>
Now that I am able to I have set up an aquarium again. It is completely cycled thanks the Bio Spira. I want to reuse the driftwood that I have. I have read and read countless sites and have determined that the best way to prepare my driftwood is to boil it with a little baking soda and aquarium salt.
<This is generally prudent... helps to re-waterlog the pieces, clean them up, remove (and there can be a bunch) the loose bits that have decomposed...>
I have been boiling this wood for  
hours a day for the last week or so and each day the water turns black as blackwater could possibly be. I would have thought that by now I would have boiled out all the tannins and that it would be ready to put in my aquarium. Can wood boil for hours upon end and still leach tannins?
<Yes... at this point I suggest soaking the piece/s in water... a clean trash can, whatever container of size... with weights to keep them submersed>
This wood did fine in my old aquarium, I am just being cautious  
because it sat outside for so long. Am I being over considered?
<Don't think so... the wood "falling apart" in your tanks can be a huge mess>
Will the charcoal soak up any tannins left over in normal water   conditions?
<To a large extent, yes>
My water is crystal clear and I don't want to mess that up.
Thanks for your help,
Matthew Brandon
<After soaking for a couple of weeks, rinse and place a "bit" of the wood, see if you like the consequences... if your fishes like the effects... softer, more acidic, darker water (e.g. general Amazonians, not African Lakes...) so be it. Bob Fenner>

Sealing aquarium rocks 7/11/05
Can you recommend an aquarium-safe sealant that I can use to "encase" a cement rock for use in a home aquarium.  Thanks.
<Mmm, am hesitant to suggest anything... as it's far better to just utilize decor items that are either chemically inert or advantageous to use in aquatic settings. What is the chemical nature of the rock you want to seal? You might try epoxy or polyurethane resins... I would let these cure outside the water, practice letting them soak afterwards, not in a biological system, to see if they alter your water chemistry. Bob Fenner>

Old lava rock wall and how to clean - Or, Bob's Experience With Rocks
Hello, I don't know if you can answer my question or not but here goes.
My husband and I are renovating an older home and came across a lava rock behind our wood stove. It had been covered up by paneling. It is from floor to ceiling and there is no fireplace just a rock wall. Any ideas on how to lighten the color or clean it. We would like to have it remain looking natural but a little lighter or cleaner would be good.
Any help you can share from your experience with rocks would be appreciated.
Thank you... Faye
<Can be safely cleaned, used. Please read here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnornart.htm.  Cleaned the same as coral skeletons, other decor. Bob Fenner>

I Wanna Rock
Hi, I want to create my own decor for a 25g tank I'm getting ready to set up.  A few web sites say to use sandstone, while others say stay away.  I would like to use flagstone, I have been told this is similar to sandstone, and again also slate - which I have also read was good for the tank.  I'm so confused now, help???  The flagstone I picked up from a local rock yard, looks good, haven't completed a acid test yet, but looks similar to what I could buy at my local fish store.  Is flagstone a good choice for creating my own decor?  If not, what types of rock should I use and were can I get it for free?  Don't have much of a budget.
< All this depends on what kind of fish you want to keep. Acid loving fish like discus, angels, Cory cats and tetras will require soft water acidic water. This same water will leach minerals out of the rock and into the water and create an unstable pH and hardness in the tank that will stress the fish and eventually make them ill. If you were keeping African cichlids then they require hard alkaline water. The minerals in the rocks would keep the pH up and keep the water hard which is a good thing fro these cichlids.-Chuck>

Rotting Wood
Hi there! I don't know what to do anymore with that problem that comes back again and again. I have a blackwater Amazon biotope tank with a lot of plants and soon discus (ph 6.5, GH 3, kH 2). There quite a lot of wood (from LFS) in the tank both drift and floating, the latter anchored with a plate of rock. I don't know really how to call it but there is this very abundant and
unsightly whitish moss or fungus on the wood and it's still spreading. At places it looks more like hair growing (fungus ?) and on other spots it's more like a slimy coat. I have boiled the wood and replaced it in the tank. Boiled again adding a lot of salt in the water and replaced it. Didn't work. Following the advice of my LFS I reluctantly bleached it at high concentration of bleach during 48 hours followed by a rinse period of 10 days, changing water each day. 
Nothing will do, the problem comes back. How can it be? I don't hear other people having such problems with wood in their aquarium. Now I have a heating cable under the gravel but over the rock slate so removing the wood again would be a lot of trouble (for no result it seems). I start to think I'm cursed. Is there a solution to this apart from permanently removing all wood from my tank? The end of my biotope :(Thanks for any advice! Dominique
< The wood you have purchased from the local fish store is probably for terrariums and not for aquariums. The white film is indeed a fungus that feeds on decomposing matter like dead plants and animals. Not matter how you clean it, the fungus comes from the water and not from the wood. Any wood that funguses is not suitable for the aquarium. Sometimes these are softwoods and contain oils that are not good for fish. Get some African Ironwood and you shouldn't have any more problems.-Chuck>

Driftwood II
Hi Chuck! Thanks for the quick reply!
Your answer makes a lot of sense. Indeed most of the fungus is/comes from the most recently bought piece of wood and seems to be quite soft. Still, before buying that one, I already had some problems with the safer type of wood (the heavy sinking type that gives a yellow taint to the water) even after bleaching. There was much much less fungus growing on it, but there sure was some.
<The softer parts of the wood can often be knocked off with a wire brush.>
What do you think of the option of sealing all the wood in the tank with epoxy resin?
< Not sure, never had to do it.>
It would for sure permanently solve the problem and it's not supposed to be toxic. Do you think it's a good idea?
<It would be worth a try.>
Would it show (I think not)?
<You will have to try it out on a piece and see how it turns out.>
If one can see that it's sealed, then again it's not an option. I could even "stick" some peat on parts of the sealed wood to allow some
java moss to get a hold on it. Thanks, Dominique
< Maybe the epoxy could be lightly sanded so it won't look so shiny.-Chuck>

Fuzzy Driftwood III
It's not just that piece of wood. It seems any/all pieces I get are causing problems to some extant, even those that are not supposed too. I can't imagine that my situation is so unique. I must be cursed then.  
< Once a piece starts to break down and the fungus attacks it it then easily spreads to other things. There are medications that would get rid of the fungus but it would just grow back after the medication was discontinued. I would try a different source for driftwood and soak it in a tub of water outside until it was water logged. Once again think about using hardwoods with tight grains and not soft woods.-Chuck> 

LET'S ROCK
I just discovered your website and would like to inquire about rocks. I recently replaced my 55g tank rocks with landscaping rocks. I have had brown algae form pretty quickly. I thought I had thoroughly rinsed them off prior to use. Can you shed any light on the use of landscaping rocks in tanks? 
Linda McCleary
<Not all rocks are safe for fish tanks. Some may leach chemicals in the water that make the water cloudy. Others leach other minerals to the liking of this brown algae you have developed. Landscape rocks may or not be used as aquarium rocks depending on their composition. Find out from the landscape yard what kind of rock you have purchased. Sedimentary rock like sandstone are usually not very good in the aquarium because they leach calcium into the water. Igneous rocks should be ok. -Chuck.>

Tree Logs for a 6 by 2 by 2
Hey Crew,
<Hello>
Your awesome and yeah yeah heard it all before! LOL!
<Okay>
I want to add some tree logs to my tank. But.. I know they discolour the water and make it brown. so I have to soak it. But.. how long should I soak it for? How can I speed it up? Anything to add to the water to speed it up?
<Good question... the time involved may be long/short depending on the type of tree, its size... I would use some trashcans, outdoors, and add pickling lime to the water... change the water out, set stones on top to keep submerged... and when waterlogged enough, try testing the wood, water with some "assay" organisms to assure if there are toxic materials left, that they are not TOO toxic.>
Presoaked tree logs and rocks are expensive! So I am trying to find my own rock and logs. Please advice.
<A good idea, project. You might be lucky to find some "felled wood"... some that is already dead, water-logged that you can similarly treat, test.... Bob Fenner> 

Salt to Fresh (11/8/04)
Thanks for emailing me back. <You're welcome.> My brittle starfish died. <Sorry to hear.> I was thinking about changing my saltwater tank into a freshwater tank. I have live rock in my tank. Will changing to freshwater effect the rock and if not can you give me some insight on where to begin? Thanks, Kristi. <You cannot use the marine LR in an FW set-up. All sorts of things on it will die and pollute the tank. Also, the rock will likely make it hard to maintain the more neutral or even acidic pH many popular FW fishes prefer. I would suggest trying to sell or give away the LR before doing a complete clean out of the system to get a "fresh" start. Steve Allen.>

I have a question about Aquascaping.
Instead of paying $1.50 lb for some slate from my LFS I went to the local stone merchants and bought a bucket of slate for $10. They let you root through all the broken pieces and whatever you can get in a 5 gallon bucket costs $10 no tax. I got 65lbs by the way. I also collected some rocks from my garden, after recently excavating about a foot of dirt when I was putting a patio in I found some pretty good sized stones.
Now I have had both the slate and the stones in separate garbage cans full of water for about a week to monitor if there is any change in the pH of the water. The Ph hasn't changed.
I am now asking if I have to boil or bleach the slate and stone before putting it in the aquarium. Or prepare it in any other way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
< Sounds like you rocks are pretty inert and a soak in a brine solution for a day or so should get rid of any living organics. Give them a good blast with the garden hose and you are ready to go.-Chuck>

Scrubbing driftwood
Chuck:
I've been cleaning some of the media in my 38 gallon tank, and have a question:  should driftwood be cleaned? And, if so, how and with what?  It's got quite a bit of algae on it.  Not like it's covered, or anything, but there are definitely areas on the piece that look lightly moss covered.
Please advise.  
I should also mention I have a pleco-would I be cleaning part of his mealtime off the wood?
< The pleco should be eating some of the algae off the wood., In fact some pleco species require some wood as part of their diet. If it gets to be too much simply take the piece of wood out side and give it a good scrubbing with a still brush and that should go it. A quick rinse and back in the tank.-Chuck>
Your thoughts, please.
Cyndy

Rock, Wood use in aquariums
Hello, we would like to know the difference with using natural rocks, driftwood etc. and using the ordinary aquarium set-up?  Can we use outside rocks and such and is there anything we need to do to them???
Thank You,
Jess & Lee
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
Bob Fenner>

Aquarium Safe rocks? 8/2/04
Great suggestion about the rock and the vinegar test-first time I've heard that. I was thinking about using a bleach solution on it if it doesn't prove to be dangerous to the aquarium. Your thoughts?
< Bleach would disinfect the rock for biological agents but not for chemical leaching.>
My aquatic guys also told me tonight to leave the lights off completely for a couple of days.  I have the 3 strip fluorescent, and was leaving them on 10-12 hours per day.  Although I had no problems until recently, they said that's way too much, and to cut it back to 6 or 7(I've done that for 3 days). Since it hasn't cleared up the water, they suggested total darkness for a couple of days along with very light feeding.  I'm also going to remove the rock and test it.  Fish seem to be fine, so I'm not feeling too desperate at this point, but I would like to get it cleared up, as cloudy water is always an indicator that something is off-kilter, right? By other rocks, do you mean the gravel?  There are no other rocks, just that one.  I believe it's called sandstone.
< Now I am almost certain that this is the culprit. Sandstone is a sedimentary rock. 
Sand particles long long ago were washed into a creek bed. 
When the water subsided it left the minerals behind such as calcium. 
These minerals cemented the individual sand particles together and formed sandstone. 
Now that you have put it into your aquarium the water has re-hydrated the minerals and they are leaching into the water. Probably casing a rise in the pH too.-Chuck>

Toxic rock decor for freshwater tank?
Following the "when in doubt, take it out" rule, the old rock is gone, and a new white quartz rock is in its place. Hopefully, the rainbow will eventually find it to his liking, although the bright white is kind of blinding right now. Many thanks, Chuck, for helping me sort this out.
< Your white rock will soon be covered with algae so the blinding effect will be gone in no time. Hope you have many years of successful fish keeping.-Chuck>
Cyndy

Toxic rock decor for freshwater tank?
One more question...I am considering getting a small amethyst geode for my tank.  Are these acceptable for tanks, as long as they are from a reputable dealer?
< That would be fine.-Chuck>
Cyndy Monarez/Thomas Nelson

Freshwater Tank Rock question
Greetings!  Who am I speaking with this evening?   
Cloudiness has gone, but I thought it was just because I cleaned the rock and decoration off, and left the lights off for a day or two as mentioned.
I guess I should just resign myself to taking the rock out.  I can't understand why every fish store I've been to sell these rocks if they are so inappropriate for fish tanks.  Your thoughts on this?
< You have to admit that they do look good because they are so easily shaped. In an area with hard water (high mineral content) there would be less leaching of the minerals into the water.>
  Also, please suggest
other rock possibilities as my rainbow shark REALLY loves this rock, and  this is his "territory" in the tank, so I have to find a more suitable
replacement before I can remove it.  Please advise.
< Granite, quartz, lava rock, petrified wood even driftwood would work. Basically you want metamorphic or igneous rocks. Rocks to stay away from unless you want to increase the mineral content are sedimentary rocks like, sandstone, siltstone (shale), claystone, and conglomerate, are a few. Other things to watch out for are aragonite, limestone, dolomite, shells, crushed coral sand, oyster shell and coral.-Chuck>
Cyndy Monarez/Thomas Nelson

Drifting wood
Dear Bob
<Fiona>
We have had aquariums before, years ago.
We have just set up a Juwel today and find that the Mopani wood keeps floating - will it fill with water and sit on bottom or can we lead weight it like some of the plants.
Never used this before.
Please reply as its driving us potty keeps floating up hahahha
Genuine request
Mrs. Henderson
Aberdeen   
<A very nice natural decor product... but often does float due to drying... and can be "re-soaked"... I use pieces of slate, that sometimes I've drilled and can in turn drill/attach to the wood from underneath (using brass or stainless screws), but rock can be laid on top for... a few weeks to months (yikes!) to aid in water logging the wood. Otherwise, it does still look kind of neat just floating about... Bob Fenner>

Construction site rocks
Hello fish people....great website by the way...I have a 55-gallon freshwater tank and want to add rock to it.  I collected a whole bunch of beautiful rock, but it was from a construction site. I assume it's concrete.  When washed, small amounts of sand were released and this could detrimentally affect the pH of my tank.  Can I leach it or make it safe by boiling, bleaching or anything else. Rock bought at the LFS can put a dent in my wallet.  Also I currently have a single ram in a semi-aggressive tank...should I get him company and make them a pair of rams? Same question for a GLASS knife fish. Thanks for the help.
J.P.
<<Dear J.P.: Rocks collected from outdoors can be used in our tanks, but you need to sterilize them first. Scrub with a wire brush, then boil small rocks, and bleach larger ones in a big Rubbermaid bin. If you use bleach, please rinse well!! You can let them air dry also, rinse again, and add some good dechlorinator to the water as a final step before adding them to your tank. If you want to know if your new rocks will raise the pH, simply put them in a bucket of water, let them sit a few days, then test the pH of the water in the bucket and compare the test results with your normal tank pH. Also, rocks bought at your LFS are already sterilized and tank-ready, which means less hard work for you. This is quite helpful for many folks. :) Good Luck -Gwen>>

Construction site rocks
Hello again fish people....I have a semi aggressive/aggressive tank in which there is a single Bolivian ram. I'm wondering if I should give him company and make them a pair of rams. He spends a lot of time going up and down one side of the glass in the aquarium...I assume this isn't quite normal behavior and believe he might be seeing his reflection in the glass.?? Anyway this is the list of fish I have in a 55 gallon:6 cories, 1 ghost, 1glass Knifefish, 1 yellow lab, 1 jack Dempsey, 1 red zebra, 1 ram, 3 guppies, 3 platies, 2 spotted Raphael, 2 red-tail sharks, 1 spotted puffer...what do you guys think of the mix?
Thanks
<<Hi J.P.; Sorry I neglected the part about your fish. You will definitely need to remove some fish, as they are severely incompatible. First let's address the cichlids, I assume they are still small, otherwise they would have killed all the other inhabitants by now! You need to decide which fishes you want to keep, I have separated them into two workable groups: the jack Dempsey and red zebra are equally aggressive and can be kept together, but the zebra is an African cichlid and requires a much higher pH than the Dempsey. They can survive together temporarily, but it's a good idea to decide which you prefer to keep, depending on your pH, for example the Dempsey, and add other south American cichlids ONLY, no Africans. Or keep the African, and add only other Africans. Remove all the community fish and return them to the store where they you bought them. Whoever sold you this mixture gave you some bad advice.
The second group, Corys, platies, Raphael's, sharks, ghost knife and glass knife can all live together relatively peacefully. Make sure there are enough caves for the shark and both Knifefish so they don't fight for territory. Perhaps with the ram, or even two rams, if you like. Remove the guppies, as someday the Knifefish will be large enough to eat them. The spotted puffer should be alone, IMO, as he will eventually shred every fin on every other fish in the group. A bit of salt added to his water would be good also, spotted puffers are brackish fish.
To sum up, if I were you, I would keep the latter group, a nice community tank, and get rid of the zebra cichlid, the puffer, and the jack Dempsey. And please, research your fish BEFORE you buy them, from now on :)
-Gwen>>

Wood
Hi, I'm in the UK but my brother has just set up a tank in Bangor, Maine with some South American fish and wants to put in some bog wood as I have in mine.  His local aquarists say they have not heard of this.  Do you guys call it by another name and can you advise who might sell it please?
<I have found that Driftwood is often used to refer to just about every type of wood sold in aquarium stores, I guess it depends on where you go and how specific they get about the types of wood they carry.  A search on google.com should turn up plenty of results on suppliers of this wood.  Best Regards, Gage>
Regards,
Janet Ball

Live rock in freshwater tank question
want to know if I can use my cured live rock in a 120 gal fresh water tank that will house only Oscars
<Yes you can use live rock that once was in a saltwater tank in a freshwater tank. All the animals that make your rock "live rock" will die in freshwater. But you will have to soak it in freshwater for some time.  Reason is that if you place all the rock directly into a freshwater tank, all the small animals and bacteria that make up the rock will die off and then raise you ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels.  You will have to soak it, or place it in boiling water, then rinse it before moving the rock to a freshwater tank.>
reason I want to use it is maybe I can utilize my resources instead of buying limestone or different kinds of rock that cost a few dollars a pound, can live rock be used for fresh water, salt water I know it can
<What I can't figure is why don't you just sell your live rock and use the money to buy cheaper base rock.  I'm sure you can sell your live rock to someone with a marine tank or a marine shop for around 2-3 US dollars a pound (if not more).  Heck, I paid 5 dollars a pound for my live rock. Then you can purchase base rock from someone like www.hirocks.com and not worry about boiling it.  It seems like a waste for live rock to used when base rock would work just the same.  Just something to think about. -Magnus>

Rock from the Rock yard
I am setting up a new freshwater tank.
<Sounds like fun!>
Is there any reason NOT to use rock (flagstone pieces for example) from a landscaper for 15¢ per pound, instead of identical looking rocks from a pet store?
<As long as you stay away from pH-altering rock (limestone, chalk, etc.) and stick to inert stuff like flagstone, slate, sandstone, etc., you're probably just fine.  Quite honestly, that's exactly what I do for rock for my tanks.  Nothing is happier than coming home with 140 pounds of gorgeous gray slate to play with, other than only spending 20 or 30 bucks for the whole lot of it!  There is some risk involved, however, as you can't be positive that the rock hasn't had oil, transmission fluid, dog pee, and other wonderful stuff like that on it in its travels.>
Would boiling or using some other method to pre-treat the rock be recommended?
<If it is small enough to boil, I would do so.  Otherwise, boil kettles of water and pour over the rock repeatedly.  It might be a good idea to double check the rock with a few very inexpensive fish before putting any costly or precious life in the tank.  Though I'm not fond of using "guinea pig" animals, I would definitely do so in this case.>
Thanks,  Phil Schwier
<You bet.  -Sabrina>

Moor Root?!
Do you know what moor root is?  
<Well, I could be wrong, but I think this is just a European way of saying bogwood.   A moor is a vast boggy heath, basically, and I imagine "moor root" refers to sunken, waterlogged wood/roots.  Bogwood.  Driftwood.>
I read about it in the Aqualog catalogs.  I have a 75g pleco tank and I would like to have some in my tank.  
<Indeed, bogwood is of great importance to the diets and overall well-being of many plecs.>
I've asked people in my area no one knows.  PLEASE HELP!  Also where do you think I can get some living in Tampa?
<Any local fish store, most likely.  Ask about bogwood/driftwood instead of moor root, though, unless you're visiting London for your wood!  ;)  Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can collect/clean/prepare your own.  Have fun!  -Sabrina>

Moor root?
what is moor root referred to in the Aqua log catalogs.
<I'd write Dahne-Verlag concerning this (the publisher of Aqua Log). An address: info@daehne.de
Bob Fenner, who suspects this is something like submerged driftwood>

Getting the drift re using wood in aquariums
Hello Gage,
<HI, sorry for the delay, I had to help my sister move this weekend.>
We were able to trade in the 19G for a 33G due to the misprint.  The 33 G has been cycling since Nov 21st.
<Sounds good.>
The Mopani driftwood (got the name right this time) is now growing white fungus, but interestingly the small piece in his little 5.5 G isn't.  Would he be eating the fungus?
<Yes, in fact I had the same problem with this type of wood, I guess I never bothered to learn the name, my pleco took care of all of the white fungus that grew out of the wood.  It never harmed him, but if I were to do it again, I would soak the wood longer in a different tank/tub, or even boil it or bake it if possible.  You can also scrub the fuzzy stuff off with a toothbrush or something similar before you do a water change, then siphon the stuff out. Keep an eye on the water parameters on the tank that is cycling.>
If so will it hurt him?
<Probably not, but I cannot say for sure.>
I am going to soak it in bleach/water, I haven't found anywhere that tells me for how long.
<Couple days to a couple weeks, it depends on how long it takes to get the wood to stop growing the stuff.  If you use bleach, only use a small amount, and rinse the piece really well before putting it back into the tank.  You could also soak it in a bucket with a lot of dechlorinator to ensure that the bleach is gone, then let it sun dry.  Should be safe by then.>
Then I will soak it in dechlorinated water, again not sure how long.  He has already grown over an inch (over 2 1/2 inches) in the last two weeks.  We can't wait to move him, originally planned the move for Nov. 30th.  Should I wait longer with the fungus problem and should I salt the new tank?
<Water tests will determine when it is safe to add him to the new tank.  You could add a very small pinch of food to the new tank to ensure it is cycling, but I am willing to bet with the fuzzy wood there is plenty of cycling going on in there.  Ammonia and Nitrite tests kits will be needed, or your Local Fish store can test your water for you.
Also, should I also soak his little piece of wood as well?
<I'd let him hang out with it until you get him moved.  Best Regards, Gage>

Need Clarity
Hi www crew!
<Hi, Don!  Sabrina here, this evening>
Thanks for this great site!
<And thank you for the kind words.>
This is the second time I have ask a question, the first being about stocking. But before I can really begin I need to solve a little problem. I have a 2 month old 55 gallon tank filtered by an Emperor 400. No plants, just natural gravel (1/2 pea size), some slate caves, one coconut cave and a small driftwood arch. Current residents are 10 Zebra Danios and one Otto. The Danios were added to start the cycling, the Otto after the brown algae started to form.
<Mmmm, algae....>
Plan is to return them to the LFS and house a breeding colony of L260 Plecos.
<Oh, you are after my very heart!!  Of all the Loricariids out there, this is by FAR my favorite!!  I absolutely LOVE these little plecs.>
Cycling was textbook perfect, with all the spikes and crashes occurring as you would expect. Nitrates have never gone above 20 ppm due to daily, or almost daily, 5 gallon water changes. Ammonia and nitrites have been at zero since their initial spikes.
<So far, so good....>
That is until I added a very large knot of driftwood. It had been soaked for about 2 weeks, the soak water being changed daily. This must have changed my water chemistry enough to cause the tank to "re-cycle". The water went cloudy and ammonia started to build up. The driftwood started to break down and formed a white "mold" in the crevasses.
<Oh, that sucks.  You might want to try running the wood through the dishwasher (no soap!), or, if it's small enough, boil it.>
The ammonia spike crashed in about a day, but the resulting nitrites stayed around 2.5 ppm for almost 2 weeks. I gave up and replaced the large knot of wood with a the smaller arch and the coconut cave.
<Okay, so the problem wood's out of the picture, eh?>
Nitrites crashed in two days and the nitrates started to build up, but have been kept below 20 ppm with frequent water changes.
<Sounds like you're having trouble battling those nitrates - there's gotta be something making that so high; in a new tank, nitrates should be rather easy to keep low.>
All the fish are doing very well, the Danios are very active and colorful. The Otto appears to have doubled in length and tripled in weight. I feed the Danios twice a day with a very small pinch of Tetra crisps
<Perhaps cut this back to once a day, and don't be afraid to skip a day every now and then.>
and some dried blood worms twice a week. In the evening I drop half an algae wafer in for the Otto.
<I'd cut this in half, too; a whole half of an algae wafer is a pretty big meal for a single Oto.>
Gravel is vacuumed during the FWCs.  The only thing holding me back from adding the Queen Arabesques is the water's appearance. It has always been crystal clear (expect during the initial spikes) until the driftwood started the second cycling. At that time the water became very white/cloudy. Today the white has turned to murk. Much darker, almost muddy.
<Sounds perhaps like a sudden growth of bacteria, perhaps introduced or fed by something with that hunk of driftwood, or maybe even something that would have happened anyway - this is not an uncommon occurrence in new tanks, to be honest.>
I did my water change last night and while pouring the tank water into the sink you could see it was tinted green.
<Ahh, perhaps "greenwater" algae, then.>
You can't see this color in the tank, only against the white of my kitchen sink. I never saw any green algae form anywhere in the tank, but with the Otto in there I assumed that was normal.
<I would strongly recommend getting some hardy vascular plants in there (anacharis/elodea, Vallisneria, water lettuce, etc.), as this will help with removing nitrates which are probably feeding the bacteria and/or algae in the water.>
I use treated tap water (Tetras "AquaSafe") for my FWCs, but nothing else. No salt. We do have Chloramine in our water supply and I do see a trace of ammonia in the new water after treatment. The tank continues to show zero ammonia after the water changes, I assume because it is so diluted. I took a water sample to a LFS to confirm my tests, all readings consistent with mine. Ph is 6.8.  So, what's causing this discoloration of my water?
<Excess nutrients, likely from extra food.>
I can understand the green algae, but what about the white haze?
<Again, likely bacteria.>
And am I causing harm to the fish by adding the trace of ammonia with all these water changes.
<Consider making your water change water ahead of time in a separate Rubbermaid-type container.  You might want to use a conditioner that neutralizes ammonia as well.>
Would it help if I set up a slow siphon to replace the water though the filter rather than just pouring it into the tank?
<As long as you match temperature and pH, you'll be fine.>
Or should I just break everything down and start over?
<Certainly not, I'm pretty sure you'd face this very same issue, anyway, if only to a lesser degree.>
If I do start over, should I preserve the Bio Wheels or clean/replace them?
<They're likely fine, let 'em be.>
Although the fish do not seem affected, this tank is in our living room and "She Who Controls The Love Life" is threatening the basement as a new home for me and the tank if I can't get the water cleaned up.
<Hey, you've got a basement??  Excellent!  No worries about spills, and you can set up a whole WALL of Plec tanks!>
So you see, this is becoming VERY personal.
<Yes, I can understand.  Ask her to try to be patient, cut back on feeding, and your problem should start to solve itself.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina.>
Don Clarke     

Collecting Tank Decor
New to fresh water tanks.  
<Awesome, welcome to the club.>
I'm setting up a cichlid tank, 55 gallon.
<Great size tank perfect for Africans or some of the smaller cichlid species, try to avoid the temptation to buy the monsters, Oscars, Red Devils, etc.>
I have a lot of creek rock from creek behind house.  Is this ok to use in my tank if I boil it first?  I found a nice piece of drift wood too. Is it ok to use in tank after it dries out?
<It is a good idea to boil it first; the driftwood will probably be ok.  It is hard to say with the rock, no way to determine how it will affect your water parameters without testing it.  Check out the following link for some more info on using collected wood and rock.  Let us know how it goes.  Best Regards, Gage  http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm  >

Cypress in Aquarium
While touring the "Tennessee Aquarium" recently, I noticed Cypress knees were used in their displays depicting the gulf coast regions, as cypress is a part of the ecology in that area. Would I be correct in assuming that cypress would be safe to use in the confines of a home aquarium, or would the "cypresseine" in the heartwood be a problem?
<Not a problem as far as I'm aware. I compiled a list of problematic surrounding (pond) landscape plants some time ago (archived here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/landpltspd.htm
It may be that the cypress you see are quite old (recovered underwater) or artificially aged (I would inquire of the folks at the aquarium itself. They will know). Or even entirely faux...>
I wanted your opinion before I subjected any of my tropicals to experimentation.
Thank you.  Jess
<Worth trying... boil a bit of the wood, bark... and place some of the cooled liquid from same with some "test fish" for a week or so. Bob Fenner>

Preparing Rocks
Hello!
<Hello! Ryan with you>
I have some larger rocks I pulled from a local lake.
Do I need to do anything to these rocks before I ad them to my fresh water aquarium?  Boil, scrub,
freeze??
<Soak them in a bucket with 1/10 part bleach/water for a week to kill all bacteria, then a week in just water to leech anything out that may have remained.  Best of luck! Ryan>
Thank you

Sandstone?
Hey guys...long time no speak. how are ya all ???
<Great! Thanks for asking! Ryan with you>
Anyway my question is this, and it's on the subject of rocks and buffering the PH.
<OK>
Where I live our water straight out the tap is around PH 6.7, I'm planning on having a kind of large rock as a center piece in the tank, and I know Limestone is good as it helps with the buffering slightly.  But I was wondering would it be safe to use Sandstone in a Mbuna tank, I don't know if it would make the water Alkaline, Acidic or worse still toxic...could you assist me please....
<Raymie, it's a bad idea to use large sedimentary rocks in a captive system.  They often fall apart, creating a mess.  It can also create unnatural wear and tear on that hard earned equipment!  Save yourself the headache.  Good luck! Ryan>
many thanks
Raymie

RE: Coconuts In My Tank   3/31/03
Hi Phil!<Hey there!> Yes, this helps.<Good good.> Although, I think that even driftwood decays and adds things to the water.<Yes it does, but it's not really used in saltwater.> What made me suspicious of the shells is that lots of algae is starting to develop, including hair algae.<Could be an early sign.> I am disappointed though because my Corys love them and they look more natural than clay pots.<I'm willing to bet there is a company that makes coconut shells.  Try google and maybe your LFS.>
Thanks<No problem!  Phil>

Re: pleco and driftwood
Can I use ocean driftwood in my freshwater tank if I've soaked it for a few days, or do I need to purchase special driftwood from a store?
<It will need to be soaked a lot longer than a couple of days and it’s recommended that you don’t use it at all. If it’s not fully cured (soaked long enough) then it can leach into your water and affect several of your readings, especially the pH. And you always run the risk of introducing unwanted things into your tank when you use items that were wild collected.>
I am very new and inexperienced in the fish world....I've had this pleco (a small spotted common variety, cheap from a pet store) for a couple of weeks, and so far it hasn't seemed to bother my 2 little goldfish. (My mom got them for my daughter's birthday about a month ago, and I'm trying to keep them happy.) A friend told me to get a pleco to keep the tank clean, not knowing they have a reputation for eating the slime coat off of goldfish. But so far, I haven't given it anything besides a romaine lettuce leaf and peas. Is this enough?
<Only occasionally will a Pleco bother other fish. Just keep an eye on him. As for feeding him, he will do much better if he gets algae to eat. If there is none growing in your tank you can buy algae wafers that are inexpensive and easy to feed. Lettuce doesn’t have a good nutritive value and the peas should only be given occasionally. You can also feed him green beans (canned or thawed frozen) once in a while.>
I have a 10 gallon tank with a filter and light, and am hoping not to have to expand my set up.
<You will eventually need to and it may be sooner than you want. Goldfish can get quite large and so can Plecos. And Goldfish can grow very fast.>
I don't have a local fish store, and the pet store guy wasn't too helpful. Any advice is welcome.
<Hope this helps!>
Thanks. Erica
<You're welcome! Ronni>

Re: It's a jungle in there!
Hi Ronni, so glad you like my tank!
The driftwood came from a place called aquariumdriftwood.com and these guys were great. I had checked out a lot of places but this was the only one that answered all my questions via email and phone. I described my setup and they sold me 'bits and pieces' and a small centerpiece rather than sell me a regular centerpiece etc. And it wasn't a lot of money either- something like $35 all together.  It sank right away and took only 2 days for water to look pristine again- I had some friends who told me horror stories about tannins and wood that stained water for well over 2 weeks- so I highly recommend this place.
<I’ll definitely go take a look.>
LFS gets plants in today and more fish on Friday so will go sat to get the otos and ask if they'll hold them since I don't have QT- hope they will. Also, I've been reading more on QT from site but wanted to ask about plants- you had said to soak them in lime- where do I get it and how- I want to get the crinum onion if they have one in and or some spiralis- so would like to know how to do this soaking.
<Not lime but a product called Lime-It. There are numerous online retailers who carry it. I got mine when I ordered plants from Aquabotanic but I think Drs. Foster & Smith and Pets Warehouse also carry it. You dilute it with water and soak your plants in it for about 15 minutes then rinse them well. It kills snails and eggs. It’s also rumored to kill diseases but I don’t know if I’d trust it completely on that. QT after soaking is still the best option.>
BTW, I got 2 Amano shrimp yesterday and they seemed great- they took to the big piece of driftwood right away, swam everywhere which scared the rasboras and clouds and stayed outside. Then last night they hid and I thought maybe they died- but they stay hidden in middle of driftwood- are alive, can see their antennae moving about, but even this morning, still stay hidden- any experience with these guys? think its normal acclimation? I hope the otos don't freak them out!
<I’m sure it’s acclimation and they are probably more of a nocturnal creature anyway so you may not see them a whole lot.>
THANKS FOR ALL your advice, really. Will let you know if other plants work and send another photo when they've grown and I've got more fishes... best, Rosa
<Take care! Ronni>

Geodes were indeed the scum problem - 02/23/03
<Ananda here again...>
What a smart advisor! I removed the geodes (2 blue, one green, 2 natural), cleaned the tank and (though only 24 hours later), no scum at all!
<Thanks -- but I have to admit that I made the same mistake myself about a year ago! I put a big chunk of geode in the tank and realized its lovely blue color was fading in the tank... I figured you probably had at least one green or blue one -- I think one of the colorants used in those may be copper-based.>
I haven't done a pH assessment, but I'm certain you set me in the right direction. Oh, and the other fish comprise 3 Serpae (i.e?) tetras and a flame tail...so I only have 25 fish. Thanks for counting!
<I'll pass it along... Phil did the counting.>
I'll take my water samples to the fish store & look for Melafix. I have some pH altering drops, but will heed your caution to change things slowly.
<Do pick up a pH test while you're at it -- when your tank pH is about the same as your source water pH, you won't have to do the water changes just to fix the pH. (But you will still need to do the water changes to get rid of the nitrates.)  --Ananda>

New tank decorations? Or maybe not... - 02/24/03
I went to the Seattle Flower show and you could replace the lovely colorful geodes with hand (mouth)-blown glass leaves...at only $600 apiece.
<And here I thought they were overcharging for the glass flowers at the home decor shop! I think I'll pass -- just think of all the aquarium goodies you could get with that much cash....>
Not even by Chihuly (if his name means anything outside of Washington state).
<Uh, no, but then I'm not much into home decorating... that's what tanks are for, right? --Ananda>

Re: River rock
G'day Crew
<Ahoy!>
I've decided to go for a very natural looking freshwater aquarium and decided to go to the local river and get a whole lot of river rock and sand to put into the bottom of my tank.  The only problem is I've washed, rinsed and drained it about 5 times very thoroughly and still this very fine silt (too small for a filter to pick up) still comes out and sends my water dirty. Any ideas on how to clean it and get rid of this mega fine silt? Regards Marc Post
<Well, using river rock and sand aren’t really recommended due to undesirable natural organisms they can introduce into your system but to clean it I would recommend making a gravel washer. These are simple and inexpensive and work great. Use 1x4 to make a wood frame and then use a staple gun to attach metal mesh (screen) to one side of it. You can get the screen at most hardware or farm supply stores and it comes in various sizes, you should be able to find one small enough that the sand won’t go thru but the silt will. I prop mine in the bathtub and turn the shower on it so I can just let it run for a little bit. Alternately, you can do it outside and spray it with the hose. Ronni>

White jelly-like mass growing on wood in tank - 2/16/03
Hello-
<Hello. Ananda here today...>
I am just starting a new 29 gallon tank (one week old) that is home to 5 black skirt tetras.
<This tank needs to go through the nitrogen cycle... many articles and FAQs on that; do read up on it, and don't add any fish for a month or so.>
There are a few live plants in the tank and a piece of found wood.  
<Uh-oh. This could be home to all kinds of nasty stuff. I would remove it and sterilize it -- options include baking it (yep, in the oven, on your lowest heat setting for a couple of hours to several hours depending on the size of the piece), running it through the dishwasher (no soap, sanitize cycle; remove the top rack if necessary), soaking it in bleach water and then water with a heavy dose of dechlorinator. There are other methods. Note that this will kill all the living stuff, but may  leave behind some inorganic nasties.>
The fish have adapted well to the tank and their color, appetite and other indicators are good.  
<Appearances can be deceiving, in fish health as in other things.>
I have had one problem though. The piece of found wood I added to the tank quickly grows a thick covering of a white jelly-like mass that coats the entire wood piece.  
<Something was living in the wood and now it's growing.>
I took it out and washed the wood, but when I placed it back in the tank the coating soon covered the entire piece again.  The rocks, gravel and plants do not show signs of this jelly-like coating.  Will cleaning the wood in a light bleach solution and fresh water soak get rid of the problem?  
<Possibly.>
Does the tank water now carry the seeds to cause this problem again when I return the wood to the tank?  If so, how do I eliminate the problem?  Clearly the environment is not yet stable.
<And will not be stable for another few to several weeks.>
Should I wait a week or two and try reintroducing it again?
<Clean and sterilize it first. Even then, it may not be free of everything detrimental to your fish. This is why I use only driftwood from a local fish store or fake wood made of resin -- some of which looks quite realistic! -- in my fish tanks. More expensive, yes, but safer for your fish and you.>
Thanks for you help.
--Karl
<You're welcome. --Ananda>

Floating Lava Rock
I have two small pieces of Lava Rock and I can't get them to sink in my tank, they just float on the surface I was going to place a Java Fern in-between them. Any suggestions on how to get the rocks to sink. Thanks Anne
<Try anchoring them with fishing weights. You can either tie some fishing line around the rocks and clamp the weights onto that or you can use some aquarium epoxy and put a glob of it on the bottom of the rocks with some fishing weights embedded in it. Ronni>

Fungus-like material covering white driftwood.
Hello Guys!!!!
<HELLO!!!>
I have a 37G brackish with 2 Puffers and 2 spotted dollars. A few days ago, I bought some driftwood from my LFS. It was the Fluker's brand wood. It is made up of mostly a dark wood with some whitish branches. The label said that it had been sandblasted clean. I soaked it (but did not boil it since it is a large piece). The problem I am having is that on the white parts of the wood only, a whitish cotton-wool, like substance appears to be growing.
It looks very much like the stuff that covers uneaten food left in a tank for a few days. It feels a bit slimy and seems to come off when disturbed. I vacuumed it off the wood but it seems to come back quite quickly. It covers all the white areas of the wood and not on the darker areas. It seems not to affect the fish and I
tested for Ammonia, which was zero. I have not been able to find any FAQs on your site that might have dealt with this problem before. Any ideas??
Thanks,
David.
<Could be harmless, but I don't trust it.  I would take the piece out, boil if possible, or at least soak it for a few days/weeks, until the water runs clean and the fuzzy stuff goes away.  Maybe a soak in bleach.  Check out the links below.  Best Regards, Gage
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwdusefaqs.htm  >

Bogwood
We are going to clean our fish tank and the bogwood looks full of algae, any ideas on cleaning this?
<There are cleaning solutions one can buy, make up from bleaches, acids... I would just rinse and scrub (with a new scrubby pad) the wood under running water, let air dry before re-submerging. Bob Fenner>

Cleaning Algae from Driftwood
Hello,
I was wondering what you recommend for removing algae especially the black hair like kind that is near impossible to remove from driftwood in a tank?
<Rub the wood with a coarse cleaning pad like one uses to clean the algae off the tank glass. It should work...if not, email back.>
I cannot scrape it off, and was wondering what you suggest. Thanks, Noel Cote'
<You're welcome! I hope this helps. David>

Cleaning Algae from Driftwood
David,
I have tried the rubbing off before. I end up taking as much wood off as algae. I was wondering about a salt bath
<May leave an ugly residue that won't come off. But I'm just guessing.>
and then soak off, or maybe leave it outside for a couple of days.
<I like the idea of letting the wood dry out. That may work. I like to soak things in bleach. Remember...bleach is nothing but chlorine and it will evaporate. Soak the driftwood in a bucket of bleach/water for a day or so, let the wood COMPLETELY dry out, then rinse and place into the aquarium. Or if you're worried about the bleach...soak the wood, let it dry, then soak it for a day or two in a bucket of water that has been heavily treated with a dechlorinator. Once, again...let it dry COMPLETELY before placing into the aquarium. If you try this, let me know how it works. David Dowless>

Re: Wallaby wood
Thanks for the quick reply. The specimen marketed under the name "wallaby wood" was purchased at my LFS, my research seems to suggest that it is actually Swahala wood from the dark reaches of mighty Africa.
<Ahh, I do know this product>
Nobody at different LFS stores seem to know much about it although they all stock and sell it. Their instructions are all similar, just soak in hot water for 1-2 days and it will be fine, no staining of water and if there is any, well the filtration system will clear it up. Well 8 days later of soaking and boiling
it in my huge lobster pot still produces a beautiful light brown water which would make any ice tea company proud! Thank you for your input, I will not give up, sodium bicarbonate is next. Quick follow-up on one of my earlier ?'s regarding sexing of the Mormyrid "elephant nose fish", after researching bibliography came across small paragraph stating that "the fish with the more curved anal fin is the male". Just thought you may like to know. Thanks again Stephen
<Thank you for this. Have heard similar statements. Bob Fenner>

Aquarium Rocks
Dear Bob,
I have a 30 gallon freshwater aquarium with South American cichlids. I plan to upgrade to a 90 gallon tank. We travel to Missouri often and there is a lot of rock there. Do you know of any way to sterilize rock to use in an aquarium?
<You can boil the rocks in water to sterilize them, but that does not necessarily make them aquarium-safe. Many rocks have metals in them which leach into the water. You are far better off buying rock and gravel that is guaranteed safe for fish.>
This sure would save a lot of money. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely, Greg
<Have a nice day. -Steven Pro>

Cichlids and Aquarium Set-up
Dear Bob,
I actually have several questions. First, I want to set up a cichlid tank. (I have done this before, but I experienced a few complications.) I have a 55 gallon tank and, since I live near a beach, I went out and collected my own driftwood for the tank. Now, I know I have to first boil the driftwood before placing it in the tank. 
<Maybe more than this... I see you are considering South American, maybe just Dwarf Cichlids below...>
But I wanted to know how I could go about anchoring the driftwood into the bottom of the tank, since it floats. 
<A few ways... the simplest is to secure it (the driftwood) to something heavy and dense enough (like slate, shale... )drilled through and fitted with a brass screw... A good idea to really soak the wood... Please see: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm>
Second, I really am interested in maybe using South American Cichlids (especially the Rams) instead of the African cichlids I had used before. But I really haven't seen many around here. Any suggestions for finding them? 
<Yes. Ask your local fish stores to special order them for you, and let them "harden" them by keeping them at the shop for a good week or two... Barring this, contact the etailers of such livestock (some are listed on the WetWebMedia.com Links Pages). Lastly, but not least importantly, do contact the American Cichlid Association (on the Net if you'd like) and their affiliate Clubs, possibly/hopefully in your region, and ask for their input, assistance>
I also wanted to know if locating the tank by a heater would be a problem if the ambient temperature of my apartment is kept lower than the desired temperature of the tank.
<Mmm, only way to really tell is to set up the system (w/o livestock) and experiment here. The temperature should not vacillate more than a couple of degrees Fahrenheit in a day/night. Bob Fenner>
Thank you for your time and help.
Sincerely,
Mel

Bamboo for Aquaria
Hello this is Jake. ( I just wrote about a dragon wrasse) I would like to ask a question but first I would like to say that I work in an oyster restoration lab at University of Maryland and will have my marine bio degree in 8 months (hopefully) Point is that if you guys are ever in College park
stop by Ken Paynters lab and if you ever have a question on oysters or other things in the Chesapeake Bay I would be happy to help you (Not that you need it but you do the same for me and my tanks)
<Appreciate this>
THE QUESTION My girlfriend has an Asian swamp tank. Wants to put Bamboo in it and a
certain book suggested using varnish. We bought Spar Marine varnish but will not use it until we know more. SHOULD WE TREAT BAMBOO BEFORE ADDING SO IT DOESN'T ROT?
<I have used bamboo of various species in freshwater and marine displays... but never with varnish/as... I know that Spar is rated for use around water, but would leave it out... Just use the bamboo by itself. Bob Fenner>
Thank you for all that you do, Jake

Re: rocks
Hi the fish we have is an Oscar the rocks we want to use are street rocks we did a vinegar to test them they did not foam we have soaked them in salt water for about a day and fresh water to rinse for another day then we set up the tank. The sucker fish we had ended up dying and we think it might be the rocks if you could please email me back information on the right rocks for fresh water tanks thank you for your time.
<Do this small experiment for testing the rocks. Place one, two of them in a cooking pot and cook them underwater till the water boils... let cool down for an hour or more, and test the pH of the water the rocks have been in. Has it changed much compared with the tap water pH? If not, the rocks are likely safe to use with your Oscar, and probably didn't have much/anything to do with the loss of your sucker fish. Bob Fenner>

Lace rock
I have heard that lace rock can increase the pH of water in a tank. Is this true, and if so, by how much does it increase the pH? Are we talking about increasing a tank from 7.0 to 8.0, or more like 7.0 to 7.2?
<Possibly to about 8.0... variable product, and values do vacillate with make-up of existing water. Bob Fenner>
Love your web site
<Thank you>
Thanks for your help
Doug Fitzpatrick <Doug... just to set my mind at ease... we're talking about "Tufa" rock here aren't we? Not the man-made with cement variety hawked by GARF et al...? Bob Fenner> Wow! I didn't expect that.
To answer your question, I think the lace rock is natural, not cement. So, I guess it is the "Tufa" rock you asked about.
<Thanks for this... you can imagine what goes through ones mind... short distance in my case... sending out responses, then thinking... "what if"?... >
Just a follow-up question, then. If the rock can increase the tank to 8.0 from 7.0, does it take a long time to do this, or is it an "overnight" sort of thing?
<Takes a while... the KOH... wait, let's not do this thing quantitatively... the solubility being what it typically is, surface area... a whole bunch of the rock in a small volume of water, a matter of weeks... not days>
My friend has a 60gal tank with what he thinks is about 60 pounds of lace rock in it (large mountain of rock is the only real decoration in the tank). If he does a weekly water change with 7.2 pH water and replaces 5 gallons at each change, can he keep the pH down, or will the lace rock
bring the pH up right away?
<It will take time... in freshwater (now you see what I'm getting at re the worry here...) and probably never noticed in marine,,, where other buffers/buffering influences will keep the pH higher.>
Additional information:
He has been cycling the tank for about 2.5 months with goldfish, and he is trying to bring the pH down to get the tank ready for Discus.
<Ahhh, now we're getting somewhere... I would NOT use this rock with Symphysodon at all... it will cause the water to be harder, more alkaline than s/he wants... and is too sharp to have around these fish/es>
The water started with a pH of 7.8 and is very hard (he lives in Southern California, and I saw one article describe our water as liquid rock). 
<Yes, some came out of the tap this morning here in San Diego, and cracked the kitchen sink...>
He has an RO/DI filter, so he should be able to produce 7.0 water when he wants. He is also aware of adding trace elements back into distilled water. He is also aware that the addition of driftwood would help the situation, but he really likes the rock look. So, he really wants to make the rock work. Is what he is trying to do possible, or is he facing a no win situation?
<No win in my opinion... look for chemically inert decor>
Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Doug
<Please see the rock/driftwood piece, FAQs under the "Planted Tank" Index on the www.WetWebMedia.com site. Bob Fenner>

Rock/Decor for FW
We have a 3 month old freshwater 40 gal. aquarium. We have stocked it with the usual community fish, tetras, swordtails, gouramis, angels, etc. In one corner we would like to build a tall rock formation. Is this possible and what kind of rock is safe? Please answer. Thanks!
<Please read over the rock and driftwood section posted on the Freshwater and Planted Tank Indexes of the site: www.WetWebMedia.com
Such an assemblage is possible, but as you say with only chemically inert or conducive materials. Bob Fenner>

New Rock
Hi Bob,
Haven't sent you an e-mail in a really long time, I like the changes to WWM, it's looking better every time I look! 
<Ah, great to read.>
I have had a 26 gallon reef for almost a year now, you helped me quite a bit in the early days! I have since found many discussion boards and the wealth of information that goes
along with . . .
<Great.... the more input an intelligent caring mind can cogitate furiously over, the better>
Couple of quickies for you . . . we have a little eclipse 3 gallon freshwater tank at work with some neon tetras, albino catfish and a clown pleco. I want to remove a ceramic bridge in the tank and replace it with some small pieces of lace rock for a more natural look. (The tank has been setup for about 4-5 months) If a rinse the rock really well, maybe place it in a bucket of freshwater with a powerhead for a few days would that be sufficient to not harm our current inhabitants. (I don't want to shock the water, bacteria levels, etc.)
<I understand... and encourage you to look into other materials than the lace rock... it's a bit sharp and can/does usually increase pH and alkalinity. Maybe petrified "wood", or some of the prepared driftwoods for aquariums... real or ceramic logs...>
I am in the planning stages of a 140 gallon reef. (60 X 18 X 30) Metal Halide will be the lighting of choice, possibly with VHO actinic supplementation. I plan to keep a mix of softies, LPS and SPS. Do you think I could be successful with 2 250 WT MH (Iwasaki 6500K) along with 2 130 WT VHO Actinic's, or I should I opt for 2 400 WT Ushio 10000K's with the 2 130 WT VHO actinic supplementation? 
<For thirty inches deep... this is a tough one... I'd personally opt for the 250s, but you could have the 400s...>
My understanding is that a standard MH bulb will produce a useful arc of about 2 feet, so if I place the bulbs properly I would only have 6 inches of non-optimal light at the ends of the tank. (Good spot for shrooms I suppose!)
<Something like that/this...>
Thanks as per usual for your invaluable advice. Brian
<Glad to be here my friend. Bob Fenner>

Bogwood Blues
Dear Mr. Fenner,
I have never in 40 years of aquarium ownership seen anything like this! I recently set up a 26 gal. tank with natural gravel, Asian plants, and two large pieces of bogwood sold under the name "Wallaby Wood" at the local store.
(Yes, I washed and soaked the wood a few days before placing in the tank.
No special directions in their labeling indicated lengthy preparation needed.) Anyway, the tank began within 48 hrs. to take on the appearance of weak coffee, and no amount of water changes (10-20% at a time) or activated carbon filtration (outside power filter) has yet reduced the color appreciably. Constant testing of pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate indicate that the water is cycling normally and remaining fairly stable. Do you have any ideas on what I might do to reduce the staining more rapidly? I'd appreciate whatever hints you might offer ...
Karen Wilkerson
<Wish I did... the procedures you list: water changes, using activated carbon... even the live plants, will eventually reduce the amount of apparent coloring... but as you are obviously aware, this "dilution" game will take a few months... Small dispensation to find that the chemicals (flavins, tannins) are not toxic.
Bob Fenner, who has indeed, "been here">

Re: Bogwood Blues
Thanks for the reassurance, Bob .. good news is that the "tide" is finally beginning to turn a bit, so I suppose I'm gaining on it .. whew!
<Thank "stained" goodness>
Guess I need to invest in a gigantic washtub (enameled, of course) to use in future bogwood endeavors. 
<Good idea... some folks utilize a bit of borax... other materials to leach their new woods... or just keep overfilling the ding dang basin outside while doing other gardening duties... Appropriate technology.>
You know, it's a gorgeous set up, what we can see of it. And the fish still seem very happy, so I will soon be adding more Asian relatives. By the way, do you know of any good online ordering sources for Orange Chromides? 
<Go to your web search engines and put in the terms "Cichlid Trader" and look for Etroplus from there>
I want to get a small pair, if possible, to complete the collection of Asian fishes, and we rarely see them in this area. I'm in Tyler, Texas, which is 100 miles E. of Dallas.
Thanks again for the help,
Karen Wilkerson
<Bob Fenner, who has a dear friend, colleague in the interest named Joyce Wilkerson... and runs with the Texas Interhash every opportunity... last time at "Cut n' Shoot">

Driftwood/fish questions
Dear Robert,
You asked recently what other fishes did i have. I have platies, mollies, guppies, swordtails, sucking catfishes (2), a black phantom, a neon tetra and that's it. 
1) Are any of my fish (above) affected by the tannin?
<Hmm, the livebearers might be if they were close to wild types... but no... once all have been exposed, they would not suffer appreciably... The catfishes and tetras would actually benefit.>
I think my driftwood should not have any harmful chemicals, etc but i would like to double check that. I bought it from a very professional pet center (with lots of variety) and i am pretty sure it is mangrove root. It has also been waterlogged, it did so on the second day! 
2) So what else should i be careful about in the driftwood?
<Nothing really... unlikely it contains chemical, physical or biological problems.> 
3) They said that carbon in the filter removes tannin so should i just put it in? (i am a very impatient person!)
<A very worthwhile effort. Will remove a great deal of the color and more>
WATER CONDITIONS
My water conditions are about 1 tablespoon of salt (not table salt) per 20litres of aquar. water. and the pH is either 6.9 or 7.4(my pH test kit is stuffed!) but my livebearers (see 1st paragraph) are breeding. Does this mean they feel "at home" in my tank? Most of my neons died, only 1 black phantom remains.
<Yes on the measure of "suitability", and the Neons dying isn't unusual... sometimes, often don't adapt to new surroundings, being moved.> 
1) Would a kuhli loach survive, i mean 'feel at home', in my tank?
the red and black one.
<S/b fine... these loaches live in softer, acidic water... with considerable wood acid content.>
2) I also wanted a pair of Ancistrus temminckii (Bristlenose)
catfishes. Is that the small one with the whole underside as a
sucker? 
Is this the one that is peaceful and would be a good community fish?
<Not the whole underside, though their mouths are subterminal... and yes, good community fishes... though can/do get large with time.>
3) What conditions are required for this catfish?
<Aged systems, neutral in pH to lower... some dedicated feeding (like with sinking pellets) and driftwood to chew on (yes)> 
>>
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>

DIY Rock background
Dear Bob,
I am in the process of setting up a large freshwater tank and would like to include extensive rock backdrop as well. Could you tell me how I can achieve this? How do I stack them (or glue them?) together to get the desired effect?
What glue is to be used? Here in India, I can obtain good quality marble, sandstone or slate. Which of these is safe to use?
I do look forward to your advice and help.
Thanking you, Arvind
>>
A few ways to go here... you might want to simply stack the pieces at this juncture, though a permanent sort of arrangement can be executed (very heavy... and permanent) by a few mechanisms... putty, resin.... Depending on the type of livestock, you might want to use marble (will make the water more hard and alkaline) if your livestock like the shift in water quality... or slate (more chemically inert)... by and large sedimentary rock (like sandstones) are not a good idea in captive systems... fall apart, grind down pumping mechanisms... make a mess...
Bob Fenner

Floating Driftwood
I recently purchased a 75 gallon tank and am planning to put tropical fish in it. To decorate the tank, I also purchased a piece of driftwood attached to a slate base. The driftwood is pretty large, but fits nicely in the tank. It has been soaking for about 6 days now, but it is showing no signs of wanting to sink. I even tried soaking it in hot water for a few hours.
Does it usually take a long time for driftwood to sink? Is there anything I can do to speed up the process (the wood is too big to boil)? Are there weights or some other method I can use to help weigh it down? Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Craig
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Good questions... and you're not alone... I've had the phenomenally beautiful pieces of wood that just would not sink as well... Boiling does help... soaking as well (if you don't perish from old age, or forget the project in the interim)... there are even chemicals you can add to the soak (don't do this, too dangerous) that may be used to speed up the process.... And yes, if your water is sufficiently hard, alkaline, you might well add a couple of lead weights (as in scuba diving) to the base to hold that log down... Or better/safer still, some other sort of chemically inert "rock" like petrified wood... more slate... rocks from around your area that won't/don't mal-affect your water quality....
Maybe take a read through the following site: Home Page for more input on decor of this sort.
Bob Fenner

Re: Floating Driftwood
I hate to bother you again, but I do have one more question. I just began my first fish tank (75 gallons, freshwater), and I set it up last week and purchased the fish on Saturday. I am a little concerned that they do not seem to be eating. I have 3 fish for now (red tailed shark, tri-colored shark, and a blue gour). The Blue Gour seems to eat enough, the red tailed shark has eaten a little, but the tri-colored shark hasn't eaten at all. It just hides out all day and doesn't seem to even know that there is food in the tank. Should I be concerned? Is there anything I should do to change this? Thanks in advance for your help.
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Never a bother to answer/ask something in earnest. And no, not to worry. The Tri-colored shark (prob. Balantiocheilus tricolor, family Cyprinidae) is a notorious poor feeder when moved. It will soon regain its appetite... BTW, do be aware that these "sharks" are great jumpers! Make sure and keep your system covered... any, all holes that are big enough are suspect... 
Bob Fenner