Waterproofing a wooden lid, and a few other things.

[Hendre]

Afternoon guys and gals. I have a few questions to ask, 2 quick and one longer.

How long should i soak mopane root to get the worst tannins out of it? i dont want too much of the tannins in the water

second are there any plants apart from moss, anubias and javae fern that can be rooted into wood?

Ok now for the big question. Me and my dad are going to build a wooden lid for my 70 gal (120x45cm) cabinet style with doors on top to access and do water changes etc. what interior coating do you guys recommend i use to prevent moulding and not kill the fish if condensation runs off it? say ideas welcome!

 

[DN328]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but if you had wood lids on top that would block light - assuming you have some sort of light fixture above the lid?

I'm sure that what I'm missing something or wrong assumptions.

 

[knobhill]

I think he means a canopy, not lids. And really, any standard paint or stain is fine since condensation won't run back into the tank if he has glass or acrylic lids.

Mopani dw soak: just put in a container, fill the container, let it soak for 24 hours then drain. Repeat the process till the soak water is clear enough for your liking. If you get tannins in your aquarium, use seachem purigen to remove.

Idk much about plants on dw but I'm sure another member will chime in.

 

[Drstrangelove]

On the length of time, I've read many threads on this (and done the deed myself.) My observation is that there is no certain time span for tannin to be leached to a level no longer visible to the naked eye. It varies by wood, and probably by the age of the wood, how long since it was cut, what was done to it after being cut, possibly which part of the tree it came from, and more. Patience is the key: keep at it until you are comfortable with the amount or tolerate the discoloration until it's gone. Some people have stated that they had pieces that leached for months, so....

I have been lucky in my pieces or maybe I wasn't terribly observant over the discoloration. Slight wood colors are more natural to me, so I wouldn't mind

As for making it water proof, many people indicate that clear 100% polyurethane will work and once dried (cured) will not leach poisons into the water. I won't recommend it since I personally haven't used it, but I think that someone else can vouch for it or correct my memory.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

I can't answer two of them... Buy bolbitis can be attached to wood and looks great. I have it in my 2ft and had it with my dollars for a while. I have crap lighting and use no ferts or co2 and its growing alright. Here's a pic of some attached to a bit of tigers eye rock.

I tried to get a close up of a leaf so you can see the beautiful translucentness of the leaves. It attached itself rather quickly (about 2 months) compared to my anubias which took months and months to finally stick.

However it grows ridiculously sloooow, I thought it was just because of my tank conditions, but google said its slow growing as well so... It takes about a month for a new leaf to get full size but worth it since it is (in my opinion) the most beautiful green plant available in our hobby.

Post Script: please excuse the algae, since Bruce passed we've cut back on the water changes (pure laziness) and the algae is going stupid, from barely none to that in a week!

 

[Hendre]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but if you had wood lids on top that would block light - assuming you have some sort of light fixture above the lid?

I'm sure that what I'm missing something or wrong assumptions.

On the length of time, I've read many threads on this (and done the deed myself.) My observation is that there is no certain time span for tannin to be leached to a level no longer visible to the naked eye. It varies by wood, and probably by the age of the wood, how long since it was cut, what was done to it after being cut, possibly which part of the tree it came from, and more. Patience is the key: keep at it until you are comfortable with the amount or tolerate the discoloration until it's gone. Some people have stated that they had pieces that leached for months, so....

I have been lucky in my pieces or maybe I wasn't terribly observant over the discoloration. Slight wood colors are more natural to me, so I wouldn't mind

As for making it water proof, many people indicate that clear 100% polyurethane will work and once dried (cured) will not leach poisons into the water. I won't recommend it since I personally haven't used it, but I think that someone else can vouch for it or correct my memory.

It will be a canopy with lighting inside. My dad is going to check out the polyurethane and see if there is any other stuff he can use.

I can't answer two of them... Buy bolbitis can be attached to wood and looks great. I have it in my 2ft and had it with my dollars for a while. I have crap lighting and use no ferts or co2 and its growing alright. Here's a pic of some attached to a bit of tigers eye rock.
View attachment 1200396
I tried to get a close up of a leaf so you can see the beautiful translucentness of the leaves. It attached itself rather quickly (about 2 months) compared to my anubias which took months and months to finally stick.

However it grows ridiculously sloooow, I thought it was just because of my tank conditions, but google said its slow growing as well so... It takes about a month for a new leaf to get full size but worth it since it is (in my opinion) the most beautiful green plant available in our hobby.

Post Script: please excuse the algae, since Bruce passed we've cut back on the water changes (pure laziness) and the algae is going stupid, from barely none to that in a week!

Looks cool. I have OK lighting and use seachem flourish so i think it will survive

 

[Kittiee Katt]

Looks cool. I have OK lighting and use seachem flourish so i think it will survive

If you have OK lighting and dose regularly I'd assume it would grow well for you.

Although heads up, idk about in South Africa but it costs a small fortune here. I spent $46aud on a 20cm (if that!) piece of wood just because of the bolbitis on it... And I didn't even expect the plant to live, I just really really liked the wood. Although the plant has grown a fair bit since I got it and now I can barely see the wood that I spent so much on.

 

[Hendre]

If you have OK lighting and dose regularly I'd assume it would grow well for you.

Although heads up, idk about in South Africa but it costs a small fortune here. I spent $46aud on a 20cm (if that!) piece of wood just because of the bolbitis on it... And I didn't even expect the plant to live, I just really really liked the wood. Although the plant has grown a fair bit since I got it and now I can barely see the wood that I spent so much on.

I think @Wierdstream said he would send me some when he does trimming

 

[Kittiee Katt]

I think @Wierdstream said he would send me some when he does trimming

Sweet. Gotta love free stuff.

 

[Hendre]

Sweet. Gotta love free stuff.

Yep. Got some nice wood to plant on