I found some driftwood by a creek today and i've never gotten any because I didn't feel like paying for it. i've been reading about boiling it to cure it but I was wondering how much it might effect my water quality. I have pretty soft water and I add crushed coral in the filter to add some stability and keep the ph a little bit higher. its only a small piece for a ten gallon, if I boil it really well how low should my ph drop?
effects of driftwood
- Thread starter carsona246
- Start date
It all depends on your kH level. In all honesty it will likely not drop you PH a noticable amount at all but with such a small water volume you never know. Try boiling it for at least 5 minutes and that should remove the majority of the tannin acids (the acidic substance that leaches). If your that concerned, boil it more than once. You don't want to boil it for hours on end or it can break apart. < been there done that..
I've got a ton of drift wood in my 90 and 55 gallon tanks. It really makes only a very small difference in the PH, about 0.2.
I would not worry about it have a negative effect on the quality of your water
The worst that can happen is that it will leak tannins into your water which will give it a tea like color. Not harmful to any fish
I would not worry about it have a negative effect on the quality of your water
The worst that can happen is that it will leak tannins into your water which will give it a tea like color. Not harmful to any fish