Hi I'm new in using driftwoods I got a big manzanita driftwood on my 90gl tank what I notice is my water is kinda turning yellowish and I'm seeing some cottony growth on my driftwood are all this things normal will the yellowish color of my water disappear in due time? I had it for only a week actually it if I removed the rocks to hold it down it still floats any advice or inputs will be great Thank's in advanced.
New to Driftwood need some input or advice
- Thread starter Calmwaters
- Start date
1. The yellowish color is from tannins. These are harmless (and in some cases beneficial) organic acids. Your wood may leach tannins for weeks or months. You can hasten tannin removal by boiling the wood. You can reduce the yellow appearance in your tank with increased water change size/frequency and activated carbon.
2. The fuzzy growth is a harmless fungus. It will disappear in a few weeks as the bacterial biofilm becomes established. Scrubbing it off will renew the cycle, so it's better to leave it alone or to gently remove the outer portions only, leaving the wood itself untouched.
3. It will take a while for the wood to become waterlogged, and some pieces never get there. For a more permanent solution than piling rocks on, try bolting the wood to a piece of slate. This acts as a weight, and can also be covered in substrate for additional anchoring.
2. The fuzzy growth is a harmless fungus. It will disappear in a few weeks as the bacterial biofilm becomes established. Scrubbing it off will renew the cycle, so it's better to leave it alone or to gently remove the outer portions only, leaving the wood itself untouched.
3. It will take a while for the wood to become waterlogged, and some pieces never get there. For a more permanent solution than piling rocks on, try bolting the wood to a piece of slate. This acts as a weight, and can also be covered in substrate for additional anchoring.
I think boiling works the best, but I imagine thats a big piece of wood... I would definitely weight it down more securely. You could use fishing line & tie it to the rocks. I've also heard drilling small holes in the wood can help to waterlog it faster.
If you don't want to wait for the yellow water (tannins) to clear in your tank, you can remove the wood and weigh it down in some sort of container, changing the water every couple days. Before putting it back in the tank, let it sun dry, and either boil it in water if it will fit, or pour boiling water over it to remove anything you don't want in there.
I bought it used just not sure how long he had it in his tank and it was dry when I got it already though I have not tried pouring boiling water on it I can't boil the whole thing cause it's 45" long.
Hot not boiling right?...and the purpose of doing that is to remove the tannins?buddha1200;3502181; said: