eek! you reminded me to snatch the driftwood from my parents house before they toss it :o two HUGE pieces, about 5-6 feet long of fresh-water driftwood... ><
Also... any ideas on what natural rocks are okay to use? or how to test them? o_O I find pretty ones here and there because of our fresh water lakes. My girls got so big..meaty.... o.o;; scary to see the before and after of mine xD your must love that tank
eek! you reminded me to snatch the driftwood from my parents house before they toss it :o two HUGE pieces, about 5-6 feet long of fresh-water driftwood... ><
Also... any ideas on what natural rocks are okay to use? or how to test them? o_O I find pretty ones here and there because of our fresh water lakes. My girls got so big..meaty.... o.o;; scary to see the before and after of mine xD your must love that tank
I don't know much, but if I were you, I'd take a water test of one of your tanks before adding a new rock, then (after washing it without soap, of course), putting it in a small container with the same type of substrate and plants, then taking another reading of that water after a couple days.
After looking into starting a Sulawesi shrimp tank, I learned that some rock compositions can increase or decrease pH--by how much depends on the rock, the water it's in, and any other substrates.
Obviously bettas aren't nearly as fragile as Sulawesi shrimp, but I thought it was a valuable bit of knowledge nonetheless!
definitely! I have a piece of petrified wood I wanted to add. had to boil the heck out of it to remove those pesky little eggs of some sort of bug... now it's clean aaaand not in a tank o_O hehe. I'd aim for rocks in the water rather than in rock gardens because they are smoother... And that's a good stragedy!! thanks =D
I always soak new rocks for roughly a week. especially porous looking ones...ones with many tiny holes in them. Rocks like limestone will increase your ph. I think its due to the calcium that is leached out into the water. Any stone that is made from dead anything will probably do this. Corals, limestone and so on.
Things liek quartz, agate, most riverstones, jasper and so on are fine. If in doubt, test them while soaking them. Smooth rocks are usually safe.
To waterlog your own driftwood, you'll need a large tub to hold enough water to completely submerge the piece of wood. I usually have rocks weighing it down. I let the driftwood soak for a week, then I take it out, give it a scrub and rinse and the submerge and weight down again. I do this until the water is clear and I no longer need to weigh it down. Mine have sometimes taken a week or two..then again some have taken a couple of months.
Always fill the tub after the driftwood is in the tub. The water will be more likely to creep into crevices and cracks that way. Driftwood is pretty buoyant.
I always soak new rocks for roughly a week. especially porous looking ones...ones with many tiny holes in them. Rocks like limestone will increase your ph. I think its due to the calcium that is leached out into the water. Any stone that is made from dead anything will probably do this. Corals, limestone and so on.
Things liek quartz, agate, most riverstones, jasper and so on are fine. If in doubt, test them while soaking them. Smooth rocks are usually safe.
To waterlog your own driftwood, you'll need a large tub to hold enough water to completely submerge the piece of wood. I usually have rocks weighing it down. I let the driftwood soak for a week, then I take it out, give it a scrub and rinse and the submerge and weight down again. I do this until the water is clear and I no longer need to weigh it down. Mine have sometimes taken a week or two..then again some have taken a couple of months.
Always fill the tub after the driftwood is in the tub. The water will be more likely to creep into crevices and cracks that way. Driftwood is pretty buoyant.
Thanks for the tip :P I'd have to cut them anyways just to get them to fit in a tank xDD I'll be looking for a tub Everytime I see people with driftwood in their tanks I keep remembering I forgot about mine><
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for me it's even too small for my 10 gallons - let along a 29 gallon ><
