Hardscape rules

[Hali]

Hey guys, what's the deal with driftwood and rocks? Can I use any awesome driftwood/rocks that I come across on my merry way? Or do I need to be careful of leaching and such? In the process of upgrading the display tank to a 100lt and found some neat wood by the trees at the lake. Thoughts?

[livingart]

welcome to the forum

you can add your location in user control panel, top right hand corner of the page, under profile

helps if people know

[Dachende]

You'll want to make sure the wood isn't rotting firstly

Also when cleaning new driftwood, I usually run boiling water over it (or, smaller pieces I boil in a pot) and scrub with a new dishbrush thing.

If it's still bouyant, you can weight it down with rocks or lead plant weights until it's naturally bouyant, or alternatively you can soak it until it sinks on its own.

I think the main thing to worry about is whether you're going to introduce some nasties into your tank - But the boiling water trick does the job.

Same dealio for rocks

[FraserNZ]

Hi Mate,

Unwanted Organisms living in them so its best to soak the wood first then let it dry outside for about a week or so. Most wood does leach tanneries when you first put it in the tank however, this normally settles down after a month or so. Just do regular water changes to keep this under control.

With regards to rocks, some rocks can affect the PH of the water. Put a bit of vinegar on the rock, if it fizzes then its no good, if it doesn’t it should be fine. But always keep an eye on the PH when adding rocks just to be safe.

F

[Hali]

I'll jump onto the user control panel now, thanks I'm from Hamilton. Ohhhh that vinegar trick sounds primo :happy1: out to find cool rocks! I thought boiling the nasties out would be good.. Then dry.. The soak.. Right Thanks!

[Caryl]

I collect my driftwood from the beach by river mouths. The west coast is particularly good for this. Since mine are already waterlogged I just give them a scrub, rinse then add them to the tank.