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I live in Wollongong but travel to Sydney every few weeks, so either location would be fine to buy from.

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If it is not essential to have bogwood, could someone please tell me a suitable substitute?

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Thanks

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Rob

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</P></DIV><H2>Replies »</H2><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Link 2 Hell</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi Rob

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Most LFS sell some form of wood

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the better one locally I feel is mangrove

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remember to wash and soak it, some pieces may need to be boiled if you don't like the idea of tannins leaching and turning the water a bit yellow

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L2H

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: PHL0703</STRONG><BR><BR>It's really a case of keep looking until you find what you like; I'm usually on the lookout for nice pieces that I can do something with. No one store has the "right" piece all the time, and what's right for you may not be right for me.

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: nazm</STRONG><BR><BR>Bear in mind, a lot of the LFS refer to it as driftwood. Expensive stuff if bought through them, but essential for b/n.

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: PHL0703</STRONG><BR><BR>I don't think it really matters, except driftwood probably would not leach as much tannins, and are usually lighter in colour. I've found that most bogwood (mangrove I suspect) will need a good scrubbing as those I've got invariably has a coating of mud (of varying thickness).

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: searlesy</STRONG><BR><BR>You would be surprised how much driftwood leaches tannins. I collect some off the beach occaisionally, and it is very light in colour when dry on the sand, almost white sometimes, but within a day of sticking it in a tub of water, the water is a nice tea colour. I had some n a tank with a silver perch for over a year, fresh off the sand, and with monthly water changes of about 50%, the wood was still leaching tannins.

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Cichlids au</STRONG><BR><BR>You know the well-rotted stuff on driftwood that Bristlenose love so much? Well bogwood is about 80% that stuff. I have not been able to find anywhere in Sydney that sells it.

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I source my own from a swamp I know. (When I can be bothered)

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Cichlids_au

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: akdod</STRONG><BR><BR>i get my wood from the beach and soak it for about 2 weeks before putting it in with my bristlenose. However i also have one large stump in my tank at present that i bought from my lfs for a resonable price.

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Thanks in advance

</P></DIV><H2>Replies »</H2><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: burundi 6 bar</STRONG><BR><BR>Nothing will stop it leaching tannins into the water ever.

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cheers

<br>

darryl

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Chilli Powder</STRONG><BR><BR>Some say boil the wood, some say add salt when soaking the wood and there are countless other theories. One that works for sure is Seachem Purigen. Put the Seachem stuff in a stocking or similar and put it into your filter. That will clear up the water. The other alternative is to soak it in a big tub, like what you are doing now for about six months. There is no gurantee with that either. Sorry.

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Arj.

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: bijengum</STRONG><BR><BR>I use a fair bit of wood I collect off my own place. The only answer is time. I have a 5 footer that has had some it for about 8 months. It is just starting to slow down the leaching process. The purigen in the filter does work also.

<P><STRONG>Author: YeW2001</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi Guys -

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The problem here is tannic acid - which leaches from the wood and changes the colour of the water. To a tea/yellow colour. Different woods contain different amounts of tannins.

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Boiling the wood speeds up the process as it allows the water to more effectively get into the wood.

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There are two methods of removal once in your tank water. 1. water changes. 2. Use an adsorbate. Adsorbates stick the tannic acids to the outside of the substrate. Both "purigen" and "activated carbon" are adsorbates. Purigen is rechargable - while carbon is not. Purigen is considerably more expensive however.

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Over time the amount of tannins leaching from the wood will decrease.

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tried to go fishing at Cabarita wharf yesterday, but the tide was sooo low and the water was so dirty and murky. Also there were quite a few ppl on the wharf as well...so i guess fishing there will only tangle lines up.

Anyway, since it was low tide, i found some shells, similar to the mystery snail shells, that were empty and perfect for some small shelldwellers like multifasciatus. so if any of you want free shells - head down to cabarita wharf after you reply to this post.

my question is are these shells safe to use after soaking them in tap water for a few days?

thanks!

There is a new article in the SCP Articles section.

Thanks to Merjo for the article!

Anyone ever seen it around ?

I dont think Australia has the right geology, but since im no expert i thought i'd ask.

cheers.

Are there any dramas / implications with using rocks collected from the beach?

What are the steps to be taken to ensure a safe introduction into the tank?

Thanks

Nath

I am thinking to keep tropheus in my 5ft tank. And I have bought plenty of coral rocks. Just wondering would it be okay to use the coral rocks for tropheus setup? I was thinking to use limestone but it is too dense, and the lfs guys told me that coral rocks is better as they are lighter.

So, what do you guys think? does anyone using coral rocks for tropheus setup?

Regards,

Tony

And as tall as the 4 ft to.

Where can i get the rocks from and for how much? can be any type

I am working on making some slate structures for my tanks at the moment and have followed the prepping stages mentioned in other posts.

my question is that some of the slate i have has some rusting occuring. is this terribly bad?

Grace

It has all the appearances of Marble ( I'm no Geologist). Since being in the tank Water ph6.5 -7.0 it is started to turn green in places. My first thought was that it contained copper. Any ideas?

Thanks Martin

Thanks.

My tank is 5ft tank (60" x 14" x 24"), and the thickness of the glass is 10mm.

The one I am worry about is that if I stacked to many rocks, the base of the tank could be cracked (because the density of the rock is higher than water, and the pressure from the rock to the base of the tank would be very high as well).

Regards,

Fishly

Of interest, I have found at a local landscape supplier, a rough granite in thin plates (1-3cm thick). They sell them covered with moss but many pieced were cleanish and they came up well after boiling and scrubbing. This material will allow me to create a lot of crevices without as much rock bulk. I will post a pic when it has been set-up.

Cheers,

Scienceman

what kind of rocks do haps need, if any?

Just want to know on how many kilos of rocks can be placed in a standard 4ft. I'm using large sandstone rocks that weighs around 6 to 10 kilos..maybe abit more and using sand for my substrate.

Any info will be much appreciated

The stand has four legs, and one support beam in the middle of the stand where the base of the tank rests. (the beam runs from the back to the front of the stand (tank))

Gutty, if you read this you know the tank im talking about.

Cheers, Alan.

I'm just interested in these latex rubber type rock backgrounds. If you use one is it a goer? If so, where are they available and how much do they cost? The back wall of my tank is 5 x 2 foot.

Thanks again guys,

Jamie.

I know there on the expensive side but I think they can look really good..

My tank is 2 feet high so I need some larger rockwork to make an impression and to house my prized cichlids..

I saw some pics of them on the photo forums of this site, very cool indeed..!

just wondering where the best place is to buy the rock backgrounds. Also im after one for a 6x2x2 just wondering how much would i be looking at paying for one.

thanks

- sorry about that, alittle misleading. Im after a background for a 6x2x2 tank, not the tank itself.

As it says i have got myself one of those fake rock backgrounds for my tank and was wondering if anyone could give me the best advice they have to get it to stay in place.

The tank is 6ft long and 32inches high and thus if i just sit the backing in the weight of it pulls it over.

So if any of you have some great ideas on how best to affix it to the back wall that would be appreciated.

I have thoguht of silicone obvioulsy and will need to create some sort of mechanism to hold it in place while the silicone drys. Haven't got much beyond that yet so as mentioned any thoughts all are appreciated.

NOTE: i will be able to drain the tank completely prior to puttign it in place.

Mark

I've seen a couple of ornaments I want to put in my display tank. One is made from Limestone which is OK but the other is volcanic rock/volcanic ash?, it has a white/grey colour, not the scoria type colouration.

Does anyone know for sure if this will be ok?

This may be a question for Merjo?

cheers

glenn

cheers