# Weird Mopani wood question~



## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

I bought a few pieces of mopani wood for my new aquarium which I have been soaking them in the tub for about 2 weeks. I left to go on vacation for 6 days (and left the wood in the water) and when I got back the bathroom smelled like bad eggs and there was a spot of mold on a small piece that was sticking out of the water. Is this still safe for the aquarium? I was going to get a sponge and scrub the wood off and then soak it for a few more days before putting it in. Would this be ok?


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## Celesstia (Feb 22, 2009)

I bought some Malaysian root wood for my tank not too long ago. I was told to boil the wood in a big pot on the stove until all the color came out of the bugger. Couple months later its still giving color and breaking down all over in my tank. I finally gave up and took it out.

Perhaps if you soak/boil it in hot water it should kill the mold. Make sure to change the water daily if you're going to just soak it though. I'd think it would be fine after that.


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## Againsthecurent (Jan 22, 2009)

I use the same Mopani wood for my Discus tank. I didn't soak mine until it stopped coloring the water, just until it sank (24 hrs.). The release of tannins is what I wanted for my tank. It does an ok job of lowering my PH for my fish. Most Mopani wood will produce a white moldy looking growth on it while in the tank and then after some time will go away. I have had this in a couple of tanks with no problems. As to the mold outside the water I have no idea what that may be for sure. Was there any growing on it in the water? It's sometimes easier to see this growth I'm talking about while in the water. When I pull it out of the water I mats down and is harder to see.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

I have a piece in my 10 gallon and when I put the pleco in there, he took care of everything! Do you think it would be ok to put the pleco in the 40 gallon with the fry? They are pretty active and swimming around so i dont know if the pleco would get a hold of them??


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## Againsthecurent (Jan 22, 2009)

I have a couple plecos in different tanks. I don't know if a pleco would be ok with fry, I have had no experience with that. How big is the pleco and what kind? The fry may be ok during the day, but during the night may be when problems arise. Maybe someone else would know better. I realy like the Mopani wood. I just wish my lfs would get more in or at least a couple larger pieces.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Its a common pleco and he is almost 4 inches long... will wait till they get a bit bigger before i put him in. I couldnt find any wood in my lfs so I ordered online, and got a pretty good deal. www.petmountain.com and www.petsolutions.com both had decent prices just watch out for shipping!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

plecos are scavengers; not predators.. they will not hurt yur fry.
i doubt that your mopani wood will ever actually leeching tannins and coloring your water.. i use both mopani and malaysian driftwoods.. they have been in my tanks for years and still color the water.. that is fine with me because the fish really like it.. and them being happy is more important than having the perfect looking tank according to what others may think..
hmmmmmmmmmm.....maybe i should start selling driftwood too..


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Well I put the wood in the tank today and am in the process of acclimating the pleco before I drop him in with the fry. Hopefully everyone will be ok! The new plants are coming on Thursday so when I get those in I will try to get a pic up of the almost completed 100 year project:lol:


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Carbon helps remove the color if you don't like it, change it regularly.
Have you ever seen pictures of the Amazon river? How dark it is? That is all the tannins from the wood and leaves. And also what keeps the parameters low and acidic.


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

I dont mind the tannins in the water, it was the weird mold on the piece that i was originally worried about... Anyhow I have spent the day getting the wood into the tank, moving the fry temporarily into the breeder (believe me that was no easy task!!) and acclimating the pleco who was just released. 
I will leave the fry in the breeder until I get the plants in the tank on Thursday and then move the danio and glofish to the 40 gallon and the fry will be released into the 10 gallon. *whew*
I know I didnt get all the fry into the breeder so i figured they would have a little more coverage when the plants came in to hide out from the parents when they are introduced to the tank and hopefully have a better chance of survival. I will keep trying to get them but I have about 20 in the breeder now.. All in all a pretty productive day thus far.
*Oh yeah, I did a 20% water change on both tanks today too
Go me!


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

Ok so now I have the opposite of the question that I originally posted. I have a piece of mopani wood in the 10 gallon that is growing weird white algae blooms on it. The fry are in this tank as well ( no other fish). Is there a small algae eater that will be happy in the 10 gallon that can take care of this problem?


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