# Bogwood



## chris g (Feb 23, 2011)

Hi is there anything I should be aware of before putting bogwood in my tank ?


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

I believe most people would recommend boiling it to kill any bacteria or parasites in the wood. Where did it come from?


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## chris g (Feb 23, 2011)

I haven't bought any yet but I will get it from my local aquarium store


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Where are you buying it from and what's the name? I bought some Driftwood from Petco/Petsmart, rinsed it off and scrubbed the heck out of it and put it in the tank. Needless to say my tank turned brown over night due to tannins leaching out of the wood. Checked on-line and it was recommended to boil the wood till the tannins stopped leaching out, that is unless you are going for blackwater type aquarium. Brown water didn't matter to much to me but I pulled it out and boiled it to make sure any parasites in the wood were dead. now my water has the color of that overly watered down tea, and it actually looks better than crestal clear water to me.

So don't trust the pet store that it's been soaked, get it home and soak it in boiling water and see if it leaches tannins (turns the water brown). If it does continue boiling if that's not the effect you're looking for. Otherwise you're just boiling to make sure it's clean and safe for the tank.

Here's a link, you can see a picture of my yellowish/tan tank in my signature.

Bogwood - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

Boil and steep it for a few days, I got a bit a few years back, I boiled it for a while then left it steeping in a bucket for a few days, every day I would remove the water and put more boiling water in, when the water stays clear after a day of steeping it will be fine, the tannin leaching into the water won't do the fish any harm Ive even heard folks say it is therapeutic for the fish, some folks don't boil it as they like the colour the water goes and they find this gives the tank a more original/natural look.


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## Vince (Dec 10, 2010)

Is soaking it in real Hot water for few days as good as boiling it ???? I just bougt mine its called Natural MOPANI WOOD. got it in PETCO do not want brn water thou. 
Thanks in advance for any info on this.
Vince


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

I would just boil it away for a while at the start, the water boiling etc etc will help clear the first big chunk of Tanning then after that just steep it for a few days or untill the water stays clear.


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## purproadking (Feb 17, 2011)

i got the same wood from them, i boiled mine for half an hour, then put it in the tank and turned the water very brown, ive changed water every week for probably 2 months and it still has a brown tint to it, but very slight. so i would say boil the heck out of it and then soak it for probably a week changing the water daily.


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

I boiled mine for about 2 hours and scrubbed the heck out of it, my water has a very slight yellow/brown tinge to the water. Which to me makes the tank look more life like that the crystal clear tank I have right next to it.


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

> I boiled mine for about 2 hours and scrubbed the heck out of it, my water has a very slight yellow/brown tinge to the water. Which to me makes the tank look more life like that the crystal clear tank I have right next to it


As I said in my earlier post some people like it and find it gives the tank a more natural look, it also gives it a different look also and will cause no harm to the fish.


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

verdifer said:


> As I said in my earlier post some people like it and find it gives the tank a more natural look, it also gives it a different look also and will cause no harm to the fish.


Do you not read before you reply? As I said in the post you quoted "Which to me makes the tank look more life like". Notice the "TO ME" part to the quote?

The point to a forum is for user input and feedback, fish keeping even more so as most experiences vary from one person to the next. If you don't wish to be constructive or productive in your replys/posts, don't.


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## Lil Gashog (Dec 1, 2010)

No soap?


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## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

Lil Gashog said:


> No soap?


Nope, no soap. Boiling for extended period of time helps to kill anything living in/on the wood. Soaking/steeping helps to remove any or all tannins acid in the wood which is done by preference.


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