Boiling Redmoor

[EnderUK]

Okay in the process simmering a large piece of redmoor root with the hope of making it sink quicker. The water is going a nice red tea colour.

Couple of questions, is the redmoor suitable for red cherry shrimp, read a few snippets that say that the slime/tannis/fungus that forms on redmoor is toxic to RCS. Is this a fact, what do I do to treat the wood if so?

Second what do I do with my nice black water? Chuck it because it toxic? Can I put it all straight into the tank or will that lower the PH to much. Do I simmer it down and add it a bit at a time with water changes. Does it need a preservative of some kind?

Cheers

 

[Crumbs]

Hi, I think the fungus/slime you're talking about is saprolegnia - I used a bunch of redmoor in my rcs tank with no problems. Saprolegnia formed too. I know tiger snails take care of it quite readily.

 

[EnderUK]

cheers good to know, I'll look up on the internet about black water extract, it's still boiling away quite a soup now, still not sinking though some of the off cuts have.

 

[harryH]

Couple of questions, is the redmoor suitable for red cherry shrimp, read a few snippets that say that the slime/tannis/fungus that forms on redmoor is toxic to RCS. Is this a fact, what do I do to treat the wood if so?

Hi Ender, I just soaked mine in a bucket for about a month as I was waiting for other items to set up my tank. I used to brush the slime off each week and changed the water regularly. I then glued some weeping moss to it and placed it in my tank.
At first some dark blue fungal looking spores covered in bubbles appeared in places on it and I just kept brushing them off with a tooth brush. They soon disappeared.

Now it is covered in weeping moss and the young shrimps are all over it. No problems at all.

Harry.