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Decaying bogwood

gunny bedford

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2019
Messages
31
Location
Lympne, Kent
in my previous set up the bogwood i had seemed to decay and leave brown "mulm" in one corner of the tank, i can only assume it was the bogwood as i cant think what else would leave that in the tank, the plants were not decaying and fish poo collected regularly, the wood was from a aquarium shop, so i guess didnt assume it would rot like that.

Im setting up the tank again, and hope to use the same wood they are 2 large bits and have not totally rotted away LOL so is there any product that is tank safe i can put on the wood to stop it leaving mulm debris in the tank ?

thanks
 
Good question. I know folk often suggest boiling the wood for several minutes first. Usually though, I just scrub and pressure wash it to remove as much loose and decaying matter as possible.
 
so is there any product that is tank safe i can put on the wood to stop it leaving mulm debris in the tank ?
I've heard of people using polyurethane to seal aquarium wood. However, I have absolutely no experience with it, how safe or efficient it is, how long it needs to cure etc. Perhaps someone around here will know.

For wood prep I always do what @Tim Harrison says above.

Cheers,
Michael
 
I've heard of people using polyurethane to seal aquarium wood.
I tried that once years ago. Didn’t work out for me. After a couple of weeks the polyurethane started to become opaque and the wood looked like it had a milky sheen to it. I ended up having to throw the wood away. I think part of the challenge is that if you don’t manage to completely cover the wood, the smallest gap will allow water to get under the varnish. This is particularly challenging with pieces of wood that have hollowed out areas and crevices.
 
Thanks for the replies, the wood was well cured and soaked before going in the tank, guess im just going to have to put up with it, i was wondering perhaps because much of it was laying down on the gravel, where as next set up i plan to have it more vertical to try and replicate roots, so not much will be touching the gravel, that might limit the mulm production ?!
 
I would imagine most types of untreated wood will rot away underwater eventually, plecos will assist in this process. Not sure if they actually eat it (never had one) or if they are just having a quick gnaw between meals.
The Corbo wood in my larger tank is holding out quite well after 2 years, but the root/bogwood in my 60l nano is slowly decaying away, but hopefully it will be encouraging micro fauna/flora much the same as a Catappa Leaf for the sole occupants, Chili Rasbora.
I personally wouldn't worry about it too much, at least you can easily syphon all the mulm out during your water change and it isn't trapped somewhere under your hardscape.
For me it's all part of a natural process.
Cheers!
PS Sorry for the rant:)
 
Was the wood 'spider wood' / azalea root? I find this type of wood tends to shed a lot when it's first submerged. Regardless, as long as it's a wood that's truly safe for aquatic environments, then just keep up with maintenance - it will eventually stop shedding. With the amount that some types of wood can shed, it has got me wondering whether the organic pollution could contribute to algae / BBA, but I guess that's a topic for another post :lol:
 
it has got me wondering whether the organic pollution could contribute to algae / BBA

Yes, quite often we see tanks with BBA on drift wood (and perhaps other hardscape) but nowhere else. Over time, I think whatever leaches out and shred from submerged wood contributes to the over all organic waste load, but I think there are more benefits than drawbacks from what the wood leaches out, such as tannins and other beneficial compounds, natural acidification etc.

Cheers,
Michael
 
I have this idea for a Corydoras biotope (inspired by @Myrtle with her biotope) looking at streams off the Rio negro and tributaries, These are shadowed by trees, (Below Water and Ivan Mikolji references )You can't replicate trees but large bogwood can give the impression of tree trunks, so similar to the natural habitat. I found some large perfect pieces Aqua- One but says Reptile Wood, so at £30+ a piece a gamble. Aqua One retailer spoke to said wasn't aware of a Reptile bogwood? Think the OP could be unlucky though ,l have some spider wood never rotted ,l collect a lot of oak,beech hawthorn leave it outside ,winter weather helps,at hanging basket height in the garden after 6 months still solid in most pieces
 
I have this idea for a Corydoras biotope (inspired by @Myrtle with her biotope) looking at streams off the Rio negro and tributaries, These are shadowed by trees, (Below Water and Ivan Mikolji references )You can't replicate trees but large bogwood can give the impression of tree trunks, so similar to the natural habitat. I found some large perfect pieces Aqua- One but says Reptile Wood, so at £30+ a piece a gamble. Aqua One retailer spoke to said wasn't aware of a Reptile bogwood? Think the OP could be unlucky though ,l have some spider wood never rotted ,l collect a lot of oak,beech hawthorn leave it outside ,winter weather helps,at hanging basket height in the garden after 6 months still solid in most pieces
I don't think I've ever been an inspiration before :)

Of all the wood I've ever bought or used, I have had a few pieces disintegrate faster than anticipated; I suspect these were pieces that had been in display tanks at the LFS for some time, then swapped out and put back for sale. Some of the collected wood has gone quite fast but that was more likely due to being partially rotten before going in the tank!
 
I have pieces of bogwood that are nearly 2 decades old now. The ancistris definitely rasp away at these and the pieces have slowly thinned over the years. I have the wood mulm as well which I think has been through the plecs first.
 
As said, a good scrub with a wire brush extends the life of wood in my experience - and removes BBA that likes to grow on it!
 
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