Re: Reconditioning driftwood

["Tomoko Schum" <tomokoschum@knology.net>]

Andrew,

Thank you for your advise.  I am sorry for the mess you had
to go through.  I will contact Aquarium Driftwood to see if
they can suggest anything to kill off the bacteria and stop
the decay of my driftwood.

FIY, I believe the driftwood would eventually get
waterlogged enough to sink even after drying up completely.
My problem driftwood was floating an inch or so above the
substrate after a number of weeks of soaking and weighing it
down (right in my 75G tank).  It was floating near the water
surface initially when I let it dried up.  However, the
drying and subsequent soaking in warm aquarium water
(teaming with life) must have started a decaying process.
Now the driftwood changes the water quality rapidly and this
part is the problem for me.  Maybe I should have let it soak
in cold tap water.

After I pulled it out of the 75G tank, the water parameters
stabilized in the tank in about two days.  No more rapid kH
changes nor a sharp rise in CO2 level.  Some of my plants
(Rotala wallichii in particular) loved the extra phosphate
the driftwood was leaching and responded with better than
normal growth.  However, my fish did not seem to appreciate
the rapid swings in the water chemistry.

I don't know if there is anything that could be done with
mine.  I hope yours will be replaced since it sounds like
the Aquarium Driftwood goofed.  Those I received from them
was in excellent conditions and they are really nice.  I
love the other one that I have (the one that did not get
dried up.)

Good luck and keep them wet.

Tomoko


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com.
For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
email apisto-request@listbox.com. apisto-digest@listbox.com also available.
Web archives at http://lists.thekrib.com/apisto