driftwood ?s

i don't know what kinds of wood soften or don't soften water, but wood with tannins in it will make the water more acidic over time. i am pretty sure pleco's aren't picky about what kind of wood they like, and a small piece would do just fine if that is all that fits in your tank. if you live near a woods you could always just go out and hand pick a piece, it would be free and you'd get to see it and pick it out for yourself. the biggest problem with this is that you either have to firmly anchor it down or soak it for a LONG time before it will stay on the bottom of the tank, and that it will leech brownish acid into the water for a long time (don't know exactly how long, i gave up after a couple weeks). might be worth it though depending on how tight you are for money and how willing you are to spend the time preparing it.

I look at the wood as a long term investment. I paid 9 dollars for my clown pleco, and a wek later I paid 15 dollars for a piece of mopani wood. He was really needing the wood. I see it as an investment. Someone told me, in a pinch, you can use a bird cage support (the stick they stand on in cages) which is usually a good wood (cheaper) Take off any plastic. Tie it to a rock or wedge it where he can use it. My LFS uses weathered wooden fence post that they cut into 5 inch square chunks, (remove any metal) it sinks, because its old wood.

I believe all wood will soften the water just a bit though.

I'd be careful when using fence posts to make sure the wood wasn't treated with any kind of chemicals to make it more weather resistant or anything. for example some fences and railroad ties are treated with arsenic. just make sure it is clean wood.

Yes untreated wood, not painted, varnished, shellac or treated (as in press wood) which is what I meant

floridadriftwood.com has a variety of woods, and pics included

Hello all. My first post on this forum, which has been a fantastic help to me.

Not too long ago I got 5 pieces of driftwood online from Big Al's. All very unique, beautiful pieces. You only get to pick the general size of a piece, you don't get to see it ahead of time. They have thin slate bases(had one crack off during soaking / handling), which do not help them sink at all. I soaked them for THREE WEEKS before they would sink. Even then, my biggest piece would not sink, so I anchored it down with rocks. They did stain the soak water pretty good, but when I finally put them in my 55g, there was minimal colorization of the water. I've had them in a few weeks now, and they haven't really changed the softness of my water. (Granted, there's been some water changes in there....) Overall, no regrets, looks great!! Hope this helps!

hey doesn anyone know how long it actually takes a piece of driftwood to not leak color anymore?? its been in a tub of water for over a week...changing the water everyday...and tehn after about a week in the tank it still seems to leak color...any tips wold help thanks

Try to get "African driftwood".
It sinks so you won't have to weight it down and looks real natural and unique. One type is called "Swahala" and another is "Mopani"..

Can someone explain WHY the driftwood is good for the pl*co?

My pl*co grew out of the castle he hid in and we bought a larger cave type piece of sculpture, but I took out the driftwood to put this new piece in and that is when the pl*co got so bloated and sick. Is there a health reason to have wood in with a pl*co? p.s. the pl*co deflated after a week or so but does not eat a lot and stays in a corner - we're just keeping an eye on him to see whether he is going to fully recover! I have since put the driftwood back.

Have a good day!