details of adding fish and driftwood

A

attiladahun

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Mar 11, 2005
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so one of my 2 female swordtails just died a couple weeks ago. i changed some water and everything looks pretty good (except for the driftwood-stained water which i will get to ina sec). so now im worried about the male sword only having 1 female and i kinda want to get 1 or 2 more soon. is it a good idea to introduce a single or pair of new fish at a time?

also, i've decided to give up on plants cuz my water specs are not good for them and all plants i've ever had have turned brown and died (i don't have the funds currently to invest in a co2 thing anytime soon either). so i want to add a slate "table" or lean-to type thing cuz it would be cool to look at and the fish would probably like it.

Another thing on decorations, the driftwood that i added about 6 months ago (found it near a creek in a local park) is still turning the water brown (i know this is probably normal) and i took it out the other day to rinse the grime off it and do a water change, and i found that parts of it were a little soft and tiny pieces were breaking off. what's up with this?

sorry this thread was kind of random, it probably could have been 3 separate threads, but that would be a pain.

thanks all for any input
 
OK, first off... the driftwood. Its normal for it to change the water color. It's leeching Tannins into the water and that, I've heard, can go on for years. Did you boil that wood before you added to it the tank? It's always a good idea. Other wise leave it out in the sun far as long as possible to dry it out. That can get rid of any 'ick' that might be hitching a ride on it. If its breaking off though...get rid of it. It's rotting and wasn't technically 'drift/dried' wood. It's what I'd do.

You would be fine IMO adding 2 more swordtail to your tank. The slate would look cool, just make sure it's stable and won't fall and squish any fishies. As far as plants go, you might want to try some low light variety species. Get some Java Moss, it's virtually indestructible. I've had some great luck with those Walmart, Lily and Apopogen bulbs. Matter of fact, last night I found a 'baby' Lily. I was so happy. LOL

EDIT: I just re-looked at your stock list. You should think about getting somemore Danios. They do the best with 5-7 of them as they school. I wouldn't add them all at the same time though, it could mess up your cycle, as a rule I never add more than 2 fish at a time.
 
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The only way to remove the tannis in the water is to do water changes and to have activated carbon in your filter. The carbon will work removing the tannis for 3-4 weeks then you will have to replace. I change my carbon every 2 months and do water changes every week and have crystal clear water.
 
IMO you would be ok adding a couple female sword tails,but chickieepooh2u is right,you need a few more danios.
im not trying to hijack this thread but I've heard tanis from drift wood does some good things for your water,what are they?
 
Tannins in water create a desired blackwater effect.

I have posted ad nauseam on this topic already...I'm probably laughed at on here as the big blackwater advocate.

BUT I wouldn't dare think of adding a blackwater effect to my African cichlid tank! In that case you want the exact opposite, which is why Dero works hard to remove it.

So what it comes down to is the fish you are keeping. A large percentage of the common fish in this hobby are fish who prefer softer, more acidic water. So usually it's something that people are better advised to not bother trying to remove. Bottom line - it depends who lives in the tank.
 
my five gal has drifwood that has made a blackwater effect,the plants seem to grow alot better in that tank than they do in my other tanks w/ out driftwood,im just curious :)
 
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