How do I make my driftwood sink?

Tannins don't automatically reduce pH in water, and if your water is 8.4 out of the tap, your buffering situation may negate the effects of the tannins. Most folks want to leach the tannins out because they don't want their tanks looking like huge vats of tea. Then again, some folks are looking to do blackwater biotopes and welcome the tannin coloration.

I've been soaking my newest piece of Mopani wood outside in a large bowl for a couple of weeks now. Not because I don't want the smell inside, but because I don't know where I want to put it yet. I just like the piece.

One benefit to boiling that was mentioned elsewhere was that it can extract air from the wood, and water will fill that void, helping it to get to sinking form even faster.
 
Ahhh I see what you mean, pH yesterday was down to 8.3 so I may add some peat soon, the water did discolor slightly but I think it will be ok as right now I only have cardinals in there and they seem to like the darker water.
 
The tea color lasted about 3 weeks in one 10g that I put a mopani piece that had been boiled about 5 times for 20 minutes each. It certainly isn't bad for the fish, and some may like it.

Are you trying to lower the pH for a reason, or "just because"?
 
geofied said:
The tea color lasted about 3 weeks in one 10g that I put a mopani piece that had been boiled about 5 times for 20 minutes each. It certainly isn't bad for the fish, and some may like it.

Are you trying to lower the pH for a reason, or "just because"?
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Well I had read that the Cardinals prefer slightly acidic waters and 8.4 seemed excessively high to me.
 
Soaking alone doesn't seem to work all that well sometimes. I ebay'd some beautiful driftwood last summer and soaked it for about two weeks in a trashcan, and then placed the in the aquarium partially buried in the substrate with several large, careful placed rocks to keep them down, But even after about 4-5 months they had barely become any more waterlogged than day 1.. I wish I had read up more and tried boiling them first :\
 
ZSandmann said:
Well I had read that the Cardinals prefer slightly acidic waters and 8.4 seemed excessively high to me.
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OK, I was just curious. You may find that this will be a constant and losing battle with the buffering you have going on. In the end, consistancy may be preferred to constant fluctuation from fighting it.

Fish seem to adapt well and often thrive in non-native parameters, especially if they were bred and raised locally. Many will argue that a fish may originate in a certain evironment, but not necessarily prefer it. I may grow up near a landfill, but will prefer, and be arguably healthier if I live in a different environment (not as good as a Rex-ism, but you get the point).

To bring this back to plants, if I may, there is much evidence that many plants that originate in acidic, soft, nutrient deprived waters do much better in more basic, hard, nutrient-rich water.
 
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