petrified wood

fishlover88

fishlover88

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Jun 26, 2006
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My gf and i were cleaning out her tank in order to start getting it ready for fish. (Tank hadnt been cleaned in 6 or 7 years) It was pretty gross. But anyways, she had several chunks of petrified wood. And i was curious as to if it was causing the high pH that i kept getting. Around 8. But then i tested the tap which also came out around 8, but it still left me curious as to whether or not petrified wood would have some affect on water chemistry.

does anyone have any idea??
 
Petrified wood shouldn't mess with the water parameters. In fact, it's one of the safer types of "rock" to use in an aquarium.

A pH of 8 is not unreasonable. Don't mess with it using a chemical pH buffer, this will only create unstable pH and result in stressed and unhappy tank occupants. Stability is more important.
 
webcricket said:
Petrified wood shouldn't mess with the water parameters. In fact, it's one of the safer types of "rock" to use in an aquarium.

A pH of 8 is not unreasonable. Don't mess with it using a chemical pH buffer, this will only create unstable pH and result in stressed and unhappy tank occupants. Stability is more important.
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Yep, stability is way more important than the "proper" Ph. Unless you are dealing with a delicate fish like discus, even then there is a certain way to do it.
 
i would love to get my hands on some petrified wood.. anyone know a good source? (sorry to hijack)
 
you should lower it with a ph buffer
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actually you should definitely NOT lower it with pH buffer. typical "hard water" contains calcium and magnesium salts which exist as carbonates. carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH.

simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts. when the carbonates become depleted, the pH of your water will plummet rapidly with the introduction of even a small amount of acid, killing fish, plants, and your biofilter. the chemicals sold for "adjusting" the pH of your water are typically but not necessarily acids of phosphate. they simply don't work on a long term basis and do create significant instability in your water chemistry. very injurious to fish.
 
"i would love to get my hands on some petrified wood.. anyone know a good source?" I get mine in Albuquerque at www.mamasminerals.com, but I'm sure any nearer rock and mineral specialty shop could help you out. Check the yellow pages or google on line including your city &/or state. Try the rock Jasper as well (it's a pretty red/orange), and quartz crystals are nice, but make sure there are no rough edges/sides on any rocks so if a fish runs... well, swims into a rock by accident it (the fish) won't get hurt... though carefully selected rough-edged rocks may provide good surfaces for, say, a Java fern to cling to.
 
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