Preparing Mopani wood?

[PattyCakes81]

hi guys,

I'm about to start setting up my aquarium. I have 3 pieces of Mopani wood. do I need to soak these pieces just like regular driftwood?


Sent from my SGH-T989 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[sorberj]

Whenever I get driftwood I boil or soak it to kill any hitchhikers and to reduce the tannins. Mopani will release tannins if you don't, and sometimes even if you do. Tannins arent necessarily a bad thing though, and can even be desirable depending on your livestock and tank plans.

Please forgive any typos. This was sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using theMonsterAquariaNetwok App

 

[RisiganL.]

Mopani wood sinks really fast but it would be a good idea to soak it first to both water log (which happens quickly) and to reduce some of the MASSIVE amounts of tannins. I soaked mine in hot water until the water was not a dark tea color, which took about a week.

 

[PattyCakes81]

thanks guys. I guess I better start soaking it in hot water now.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[TL1000RSquid]

Yeah I soaked my mopani for a couple weeks, changed the water every 2 days with super hot water. Even still after putting it in the tank in leeched a fair amount of tanins for several months. I'd consider adding purigen to your filter unless you're going for the stained water look.

 

[dbosman]

Fresh mopani from a store has been fumigated in transit to the US so there are no pests to kill.
It's heavy enough to sink quite well. Boil it if you wish.

One neat thing about mopani, is the color is goes all the way through. With the judicious use of a table saw or band saw, you can cut the back side out and have extra pieces. I cut one piece into about twenty pieces to mount anubis on.

 

[Fishfiles1]

i just put it in a 5 gal. bucket and poor boiling water onto it a few times. after that i cool it down and place it into the tank, that of course after i attach my java fern to it. i love the look of dark water, it just kinda flows with that river look.