# Help Remodeling!



## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

Hey ya'll i got a relatively new 90 gal and had a it up n running for a few months. Recently my oscar has been cutting himself when going into the boat which he seems to like (he's too big for it now). I want to remove the boat but i want to replace it with something to add more height to the aquarium.

Any suggestions would be appreciated and also any pictures of your aquarium would be nice. People can showcase their beautiful tanks.

here's the current setup:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

My taste and your taste may not match so for what it's worth-- I always think natural more than man-made for decor. Any chance of liking a large stump hollowed out to give him new "quarters"? 
I no longer have this piece but my fish seemed to love it. 









A hunk of wood propped up and held down with rock can get you a lot of vertical structure.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

I haven't used man-made decor since my goldfish days =P. Don't know about you, but I like my tanks to have a more natural look. See if you can get your hands on some nice hunks of rock, and stack them up to make a cave for your oscar; driftwood also works, and he'll appreciate the tannins that leech out.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

I agree with both of you. The natuarl look is muuchh nicer. Thats part of the other reason i want to remove the boat also. I have no idea where I could get such a larger piece of driftwood without paying lke 100$ for it though...
I live in Canada so do you think if I found driftwood near a large river near my house it would be safe to use? Rocks too?
And what are your thoughs on the background? Will it look more natural without it? And i think I may need to change the lighting too, but i know noootthhiing about aquarium lights lol so i guess ill go to my lsf for some help.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd try a biotope for an oscar but I don't know what that would be. Rocks and driftwood found in places not treated with chemicals (pesticide or fertilizer) are fine if you remove dirt and lifeforms.

The background isn't too bad but painting the tank black is also a good option to highlight the fish.

If you don't have live plants, just a "regular" light made to go with the aquarium is fine. Experiment with the various colors of bulbs. I liked Reef Sun.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I never buy decor and I never trust what I find to be safe. As a standard like washing my hands before I eat, I do a clean up first. I put any wood or rocks in a bleach soak for at least overnight. A cup more or less of cheap bleach in a tank of water will kill living things even with hard shells as well as react with any pesticide,oil or such that might be hiding out in the cracks. Once it has soaked long enough to eat through anything like snail shells (12+hrs.) rinse it off and lay it out to dry totally. Depending on the size of wood or rocks and temperature, this may take a day or more. This drying lets the chlorine that might be left on anything turn to gas and blow away. You are then good to go. Some people use extra dechlor but I have never found it needed.

Choosing wood and avoiding tannins can be a whole project in itself. Look to wood that has been dead for many years. The longer, the better as time and weather are what remove tannins far better than anything else I've found. Really old bulldozer piles, trees sticking up in lakes and old wood that has been stored up off the ground fit if true driftwood is not available. Driftwood is good because it is in and out of water for long periods. Wood on the ground will rarely work because of bugs and rot when it stays semi-moist. Wood type is less important than being truly dry and still hard. If it is soft when you put it in the tank, it may not last long.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

Ok so here's the tank with the new background. What yall think?



















And i went to the river and found some of what i believe to be driftwood (not sure if it's actually driftwood though...does it look safe to use?)
I'll be soaking it in bleach water for a couple days then in tap water for a few hours, then dried out. Sound ok?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I looked at the photos and some do look like I would define driftwood. The way the ends of some are worn and rounded, look like they have been rubbing on things to get that shape. Unless you cheated and sanded them round! The smaller sticks look more like they might have been broken from the main branch somewhat recently but they all look like likely choices. I would think them worth more study. If you have a container where you can let them stay for a few days, I would put them in and weight them down with rocks, etc. so they are under water add a cup or so of bleach and wait to see if the water turns dark. You're looking for tannins to color the water but while waiting you can do the bleach soak, making them safe to use once dry. Kind of two birds at one time. All you loose is a cup of bleach if they don't work out. Don't be shocked if they turn ugly white and look like deer entrails or something! The color will come back when you wash them and use them. It may take a bit but the natural color does come back. Whether it is worthwhile to soak them in plain water after the bleach is debatable. The point is to dilute any bleach left and that is mostly surface stuff that a good hosing will do. The air drying is the important part as it lets the chlorine blow away.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

I rinsed them all and I've put them all in a large tub to soak and added a little bleach. So i should be looking for the water to look more yellowish or brackish? How will i know once they beend soaked and dried if they're safe to use or noth though?


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

About your question on the rocks and wood from outdoors. They should be fine as long as you put them through multiple soaks and make sure theyre clean. I will warn you though most driftwood you find outside and not meant for aquariums will tend to float. To fix this you could either attach it to a flat peice if stone and submurge it in your substrate or prop some relativly large rocks against it


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

So if some fo the pieces are actually pure driftwood it wont kill my fish?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

It often gets down to how much risk you like to take. Often one can put something in without it harming anything. I compare it to using a clean plate when you eat. Often you could do it with no harm but do you want to risk it? Making things safe for the tank is a simple matter of taking a bit of time and about 25 cents worth of bleach. For me, I clean it all and then I know it is safe.

Depends on where the wood has been while drifting around. It may be clean or it may have been bobbing along in an oil slick. Do a little reading on chlorine and you will find it is a gas in nature that reacts very well with organic material. That's why it whitens your shirt or eats holes in it if you use too much. That is also why it comes in colored jugs with good seals. If you leave the jug open, the bleach is ruined as the chlorine escapes. When you rinse and dry the item, the chlorine is diluted and what is left blows away. If you can no longer smell chlorine, it is gone and safe to use the item. Do let it dry totally, don't short yourself on that step.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Overnight thinking tells me I failed to add a warning. While soaking correctly does make the wood safe, it does not guarantee that it will work well in your water without some effort. Water in my end of the world has high KH (buffering). That makes it possible to throw most anything in and not drop the PH. If your water is low in buffering, it may be a totally different story. You do need to watch for changes any time you make changes of this sort. If your KH is low and the PH starts to drift it is time to correct. The wood is not bad, just the effect it has on your water. Just be aware of the potential and ready to deal with any change.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

I have never payed attention to water pH to be honest and I've never even heard of KH.. so basically what you're saying is i should take note of my tank pH now and keep monitoring it once Iv'e added the wood? (which is done bleaching and now im just doing a few days soaking in water). And if there is a spike in my pH level would i just remove the wood and wait or would I have to find a way to lower/raise it right away? my tank is CA/SA.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Don't think this is meant as critical because it is how most folks start out. What you are doing is kind of flying by the seat of your pants! Keeping the PH/GH/KH steady and in a reasonable range is one way to keep fish healthy long term. I suggest for long term, do some reading up on water. At some point it may make life a lot easier to know what your water is doing. There are any number of good articles about the subject. Some are in the forum library and many all over the net. One that I find tells it in the way I find easy:
http://www.freshwater-aquarium-fish.com/water_chemistry.htm

For using wood, there are all kinds of wood and all kinds of water. Some wood will effect water more than other wood. Some water will change easier than other water. Water with lots of limestone in it, will have high KH (carbonate hardness). That makes it hard to change the PH and wood has less chance of causing trouble. Your water may be quite different and you may get a different result. Best to be aware so that it doesn't sneak up on you and cause trouble.

If there is trouble, you can often fix it with things like baking soda but the first step is to know about it in advance. Kind of like knowing there might be ice on the bridge ahead?


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

Thanks alot PfunMo
All this information you're giving me is stuff that will help me be a better fishkeeper overall and not only with this project.
In terms of the matter at hand, i guess my next step would be to test my pH and KH? If for some reason my KH is too low, i read that adding one teaspoon of baking soda to 50 liters of water can raise the kH of the water by approx 4 deg of hardness without much affect on pH. I would do this until i have a high KH that is stable before adding the wood; correct me if I'm wrong.

Im going to start drying the wood tomoro and will buy akit thurs. Im really hoping to get this done soon as my O cut his head again going into that boat..


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I've not much experience with changing the water as I have always had lots of KH in my fish water. I know more theory than practice there. I would caution you to go slow and make small changes rather than shock the old boy with any sudden change. Fish can adapt to go with water that is not to their special range as long as the change is not too great and it is done slowly. Kind of like wading into the river in the spring? Except he can't get out and go back to shore! If you begin to see your fish acting odd after a change, it may be time to wait a bit before changing more until he gets used to what has been done. At the worst, the wood should change things slowly if it does and that gives you time to add some things to the water to counter the change. The point is to study a bit of what might happen and then have in mind what might be done to correct. Better to have learned what might happen and not need it that to suddenly be in a pinch without a clue of why. Much easier to keep fish healthy than to try to figure what they have and cure it.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

OK i think i understand. As long as my KH isnt super low i'll add the wood and just keep monitoring for any significant changes.Thanks.
And does the wood need to be dried outside or can i just leave it in a bucket?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

The drying is to remove any chlorine that might be left after soaking and rinsing. I think outside when drying things as it goes much quicker and I do have the space. Here in Texas, the heat has been running over 100 each day, so drying is quick. If drying inside, just be truly thorough and turn the wood over so that the bottom side is dried, too. Wood does dry slowly so just make sure it dries and airs out really well.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

Ok, its not quite that hot here so i've been letting it dry inside for the last couple days. I'd say about a third of the way done. I also went ot the pet store today and was going to buy the test kit and all that but i decided to talk to a guy who is a very experienced fish keeper that i have come to know. He said that the tap water here has a pH between 7 and 8 so at least i know if the wood lower my pH im good. He himself collects driftwood and sell it at the store. I told him my situation and he offered a suggestion. H said to use my water change bucket and siphon water from my tank into it then and 5 feeder fish and a piece of driftwood. He says if after a week they havent all mysteriously dropped dead then i know my wood is safe for my 90 gal aquarium (plus my Oscar gets a snack of quarantined feeders).
That make sense to you?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Not totally in agreement but in general, okay. I still like testing for long term use in the tank. I go with testing with the 5-in-1 strips because they give me a general idea and are simple (and cheap) enough for me to do it. The water in the bucket is going to act maybe a bit different than your tank as it doesn't have the gravel,decor and fish but will show some things. The fish, I don't worry about much as the future of feeder fish is not all that hot to start. The change in water may be over several months rather than quick, so checking things in six months may get a different answer than water setting for a week. The local guy will certainly have a better idea of how your local water works, though. I would say go with his advise until something shows different.


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## babarian16 (Apr 27, 2011)

Ya i figured since he has experience here with the same water parameters that I do maybe his advice would be good to try first. I do plan on testing the water down the road though. I jusst feel that the way he did it i wont have to stress myself out about parameters as much. I'll try and post pcs of the wood when its dried out and then later when i put it in the tank.


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