# Mopani wood arrived



## fish-meister (Mar 21, 2011)

The LFS doesn't have any wood for aquariums so I found some online and thought I would share.

























Its real pretty wood, can't wait to drop it in the tanks :thumb:


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Nice looking pieces. I have 3 pieces myself in my thank also. Still would recommend soaking them in the tub or something overnight if the tannins in the water bother you at all. The first soak turned the water tea colored for me but after that it I dropped it in the tank and never noticed any color since.


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## fish-meister (Mar 21, 2011)

Dropped them in a 5 gal bucket as soon as I unpacked them :wink: . Checked it after one day, water was yellow, so I emptied it and refilled it, hoping today when I get home water is nice and clear


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

It won't be. It takes a VERY long time. My 110 has a piece of malaysian driftwood that is still leeching tannins after 14 months.


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## jd_7655 (Jul 23, 2004)

I've had to soak that stuff for up to 6 months before it quit turning my water brown.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Really? I only did my 2 peices over night and havent had any discoloring since. I know they were sitting on the shelf at the store for a long time, so maybe that had something to do with it???

How is yours coming along meister?


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## Vadimshevchuk (May 23, 2009)

Soak the wood in boiling water, then you will know what wood tea looks like :lol:


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## fish-meister (Mar 21, 2011)

I soaked them for about a week, changing the water and dumping the tea  I just dropped a couple in a new 55 g I just set up, probably gunna fishlish cycle it, so I guess we'll see if it leaches a bit. I put a single piece in my running 75 and noticed slight yellowing, but its such a large amount of water vs the piece of wood that its hardly noticable especially since I do regular water changes.

I'll probably try boiling them if I get more just to get them cleaner next time


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## dollunit (Apr 15, 2010)

Best of luck. I hope you have patience. I bought two pieces of the same stuff you have there about a year ago, and I soaked it for six months, and finally decieded that the cheap rock I put in the tank to fill the space in the meantime was good enough. Seriously, I boiled those things at least once a week, probably more, for the entire 6 months, and I changed the water every other day. Still had tea brewin. After I gave up, my lady put it in front of the house outside, and everytime it rains there is a little stream of brown coming off it down the driveway.


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## sjnovakovich (Sep 13, 2010)

I have Mopani in two tanks. Straight from the LFS, a quick rinse, and into the tank. No problems at all.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Off the wall question, here. I've not used it so have no idea. What are the advantages of this wood? I see it in shops but never used it.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Super hard wood so it sinks right away without added weight, and takes forever to rot unlike most driftwood found locally here in the US. Plus it has an interesting look to it IMHO.


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## Nina_b (Jan 3, 2011)

:lol:

Mopani trees are such a pest around here. They're the first thing to grow back after a drought or anything that disturbs the veld, and then it stops anything else from growing. If you burn the green wood, it creates a stinky white smoke that really keeps the mosquitoes away. Their leaves also the primary food for mopani worms.
How much did you guys pay (ballpark - mostly curious, don't care too horribly much)? Do you know if it requires any special treatment? 
I have three chunks in my aquarium too - I like the look and feel of it as well (and my yellow labs look stunning in front of it). 
One piece has been submerged for probably 15 years, and although it doesn't really leach in the aquarium anymore, still turns a pot full of water brown if I boil it.
Large water changes pretty much keeps the tannins down (in the same way that it makes leaching largely irrelevant).
With time, these wood pieces turn almost completely black.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

For you, it sounds like a good choice to get some use out of it. For shipping as far as the states, I was wondering what the major appeal might be. I may have a piece of it now that I look around. I just had not put a name on it as I got it in a used tank.


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