# Natural Driftwood in Malawi lake??



## Soup3777 (Jan 28, 2012)

i read in a post that in ad konings book there are some fallen trees in lake malawi and acei and other cichlids enjoy eating algae off of it.

im not looking to add a whole bunch of driftwood, just 1-2 for asthetics.

what kinda of driftwood is in that lake? i want to be natural as possible.

im asuming mopani? I would like to use malaysian driftwood as i enjoy that dark wood look.

whats a good branchy driftwood? i like alot of branches rather then one thick stump.

thanks


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## fishman13 (Jul 27, 2009)

rocks.....rocks....rocks.....rocks....and more rocks. No drift wood.


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

It really doesn't matter, all wood will gather algae for fish and algae eaters.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

There is wood in the rift lakes, just as you've read. I don't know what types are found, but 
doubtful that it's worth the effort to get the same. Just go with what you like. I like the mopani 
wood also and have used it in my rift lake tanks on occasion.


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## Baggly (Feb 2, 2012)

prov356 said:


> I like the mopani
> wood also and have used it in my rift lake tanks on occasion.


That is one big ass aquarium! :lol:


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Let's keep it family friendly please. We have members of all ages here. Thanks.


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## Totalimmortal363 (Jan 10, 2008)

Manzanita is real branchy.


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## Soup3777 (Jan 28, 2012)

any branchy dark woods?

the malaysian catches my eye but it doesnt seem to be branchy at all


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## Totalimmortal363 (Jan 10, 2008)

Look for dark manzanita, it comes in just about all colors.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

I just bought this piece of driftwood (41" x 11" x 10") to go in my 125g. I hopes its aquarium safe. :?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Awesome picture of the elongatus.

Keep in mind that many types of wood will lower the ph and hardness of the water, which might not be desirable in a Malawi aquarium, depending on the chemistry of your tap water.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Of course there is some wood in the Rift Lakes - there are trees around them, and some of those are bound to fall into the water at some stage or other. But the point is that you have a HUGE lake - more like an ocean - and there is a tiny bit of wood lying in it here and there. The water chemistry in the lake is not significantly influenced by the wood, even in it's immediate vicinity, because everything the wood might leach into the water is instantly diluted so much that it has no effect.

That is fundamentally different in some African rivers and also in many South American biotopes. The most extreme case is a blackwater environment, where the water chemistry is completely dominated by organic compounds that stem from decomposing wood and other plant matter.

Many New World cichlids have adapted to the presence of those compounds, some might even need them. The same conditions are completely alien to Rift Lake cichlids. If you introduce wood to a tank environment, and this wood leaches even a trace of anything in the water, you will have New World conditions, not Rift Lake conditions, and Rift Lake cichlids can be very intolerant of that.

Also, a brand new piece of wood might not pose a problem, but the wood can start decomposing after a year or two. With a big piece of wood this can happen at the back where you can not see it, and might not notice it. I learned this the hard way, and I attribute the loss of an entire colony of Tropheus to this. Granted, Tropheus are particularly sensitive to water parameters, but I no longer feel comfortable using driftwood in any of my Rift Lake setups, while previously I used quite a lot of it. If you want to take the risk, keep your eyes open for any signs of decomposition!


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

Sub-Mariner,

Where did you get the large piece driftwood? I'm looking for a large piece for my 150.

Mike


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## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

dont like the idea based on the affects of the tannins... plus it starts to decompose into pieces over time


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

You just have to monitor to see if your particular piece of wood is going to consume buffers aggressively. Depends on the piece, sometimes fine, sometimes not.


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