# Driftwood & african cichlids???



## JimmyZ (Jan 31, 2013)

Is it safe to use Driftwood in a tank with african cichlids? Also if i purchase it how do i prep it for my tank? or should i buy it from the pet store thats already got it soaking in a tank?


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

It is safe but most don't use it as it tends to lower the pH and soften the water, not good for african cichlids.


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## RedRaider15 (Oct 25, 2012)

It is okay to have driftwood in an AC aquarium. Just keep in mind that the acids in the wood will lower the ph. As long as you have ph buffers in your tank, the ph should not change much.
You might want to look at this website to purchase your driftwood:
http://www.aquariumplants.com/Driftwood ... _s/142.htm


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## cortmack (Feb 2, 2013)

I noticed that the wood darkens the water color hence taking color from my fish


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## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

Considering the large, frequent water changes we do, I'm not convinced that driftwood would make that noticable an impact to pH.


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

If your tank is well buffered, the tannic acid in drift wood should not cause much of a pH swing, if any at all. I usually boil any drift wood i get before adding to the tank, to kill off any bacteria or parasites that may be on it. Depending on the wood, you may need to soak it for some time so that it can sink; some wood float naturally and don't sink unless waterlogged. Buying wood that is already in a tank helps circumvent this process, usually.


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## Randy_G (Nov 3, 2003)

I had some driftwood in an African tank, and the water was fine. The water had a reasonably high GH/KH and I never noticed it lowering very much/at all. The fish didn't seem to notice or care.  The only issue with it was the tannins leaching out. It made the water a wine colour, and took quite awhile for it to stop colouring the water. If you get some from a store, put it in water for several months, or until the colour stops leaching out.


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## Yael (Nov 25, 2012)

I have a large piece in my 30 g - it buffered the pH lower at first but I just added enough baking soda to compensate and it's fine now. It does color the water for awhile but you lose that gradually over time. A lot of it won't sink even with boiling. With mine I zip tied it to the UG but you could also silicon it to a rock.


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## anthraxx4200 (Aug 16, 2012)

another trick i use is boiling the logs multiple times, it can take a long time but it will pull a ton of the tannins out of the logs. with logs too big to boil i will boil water and just add it and the logs to a bucket until full. let it sit overnight and repeat until i no longer wake up to 5 gallons of coca cola.


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