June 18th, 2017
Buy driftwood on Amazon (paid link):
Well soaked driftwood is heavier than water.
It sinks like a rock in water.
I want to use this driftwood for my aquariums.
Wash it clean under running water, scrubbing it with a brush.
I put the driftwood in a 2 liter plastic bottle with a cut off top (the same way I make my nursery aquariums).
This large driftwood piece has to be cut to fit underwater.
This larger piece has to be cut with a saw.
Use sandpaper or file the pieces.
Fill up the tank with tap (chlorinated) water to cover all driftwood.
Keep the driftwood underwater to cure.
I add seed shrimps and some land moss to this nursery to check if they like the driftwood.
July 2nd, 2017
Depending on the size and the type of wood, it could take weeks for wood to fully saturate.
The wood releases tannin in water as it gets "cured".
Tannin is harmless to fish but makes water darker.
July 8th, 2017
I am going to use this small piece for my new nursery aquarium.
July 14th, 2017
I am going to use a larger piece of wood to set up another nursery.
Notice how dark the water is in the old nursery compared to the new one.
Here you can see the 3 nurseries with driftwood in chronological order (from left to right) as I set them up.
Notice the water discoloration.
July 30th, 2017
I drain the dark water and refill tanks with clean water to reduce the discoloration once every week or two.
Seed shrimps flourish in tanks with driftwood!
Residue accumulates on the bottom of the tank as driftwood gets cured and eaten by seed shrimps.
I remove residue during water changes.
Eventually the amount of tannin leaching from wood gets insignificant and the water stays crystal clear.
September 20th, 2017
Here you can see all 3 nurseries with cured driftwood in the order in which I set them up, from left to right.
On August 18th, 2017
I added newborn guppies to this nursery in the middle with a small piece of driftwood.
I have not changed the water since then in all 3 nurseries.
As you can see the fish, seed shrimps, snails, and mosses are doing fine and the water stays clear.
There are faster ways to cure driftwood and use it in aquariums.
I will show it in future videos ;)
Have fun and happy aquarium :)
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