Gravel amount? Driftwood?

[97HDSFTL]

:c2: What's up people, new here. My wife and I just set up a 55 gal tank and need some info on gravel and driftwood in tank. We have been told that 1 lb per gal thus 55lbs of gravel is needed. Is this cool or not? We are going to put live plants in the tank along with the fish. Also, we have this really nice piece of driftwood that we found along the White River here in Vermont, our home. It is bleached and very dead. Can we place in the tank and will it create any problems or will it be a nice addition to our tank? Any help would be great, thanx :c3:

[Northernguy]

I am sure it will be great addition if not a centre piece to build off of!
Gravel is up to you and what you feel is a good amount!I like 1 1/2 - 2" of gravel.How big is the driftwood?
Can you boil it if not I just placed mine in a large plastic tub and poured boiling water all over it. I let it sit in the water until I saw no tannins leaching out of it.Tannins turn your water a tea color.Most humans hate,fish love it!
Did you fill the tank yet?

Welcome to the fabulous AC!:19:

[Alfcea]

Hi there! Welcome to AC.

I agree with northernguy. Your piece of driftwood will most probably be fine for your tank, Before you put it in, though, you should boil it (or at least pour some boiling water over it) to make sure that all possible parasites and bugs that could be potentially harmful to your fish are killed. I am assuming that, because you found your piece of driftwood next to a river, it already sinks, so no problem there. If the tannins bother you, you could leave it in hot water for a long time, but it should be fine either way...

About the gravel, it is usually recommended to add about 2 inches of gravel, but that "rule" isn't cut in stone. Be aware, though, that if you are planning to use plants that root in the gravel, and particularly if they are heavy root feeders, such as Echinodorus, you should also add a thin layer of laterite...

I hope you find this information helpful...

[gunk]

First of all, great to see another New Englander around here!

Second, just like what others have said, about 2" of gravel is sufficient. Some plants won't do too well in gravel, and you'll need strong light and a source of CO2 to grow most plants (you can find articles about live plant requirements all over the net). However, a few easy plants to grow without strong light and added CO2 are Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias, and Amazon Sword. They will also do fine in gravel.

As for the driftwood, lots and lots of boiling water should do the trick.

Let us know how it goes for you!

[phxl]

I have about an 1 1/2" gravel in my 29g and it seems like just enough to help plant my, uhm.. plants. They seem to require just a little extra to cover the roots and hold everything down firmly. With only a grow light and gravel, my swords did pretty well (until my oscar decided it was time to tug them out)

Post pictures when you are done! :19:

[Lady Hobbs]

You will need gravel deeper in the back to hold the plants down but since you want plants, try to use a finer gravel. Plants don't do as well in course gravels. You may even want to go to a sand bottom. (No UGF with plants or sand, by the way.) I would go with 80-100 pounds.

I have gotten wood right from the river and put it in my tank. You'll have diatoms for a while but who cares. The water will clear up with weekly water changes. The amount of diatoms will also depend on what kind of wood you are using. Don't use birch or pine or other soft woods. Since it is dry, it will probably float for ages. You can drill a hole thru some slate and screw the wood to the slate with a stainless screw. Some use silicone but sometimes it doesn't hold too well. You can also hold it down with some rocks.

I agree that boiling helps (actually simmering about 8 hours with several water changes) but frankly not many of us have pans big enough to hold a piece of wood. I have added wood to a garbage pail with a whole box of table salt to kill any bugs that may be hiding in the wood. But, as mentioned above, I have also just tossed it in the tank after a good wire brush was used to clean it. I did see two little bugs but my firemouths enjoyed them. LOL

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If you plan to use plants, you may want to go with a plant substrate, as well, such as Flourite or Eco-Complete. Keep in mind that plants will need upgraded lights. They will not grow under just hood lights that come with the tank and different plants need more lighting than others so do your research to make sure you aren't getting into anywhere you don't want to go.

You should decide what kind of fish you wish to have first. Some fish eat plants and tear them up, as well, so that decision should be made first and then go from there. Cichlids tanks that just have lots of wood and rocks can also be very attractive.

[97HDSFTL]

Ray thanx man, the piece is thin and spidery and may have to be mounted to a flat stone to keep it stationary. I live near the White River which is located in the Central Vt area. There is always a great supply of driftwood that washes up on the many rocky outcrops that rise above the water so the pickens are good. The problem is that I am always on my bike; I ride every day even now and this makes it hard to carry the pieces back so I hide them and return later with my car. Yes the tank is full and has been sitting for a week allowing the "good bacteria" to take hold. Not sure what type of fish we are going to get but the whole thing is a blast man, thanx again!

[97HDSFTL]

Gunk, I dig Obama too and thanx for the input! I love New England and see most of it from my motorcycle which is as good a way to see it to any other except from the top of Camel's Hump...John

[Northernguy]

Having water in your tank is just having water in your tank.Either start the fishless cycle or a with fish cycle.Please read the section on how to cycle a tank.It will really help you understand how to get your tank started properly!

I really can't wait to see your set up!

[kazinvan]

In order to kill parasites, could one put the wood in the oven for a while? I know this won't take out the tannins but should kill the parasites. I'm not talking 400 degrees, just hot enough and long enough to kill anything in/on the wood.

[Alfcea]

In short, yes, you could. Doing so, however, has a couple of things to be noticed. One, wood is flammable! :18: The other one is that dry, high temperatures will dehydrate the wood and so it'll take a lot longer for it to get soaked to the point when it sinks....

... and some parasites and insects are known to be able to survive dry heat...

[Northernguy]

I would bake wood for a terrarium but boil for a tank.
You should see some of the contraptions people up here make for their bikes.Some of them are hilarious but they work.