Bogwood?

[jillian ayers]

Ok, I have called every fish store within a 20 mile radius and have searched the internet completely for anyone who sells bogwood. I wish swf.com sold it! Can anybody tell me who sells bogwood? I'm moving my growing Oscar from the 20 gallon into the 75 since I don't have the money to set it up as a sw setup yet. Thanx!

 

[teatime]

My LFS's all sell wood that you can put in aquariums, I bought some for my freshwater tank. Not sure if it is bogwood or not. They sell it for decoration. I've had the wood in my tank for several years. My sucker fish stays under it all the time.

 

[ophiura]

Hmmm, bogwood, huh? The root we sold was called "african root." Perhaps they are all selling it under a different name? I am not even sure if AW has any at the moment. Sometimes it can take some time. Are you willing to travel into Houston? Have you tried Village Tropical (my fav freshwater LFS)?

 

[jillian ayers]

DO you sell them at Aquarium World, ophiura? I found one place that said he had driftwood... hmmm... I'm gonna go check him out later today.

 

[ophiura]

Driftwood is quite different...
African root is very dark and heavy, and does need to be soaked a bit to get some of the tannins out or they will turn the water slightly yellow for awhile (if you have a lot). It is not harmful stuff, and helps keep the pH low.
I do not know if we have any at the store. Haven't been in in awhile, and haven't needed any (so haven't looked). You could give them a call though.

 

[jillian ayers]

How is driftwood different?

 

[ophiura]

Well, it is generally attached to slate, and is quite light. Sometimes it is quite expensive (not that african root is not). It also tends to be lighter in color. It really comes down to personal preference. There is nothing wrong with driftwood in anyway, but just quite different from african root (which may be bogwood).

 

[jillian ayers]

What I'm looking for is some wood to make hiding spaces out of and to plant plants around in an attempt to turn my 75 into as natural a habitat as possible for the Oscar (the Amazon river pools). Will driftwood work out?

 

[ophiura]

It will be fine. Any wood that is sold for freshwater tanks will be fine. And your oscar will probably rearrange things over time anyway. Having it screwed down to slate may help prevent this, so it is a good option.
I think it is probably time to close this thread...getting too freshwater with no application to salt. Also best for these sorts of topics to be "OT:" headings, in the future.