Sumatran Driftwood: The Best Choice for Aquarium Driftwood
Sumatran driftwood is one of the popular driftwoods used as a decoration in an aquarium environment. Features driftwood for freshwater aquarium can bring an attractive and natural-looking aquarium into your house or office.
Sumatran wood is originally a root, characterized by tiny elongated branches of a dark brown color, sometimes interwoven with each other and forming very suggestive designs.
They are usually not used for the structural but aesthetic aspects and are suitable for any aquarium. Having driftwood in an aquarium also brings a lot of functions to the fish, which they can freely explore the area during the hunt for food.
Things You Should Know about Sumatran Driftwood
1. The Source of Sumatran Driftwood
This type of driftwood can be found easily in several retail shops as well as aquarium shops.
Unlike other traditional driftwood, Sumatra driftwood has many branches points radiating out from the center point.
This driftwood is harvested from dead tree roots during land clearing, especially dead mangrove trees.
It can be found mainly in Sumatra island and some regions in Indonesia.
2. The Way Sumatra Driftwood Being Collected
Sumatran driftwood is collected from the wild.
This driftwood then dried naturally by sunlight and air.
Its size and shape come from natural activities such as sandblasting.
Most local people believe that Sumatra driftwood has to be collected ethically.
3. Sumatran Driftwood Characteristics
It shows up rather large and is typically utilized in big freshwater fish tanks as a centerpiece. It has a nice light tan color, visibly flowing grain and thick roots that offer many aquascaping possibilities.
Sumatran Driftwood is somewhere between Redmoor and Marsh Root in appearance; stumpy and thick yet moderately branching and sometimes even tangled. However, it is a relatively hard wood and very long-lasting in aquascapes.
Sumatra driftwood, like other commercial bogwood, will float for a short amount of time.
The first time this driftwood float on the water, it will release harmless chemical content called tannins into the water. The tannins released into the water will create brown color, making the water look like tea as the water would be in nature, such as riverbank. However, this process only happens for several weeks.
4. Gives a Lot of Functions
The existence of this driftwood in an aquarium environment serves as decoration and provides several benefits for certain fish.
The tannins released from this driftwood are natural trace elements found in the fish’s typical environment.
The tannins content from Sumatra driftwood can lower fungus and harmful bacteria existence in aquarium water.
5. The Size of Sumatran driftwood
Sumatra roots driftwood is relatively large compared to other kinds of driftwoods available in retail shops.
Therefore, this wood is typically used as a centerpiece in a giant freshwater aquarium.
Is it safe putting Sumatran driftwood for fish in your aquarium?
Wood-eating fish and invertebrates find Sumatran Driftwood particularly appetizing!
It will alter pH and watercolor through tannin and humic acid release regardless of soak time.
Beyond its visual charm, driftwood promotes and preserves the ecosystem in your aquarium.
It promotes valuable microorganisms in the aqua space, which are crucial and reduce poisoning levels in the water.
The addition of driftwood right into your fish tank will motivate all-natural habits for your fish; they can use it as a breeding place or as a concealing place.
How expensive is Sumatran driftwood?
While common in the pet trade, this is also one of the more expensive Driftwood choices due to Sumatran Driftwood pieces’ chunk size and weight.
But among the roots woods, Sumatran driftwood is the cheapest and has the excellent feature of not releasing many humic acids that will affect water values like PH.
How to anchor Sumatran driftwood in the aquarium?
Upthrust is the upward force put in by any liquid on a body immersed in it. It’s what makes light objects such as plastic spheres drift on a body of sprinkle.
For your driftwood to sink in your storage container, you’ll need to ensure that its weight is greater than the upthrust force in your fish tank. Drifting driftwood can position risk for your fish. You can obtain it to sink and remain near the bottom of the fish tank if you include enough extra weight in it.
Using slate Pierce a couple of openings right into an item of slate and use stainless-steel screws to sign up with it to the driftwood. Gradually lower the slate and driftwood right into the aquarium, but rather than a slate, you can use angling Weight.
You’ll pierce inconspicuous openings on the driftwood after that tie it to an angling weight, and The outcome is a weighted yet elegant configuration. For smaller-sized items of Sumatran driftwood, Most freshwater aquarists using adhesives to support driftwood as the final solution.
Common Issues associated with Sumatran driftwood
Sumatran Driftwood is still releasing tannins, but it releases small amounts of tannins into the tank’s water in the first 2-3 weeks. It can lower the PH in the water, harden it, and turn it brown.
Some root pieces will usually float for a while before sinking if not put through a curing process. You will need to cure your Sumatran driftwood for a long time before putting it in your aquarium.
A white or greyish layer of ‘fur,’ otherwise called white mold forming on the surface of your driftwood; this thing happens if you did not boil and bleach your driftwood. Find out whether your driftwood works with your storage container environment before obtaining it.
Summary
Here are several things that aquarists should know before featuring Sumatran driftwood in their aquarium:
- This driftwood has an appealing look which gives natural sense to the aquarium
- This driftwood is harvested from dead mangrove trees
- The size of driftwood is large
Sumatran driftwood serves several functions in the aquarium environment. The tannins released can suppress fungus and harmful bacteria.
