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I've recently acquired a nice, intricate piece of Mopani Wood. Here are some shots of it before the soaking process began:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

It's a compact size, but it's also an intricate design, which means it'll make a fun hangout for Panda Corys etc.

Incidentally, if ANYONE has any doubts about the need to soak wood before putting it into an aquarium, bear this in mind - after soaking this piece of wood for 3 days in a bucket, the water ended up DUNG COLOURED. Literally. Pity I didn't take a shot of the water after I poured it into the sink, but you know how it is when you;'re doing chores - you generally want to finish them as soon as possible!

Subsequent water changes have been increasingly clear. With this being a small piece with lots of little hollows in it, chances are it'll be ready for service in about a month. Bigger and more solid pieces need longer times accordingly.

If I decide to utilise this in the Panda Fun Palace, pics will duly follow.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I have a piece of Mopani wood in my 55g. My yoyos like to hang out under it...they have dug themselves some tunnels.

That looks like a nice piece of wood!

*Kristin*

Am I correct it is an African tree root which has been sandblasted to give the smooth effect and remove any external rough surfaces and bacteria.
It also sounds like it has a lot of tanins in it does it still leach out as it gets older in the tank, if so it would be good for certain fish species?

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Keith

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Eventually the tannin leaching comes to an end Keith. I have one piece of Mopani wood in the quarantine aquarium that's been in service in different places for 11 years or more, so I think that one has well and truly lost its tannins by now.

As for the new piece, if it IS still leaching tannins during the soaking process, I think it's doing so in small quantities. Basically, the water changes from the soaking vat are becoming very noticeably clear, and it hasn't had a full month's soaking yet.

However, your assessmnet that this would be beneficial for certain fishes that inhabit tannin-rich waters in the wild is almost certainly spot on. I suspect that Mopani wood may well prove to be of utility in a Discus breeding aquarium, for example, as well as in an aquarium set up for breeding Cardinal Tetras. Of course, South American fishes are not the only ones that would appreciate this - rainforest fishes from Western Africa, such as my favourite non-Rift African Cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi, and certain Asian fishes such as Parosphromenus deissneri would probably benefit too. One fish that would even be happy with the wood not being soaked at all before use would be the Butterfly Barb, Barbus hulstaerti, which is nicknamed the Vinegar Barb in some circles because it's native waters are at a pH of 4.8 ( ...)


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002