The Benefits of Driftwood to Your Aquarium

 Driftwood helps your aquarium to have a natural look even when it is set up at home. This can make your aquatic pets feel like they are living in their natural habitat. This aquarium-safe wood has different shapes, sizes, and colors. This piece of wood can bring life to your aquascape.

 There are things you need to know before adding driftwood to your tank. Keep on reading as we talk about the benefits of adding driftwood to your aquarium.

 What is Driftwood?

 Driftwood is any floating wood that was washed away on the river, sea, or lake by the tidal waves or winds. This may be washed away into any bodies of water due to logging, storms, and flooding.

 Aquarists or fish keepers use driftwood to decorate their aquariums. It helps control the pH level of the water by releasing the tannins. It also serves as a chewing toy for the dogs, a terrarium for the spiders, and even a hiding place for tiny snails. Other than that, this also serves as a piece of art especially when treated and painted.

 You can see hard and soft types of driftwood in different varieties such as Spiderwood, Mopani Driftwood, and Tiger Driftwood.

The Benefits of Driftwood in Fish Tank

 Now, we know that driftwood is popular. But why? Why do fish love to hide and feel safe around driftwood? The simple answer is that it’s natural and organic.

Resembles an Oceanic World

Fishes love to keep close to anything that resembles an underwater world like fallen branches and trees. This is a great and creative way to mimic an ocean-like ambiance naturally. You don’t have to use artificial or fake wood made of plastic. Bringing organic driftwood to your tank makes sense.

Lowers the pH Level of the Water

Driftwood releases a substance called tannins when they are submerged. Tannins are beneficial to fish. It lowers the pH level of the water, which makes for an acidic aquatic environment. Fish love it even though it may leave an unwanted tea-like color in your tank.

It Releases Oxygen

Even though driftwood is considered a decoration or accessory, this wood helps maintain a healthy population of freshwater fish. It can also enhance oxygen levels. Some species of fish ingest wood out of it, as their fiber supplement which aids digestion and keeps them healthy.

Great Source of Bacterial Growth

Driftwood is a great source of bacterial growth. These good bacteria help the detoxified waste and convert it into a more usable substance for your aquatic plants. The more they grow, the more stable your tanks will be, and the more mature your system will get. These bacteria break down the fish by-products into fewer toxic compounds which ensures that you will have a healthy colony of fish.

How to Choose a Good Driftwood

There are lots of driftwood sold at pet shops, yet, they are not suitable for fish tanks. Aquatic driftwoods like the Spiderwood we sell here at Aquafy are labeled safe for aquarium use.

How to Put Driftwood

Adding driftwood to your fish tank is not putting it directly. Yet, there is a process that you will only do once and it’s pretty easy!

Make sure to clean the driftwood before submerging it into the tank. You can achieve clean driftwood by either thoroughly scrubbing or rinsing it with boiling water. Ensure that the pieces of wood contain no dirt or anything toxin or harmful.

Now that you know all the benefits of using driftwood in the aquarium, what’s the best way to add it to your fish tank? Luckily, it’s an easy process, and you only need to do it once!

Newly-bought driftwood is almost buoyant. You don’t want it to be floating around the fish tank; the best thing to do is submerge it for a while. Put it in a bucket with water for a couple of days until it is completely water-logged. This process will make the driftwood stay down before transferring it to your aquarium.

Any fish tank needs to have a presence of an organic aquascaping structure instead of buying artificial or fake materials. Driftwood is a great way to decorate your tank that is 100% organic and long-lasting which not only adds beauty to your aquarium but also provides benefits to your fish. If you want to have one, just click here and add this Spiderwood to your cart.