Unfortunately there is no way to be sure how much tannin a piece of bogwood will leach or how long it will continue to leach it for. It’s attractive and somewhat gnarled appearance have caused it to gain popularity as a heavy decorative wood not just in aquaria but also as a base for lamps and sculptures. Workability: Mopane is generally considered to be difficult to work, mainly on account of its incredibly high density. However, chances are it’s been floating around the ocean for months or even several years. Machining has a severe blunting effect on cutters. When deciding if you want to pre-soak your wood first you may want to bear in mind that tannins will lower your pH just like peat can do so it may be wise to monitor this and buffer your water accordingly if required. Before being offered for sale in retail aquatic stores it is sandblasted removing all of its bark. I do however, want to make a basking area using wood. Indian almond leaf (catappa leaf) will release quite a bit of tannins, and you can find it on Aquabid.com or eBay. Tree Size: 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall, 2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter, Average Dried Weight: 67 lbs/ft3 (1,075 kg/m3), Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .88, 1.08, Modulus of Rupture: 16,530 lbf/in2 (114.0 MPa), Elastic Modulus: 1,917,000 lbf/in2 (13.22 GPa), Crushing Strength: 10,190 lbf/in2 (70.3 MPa), Shrinkage: Radial: 4.0%, Tangential: 5.2%, Volumetric: 9.3%, T/R Ratio: 1.3. Bogwood comes from several species of tree including oak, pine and yew with colours varying from a rich reddish brown (pine) to jet black (oak) with hues of dark brown in between (yew). The best time to collect wood is late summer. You’ll note that yew and pine are safe in the form of bogwood, unfortunately it will take longer than your lifetime for you to replicate the conditions that has made them safe, so please avoid them when collecting wood yourself. If you want to minimise the amount of tannin leached into your aquarium then soak it for one to four weeks in a bucket of water, changing all of the water regularly. Just make sure you identify the tree properly and prepare the wood properly. Copyright © 2008-2020 Eric Meier | All Rights Reserved. It’s fairly common in retail shops and from on-line sellers. This process may take a week or so. Description Size Wholesale Information Wholesale Minimum Order of 12 Pieces Mopani wood or mopane root is a hard wood product from Africa. Go to a deciduous forest and look for beech and oak. I also would like to know … The mostly bicoloured woods create an outstanding optical depth in the tank. … You can also find fresh wood following a storm. The Mopane tree is native to South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Woodlands.co.uk – tree identification. Be careful when approaching your final dimension. Some algae loving herbivorous fish species will actually eat it. Further positives are that it doesn’t seem to leach anywhere near as much tannin as other aquarium woods and I’m yet to see a single piece become covered in fungal growth. Mopani wood is sometimes referred to as ‘bogwood’. wood … http://www.driftwoodaquarium.com/mopani-wood/ Mopani wood is a dense wood, which comes from Africa. Instead Mopani wood comes from the Mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) which originates from Sub Saharan Africa. Color/Appearance: Heartwood is medium to dark reddish brown, with black stripes. ... Come … Soaking isn’t always necessary but helps the wood to sink and the bark to peel off more easily. Arguably a lot more aesthetically pleasing than either bogwood or Mopani wood, redmoor wood with its reddish hues and tangled root appearance can be used to give a striking centrepiece in your aquarium. These fish do not actually digest the wood which is expelled as waste, but do digest the associated organic material when scraping the surface of wood with their teeth such as algae, animals and microscopic plants collectively known as aufwuchs. It also sometimes requires a thorough soaking before it will sink. Perfectly safe; over a period of months it might depending on the size of the wood lower you PH 0.5, it won't do anymore than that. It’s an attractive golden brown colour, and as the nickname of spider wood suggests, it’s quite a tangly looking wood. ... Come here to enjoy … Well-defined sapwood is a pale yellow. Very occasionally it may even require holding in place with a rock, though this is very rare. … The … This wood due to its high density and it’s attractive appearance has gained popularity as a heavy decorative wood not just in the aquarium but also as a base for lamps and wooden sculptures. What one normally ends up with depends on where in the world one may reside in . Mopani Wood has been sandblasted clean and is ready to be added to your terrarium. Look for dry pieces with no mould, rot or fungus. Pricing/Availability: Likely to be somewhat expensive, exceeding the cost of most imported African hardwoods, with the exception of  the scarcer species such as Pink Ivory or African Blackwood. The tannins are also reported to act as a very mild fungicide with antibacterial properties. The wood can be planted with moss or other epiphytes, like fern, to enhance a natural impression. The second one is the … The sharper the better your finish and less sanding. Due to its density and resistance to water, it has long been used in terrariums and vivariums. It’s … Mopani Wood is a sandblasted, colourful decoration material for all aquariums. Most of my mopani … Bogwood contains tannins (organic material) that will leach into your water giving it a tea coloured and stained colouration.  This makes it a visually interesting addition, as well as offering hiding places for smaller fish. I think maybe the individual piece of wood has some to do with how bad it is. It is not as heavy and dense as Mopani wood and sometimes requires a lengthy soaking to get it to sink. I have found that carbide tools work best. It’s dark brown to black colouration can be very striking when placed on a light coloured substrate. Surprised no one has commented yet. Color tends to darken with age. It takes… Read more », (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). One of our favorite woods (and among the most sought after by fellow hobbyists) used in 'scaping is Mopani. The mopani wood can leach for months, there's not much you can do but water changes. Mopani is the hardest and consequently its effects are the slowest to notice. Exotic Wood Blanks: Below you will find stock sizes of Mopani exotic wood blanks. You should start to see the amount of tannin decline over time which will give you an idea as to when you can add it to your tank. It is guaranteed not to float, is sold in various sizes and as well as not discolouring your water, it will not alter your pH at all. Gonimbrasia belina is a species of emperor moth which is native to the warmer parts of southern Africa.Its large edible caterpillar, known as the madora or mopane worm or amacimbi, masontja, feeds … Which would would achieve that? Researching fishkeeping – how, what and why? the mechanism that slows it is from live wood. For roughing, because of its hard, brittle nature, the shards coming off the lathe can really hurt. Some bogwood is offered for sale as ‘pre-soaked’, though this is actually quite rare due to the additional time and expense required. It can serve as a spawning site for egg laying species. If it sinks after that, it is probably OK to use, but there is some unknown risk to bear in mind, especially if you can’t identify it. Fine uniform texture with a moderate natural luster. I know this is outside of woodworking, but I think it’s interesting that mopane is actually quite common in fish-keeping circles. Author: Jared Cave (commercially available aquarium wood) and Simon Morgan (collecting your own wood). Pleco's in general love mopani wood! The distributor claims that it is harvested in an ethical manner from dead trees in the Far East before being sandblasted and cut to shape. It can be difficult and take a long time getting deep sanding grooves out. This process gives it a two tone appearance as can be seen from the in the picture. I had a piece of mopani (loved the shape and size so really would like to put it back if possible) in my 2ft tank, this tank is for shrimp and tiny fry, but the wood after 12 hours of being in the tank gets covered in this clean slime. Being from So. The little piece of malaysian I put in my 10g I boiled for a long time and it still turns the water brown. Always thoroughly soak mopani wood before adding it to your aquarium. Removing the bark is optional. If we do not list a size that is common to your specific woodworking industry, please contact us. and it only does that till it dies. This type of wood comes from the mopane tree of Africa. Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Instead wholesalers offer various types of wood which have been dried outdoors without the preservation process of true bogwood. Also called "Mopane", it comes from a species of tree, Colophspermum mopane, found in hot, … Grain/Texture: Grain is usually interlocked. Quick and easy quarantine tanks on a budget, How to make your own gel food for bottom dwelling fish, Getting involved with conservation and volunteering, How tank sizes and living conditions can affect fish, Cedar (avoid anything evergreen/coniferous). Like redmoor wood it doesn’t seem to release tannins but occasionally is subject to fungal growth. However this isn’t strictly accurate as it has never been anywhere near a bog! Azalea root is sometimes known as as spider wood when offered for sale. Florida and the Florida Keys , I wish I would have packaged all the driftwood I used to come … Originating in Eastern Europe, marsh root wood is the roots of hardwood trees that have been soaked in boggy conditions for some time. Photos courtesy of: Jared Cave, Simon Morgan and Simon Archer, Fancy goldfish and swimbladder/buoyancy problems, A fish is a life, not just a fairground prize, The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle – getting your aquarium ready for fish. Mopane wood is one of southern Africa's heaviest and is difficult to work because of its hardness. This wood is great for turning, especially if you can find it already dead, dried, and on the ground. Rot Resistance: Mopane is rated as very durable, and is also resistant to termites and powder post beetles. For use in aquariums, remember all natural wood leaches tannins, which discolor water and reduce pH levels. The first is the Angolan Mopani woodlands that covers south-western Angola to northern Namibia. When the water color goes from dark brown to a very light "tea" color (or clear), the wood … Note: Surface condition of wood … Other benefits include providing hiding places for reclusive species, helping form natural boundaries for territorial species and it can be used as an anchor point for attaching aquarium plants such as Java Moss, Java Fern and Anubias barteri, further improving the aesthetic appeal of your tank. Instead Mopani wood comes from the Mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane) which originates from Sub Saharan Africa. It has not been preserved like genuine bogwood, but has been soaked long enough so that tannins no longer leach from it. I know this is outside of woodworking, but I think it’s interesting that mopane is actually quite common in fish-keeping circles. Pieces vary in size between around 25cm to 150cm for very large tanks. live wood is the only wood that does not rot. For this reason it has long been used for building houses and fences, as railway sleepers and as pit props. This is perfectly harmless. Our mopani roots comes … I had boiled the wood … Sandblasting gives it a very smooth texture. You will be receiving one (1) piece of Mopani wood or a pack of three (3) pieces of Mopani wood… This wood … The wood is sand-colored with darker markings. This is my 2nd of two Zoo Med Mopani driftwood pieces and they were both generally straight pieces of wood akin to a fallen branch. Bogwood is wood that has been preserved by the anaerobic conditions of these environments over hundreds if not thousands of years in a bog. It’s no secret … It’s not going to sink any time soon, so I suggest it’s not a good place to find wood. Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; solitary and radial multiples; medium to large pores in no specific arrangement, few to moderately numerous; heartwood mineral/gum deposits common; parenchyma vasicentric, banded; narrow rays, spacing normal to fairly close. Drift Wood is normally a form of marine debri , where Cholla Wood is the main structure from cacti . The downside is that it can be considerably more expensive than other types of aquarium wood, but many pieces justify this because of its visual beauty alone. Drift wood from a beach, for example, is not going to have pathogens that can infect freshwater fish. It comes in many shapes and sizes and is often used as an attractive natural looking ornament in the aquarium. 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