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Re; autoclaving and driftwood. why?
Hello all :)
Dwight posted this message and hear are some of my
answers.
>For the autoclave & DW thread;
>I'm wondering why is there so much concern about
>driftwood enough to
>autoclave it? IMHO, sterilization of DW is
>counterproductive b/c its
>not
>going to prevent your tank (if its unbalanced) from
>being invaded by
>algae.
> All sterilizing your DW will do is provide low -
>competition territory
>for
>fungal invasion!
>Besides, doesn't autoclaving risk denaturing many of
>the protein bonds
>that
>hold the cellulose together? Won't this reduce the
>lifespan of your DW
>in
>the aquarium causing it to fall apart sooner than it
>ever should?
>If that piece of wildwood you guys found is
attractive >enough to place
>in a
>tank then rinse it off and drop it in! If its loaded
>w/ tannins or
>floats
>however, boil the thing for a few hours to get the
>stuff out and / or
>sink
>it.
There are many reasons for my initial posting, they
are as follows (not necessaraly in order);
1. When I looked in the FAQ and Krib sites I could not
find anything on steralizing a piece of driftwood in
an autoclave. I may have punched in the wrong key
words.
2. The want of Knowledge
3. I am planing on keeping Discus in my planted tank.
I like this idea instead of a bare tank.
4. Due to the nature of Discus my concern was one of
steralization (Parasites and other nasties). Remember
that I had found this piece of DW in a fresh water
stream. An ounze of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.
5. I would rather find a way to steralize something
without the use of chemicals (bleach in this instance)
6. I am not rich. If I were to by a piece of driftwood
in a store 1/3 the size of what I have and not as
interesting it would cost $85 CND. I would rather
spend my monies on the fish and other important
necessities.
7. Due to the DW's large size I did not have the means
readily at hand to boil it.
8. I have access to an autoclave.
9. An autoclave is not a hassle to opperate you just
put the piece in, turn it on, wait and pull it out
(kind of like an oven).
10. I have been an aquariast for a long time. Count
myself lucky or just remembering the golden rule;
water quality is of my utmost importance. My tanks
have a tendancy toword well balanced(where is that
piece of wood to knock on?? Dang it's in the
autoclave!)
I hope this answers the question as to why I
posted :)
Thanks much
Davis :)
adele_davis at yahoo_com
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