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Re: driftwood maintenance?and fish disease question

Catherine:

>All this talk about rotting driftwood has me wondering if people pull their 
>driftwood periodically (once a year?) to sand off rotten spots.... I have 
>three pieces of driftwood in my 38 gallon, all covered with java moss, java 
>fern, anubias, and bolbitis.  I certainly would not want to have to disturb 
>these plants just to rip off some rotten or soft wood.... The only type of 
>algae I have is green spot.  I guess if nothing else in the way of algae 
>grows, I would not be inclined to bother my driftwood....feedback?  It is my 
>only tank, so I really cannot move a piece to another tank to reduce the 
>amount of driftwood in there.

What type of driftwood is it?  Was it a "self-sinker" when you first put it
in or 
did it require stone slate or boiling to stay down?  That is a good
indication of how
 long it will last w/o decay.  Dry, dense, self sinking, unheat-treated
driftwood can 
last for several, several years.   I wouldn't worry about that piece.  It
sounds well 
covered even if it was treated and is experiencing slight decay, plant
growth would take 
care of it.

>I do have one fish related question. Is there a disease that fish get that 
>turns them into humpbacks and then they die?  Over several months I have
seen 
>this happen to a few fish (most are very healthy) -- they almost look like 
>they are starving, but I don't think that is it.  They turn into upside-down 
>"U's".  No outside lesions or wierd behavior.  This seems to mostly have 
>taken out my platies, but also a harlequin raspbora that I have had for over 
>a year.  Any ideas?  Poor quality stock maybe?

It's genetic.  Inbreeding makes this trait more likely to emerge in
subsequent generations 
even if the parent fish don't express it.  Poor stock too far removed from
wild ancestors is the culprit.  
That's why it's a big problem mostly in live-bearers.  I'm supprised about
the rasbora though.  
There is nothing you can do except put them down.  Prevent them from
breeding at all cost.


Aquarium Plants & Driftwood
http://www.floridadriftwood.com