Freshwater

Chapter 5: What to Put and What Not to Put in Your Tank
You can purchase several varieties of rocks including granite at your local
aquarium store that are safe to put into any tank. These rocks are pre-cleaned
and won’t crumble. You can also pick up a little slate while you’re at the
store. Rocks such as slate, granite, and red lava rock will not change the
water conditions in your aquarium and promote a pleasing and natural
layout. Another good place to find natural, worn rocks is along riverbanks
and streams. Make sure you thoroughly clean any rocks you find with hot
water and allow them to dry in the sun before using them.
When adding rocks to your tank, make sure that you try to distribute them
throughout the substrate. While adding rock is rarely a problem, your glass
can become stressed and prone to cracks if you pile a very heavy load of
rocks on one side of the tank. Natural riverbeds have small rocks strewn
around the bottom and small clusters of larger rocks on the sides.
Wood for a freshwater tank
Wood is a wonderful way to add a natural look to your home aquarium. Most
retail fish stores sell driftwood, branches, and small hollow logs. These may
be real wood that has been sealed or artificial pieces that usually look as
good as the real thing. In today’s market the choices seem almost endless.
Keeping wood from floating
If you have not bought a pre-sealed piece of wood from a retail store and
have found some nice-looking driftwood, you may run into a floating problem.
Nothing is more aggravating or unsightly than a big chunk of wood floating
all over your aquarium. Plus, floating chunks of wood may cause aquarium
and equipment damage, and put dents in your fish, and they will hate you for
it. This can be fixed in some cases, so don’t toss that beautiful piece out
simply because it is bobbing to the top of the water.
If your driftwood tends to float, pre-soak it in water until it’s saturated.
Saturated wood usually stays down on the bottom of the tank. If wood still
floats after being submerged for a 24 hours, you can try attaching it to a rock.
You can use plastic suction cups to attach driftwood to a rock in your aquarium.
Simply add the cups to the wood using aquarium-safe silicone. Anchoring
wood keeps it from floating or being knocked around by the fish in your tank.
You can buy suction cups at most hardware and aquarium stores.
Once you have the wood attached to a rock (slate often works best for this)
in the substrate to anchor the wood arrangement in place. Use gnarled
branches whenever possible, because they look cool and provide nifty little
mazes for your fish to swim around in.
If all else fails, remove the wood and look for another good piece that is less
buoyant.
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