Wood extracted from peatlands is free from salt and generally has a very low pH, but often carries parasites, fungi, spores, or algae. They come from acidic backgrounds and tend to lower the pH by releasing various tannins, but they have the advantage of not floating. Bog wood colors the water.
Silicified wood , also called petrified wood, is also perfectly suitable but it is very heavy and often quite expensive if you want large pieces.
Chestnut, hawthorn and false accacia .
Alder is a very neutral wood which hardens when fully soaked in water

On wood that has not soaked long enough you often see a whitish or beige layer appearing, resembling sticky moss. These are harmless fungi, a kind of mold, which fish and snails readily eat. The fact of boiling the stumps also makes it possible to get rid of the various larvae, spores or bugs which are hidden in the bark or in the wood ...
Some woods color and acidify the water a lot; it is therefore necessary to regularly check that the pH does not drop too much. If you put a strain in order to lower the pH of an aquarium, obviously you should not put carbon in the filter, since the carbon removes the tannin and therefore the acidification of the water. [/ Spoil]

It is often at this moment that we notice that most of the roots have the unfortunate idea of ​​floating ... yes, they are made of wood!

The time before a piece of wood is willing to flow naturally is very variable depending on the nature of the wood and the size of the piece (larger ones often sink immediately) and can range from a few days to a few months. If we did not have the opportunity before filling the tank with water to soak the root sufficiently so that it wants to remain submerged, it will then have to be weighted in the meantime, either from above by placing stones on it (not necessarily very aesthetic), or from below by fixing it on a rock support (using plastic clamps or stainless steel screws for example).

In addition to this, you will need to know more about it.

Natural hiding places

Coconuts also make it possible to create hiding places which are very successful, including for our axolotls. It is enough to saw them in 2 large pieces or to make an opening with a hole saw then to empty them by removing carefully all the flesh which remains attached, and to sand the edges well to avoid that an axo cuts there.

The stones
Without going so far as to design an entirely mineral decoration, as is often the case for tanks of African Cichlids, the use of rocks and stones can be interesting. Some loulous appreciate being able to hide in caves and caves.
We avoid using limestone if we already have hard water with a high pH. To quickly test a stone, just drop a few drops of vinegar or even better hydrochloric acid, which is easily bought in pharmacies. If there is foam production or the appearance of bubbles, the stone contains limestone and should not be placed in a freshwater aquarium. The most common rocks in our regions are granite, slate and sandstone, siliceous rocks, schist. These last two stones should be avoided because of their sharp edges.
Self-collected stones from nature should be rubbed, scraped and washed well to rid them of unwanted hosts or soil they may contain. A boiling bath will not hurt them again.
Also be careful to avoid picking up stones that have inclusions of various metals (copper for example) that could dissolve in the tank.

Avoid using sand collected at the seaside, like coral, or pieces of coral and shells because they are certainly limestone but contain iodized salt (prohibited for our axolotls) and significantly modify the parameters of the water. In addition, the corals are sharp and the fish are injured.

Stones should also be rubbed, scraped and washed well to rid them of unwanted hosts or soil they may contain. A pressure washer can be used.
For many years, roots have occupied a prominent place in our aquariums. But many of us have already been tempted to deal with the sometimes unaffordable price of commercially available roots, by taking them from the wild ourselves. This article aims to guide you in the choice of wood species compatible with our freshwater aquariums.

The sheets in our bins:
* Cattappa leaf (badamier): Very famous among aquarists, it has various properties:
-Antimycotic (fungicide: very active on fungi)
-Bactericide
-Parasitic
-Anti stress
* The oak leaf
* The ash leaf
* The almond leaf (prunus alba)
* The beech leaf
* Birch leaf
* Wicker
* Poplar
* Alder fruits: Have the particularity of lowering the PH very effectively, counting one fruit for 15L.
(Prefer autumn fruits, which are more active than those of spring).

All these leaves influence the ph by lowering it you can only use them if your water is too hard for your axoltols or with other species that require softer water.